Friday, May 13, 2011

Freaking out

As an aside you will have noticed that yesterday's post disappeared for a bit.  I was lucky enough to be able to copy it from another file, so it should be back up.  Stupid Blogger was broken for a day.  

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I have noticed something about Monty this week.  I've been working mornings all week and so we have a routine.  This seems to be throwing him off.   The alarm goes off, we get up, I shower, we have breakfast and suddenly he is sitting on the mat by the back door shaking.

It's like he knows I'm leaving him.

Here's the thing: I have gone to work for 4 days of every 8 ever since Monty was born.  Me going to work is not a new thing.  And yet, suddenly after almost 6 years, he is freaking the heck out.

I do not understand this sudden anxiety.  I get up and put work clothes on, sit at the counter with my breakfast and my phone, and Monty thinks the world is ending.

Dude, you're fine.  You will be asleep for 80% of the time anyway.  The Guy will be home by 2pm or so, so it's not even like the dog is alone all day.  All he has to do is climb up on one of his many sets of princess pillows and snooze until the garage doors open.

Yet, all he does is vibrate.

I'm trying not to respond to said freaking out so as to not increase it's regularity, but I find it odd.  I give him a belly rub, do our morning stretch and scratch routine and hope he hasn't given himself an anxiety attack by the time The Guy comes home.

1 comment:

  1. You will find this advice odd, but I am getting it from the Dog Whisperer. Don't pet him when he's vibrating, because that's reinforcing the vibrating. Instead, poke him between his hip and belly to snap him out of it, and then pet him once he's stopped vibrating.

    ReplyDelete

Crap monkies say "what?"