Your dog may experience Separation Anxiety. This anxiety might manifest itself as anything from nuisance barking or whining (not good for the neighbours) to stinky surprises left for you when you return home (not good for you). If your dog is one to chew his feelings, you may also find some prized possessions or furniture vandalized during your absence.

What to do? Staying home to watch daytime TV with your lonely pooch every day probably isn’t a long-term solution. So how do you de-stress your dog so you can go about your day without feeling like a monster and he can relax so you come home to man’s best friend instead of man’s craziest co-dependent  roommate?

Try these Tips.

Put your dog to sleep (in a good way)

If you want a calm dog, it doesn’t get any calmer than sleep. Before you leave the house, make sure you schedule time for a brisk walk or a vigorous game of fetch in the backyard or nearby park. Having an anxious dog home alone is bad enough. Having a dog that is anxious and hyper is a recipe for disaster. Exercise helps calm your dog down in two ways.

Physically, it tires your dog out, so he might be up for a nap while you’re away – and emotionally, exercise can level out your dog’s brain chemistry in the same way a good workout can leave humans exhilarated.

Love thy neighbour (or dog sitter)

The best-case scenario is you can come home for lunch and spend a little quality time to break up your dog’s day. But if your schedule or commute doesn’t always allow that, you and your neighbours could participate in taking turns to let each other’s pets out when the other one isn’t home. Another option is to ask a local professional dog walker to come by.

More toys, less noise

A bored dog left to his own devices may act out by chewing up your things. Boredom can be as much of a cause for acting out as anxiety. For this reason, it’s vital to leave out your dog’s favorite toys and anything else you can think of that he can use to entertain himself in your absence. Toys make great diversions. Aside from keeping him away from your toys, you’ll provide distraction for your dog during the day, so he won’t be as anxious about you being gone. One word of caution: don’t rely on toys with treats hidden in them. Once the dog eats the treat (which could be in minutes), he’ll grow bored and move on to the furniture.

Is two company or double trouble?

A common solution that many pet owners advocate is to adopt a second dog to keep the first one company. This can be a great idea – or a big problem. There are many variables to consider, including the size, gender, breed, and temperament of your dog and of the potential new dog. Talk to your veterinarian about whether a second dog is a good idea for your current dog and what you should look for in a new companion. Adopting a second dog can bring a lot of happiness into everyone’s life, but it isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. You don’t want to be faced with a situation where you have fighting dogs or be forced to re-home a second dog who didn’t work out.

If you currently don’t have a dog, and you’re considering adopting one, think about whether your lifestyle is conducive to sharing your life with a dog. If you think your potential pet might be spending time home alone, that should factor in your decision when choosing your new friend. Look at breeds that are more low-energy and don’t need as much exercise or outdoor time. Better yet, consider adopting an older dog. Many older dogs have difficulty being re-homed, but could be a perfect fit for you. They typically are much calmer than puppies, and many are already housetrained. So don’t pass up a dog just because he’s been around the block a couple of times—it may mean he’s ready to take it easy.

…  Anne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn5uP_6HLPo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUZrimcASOg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evHMVEJJls0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vHXGKjlGi8

Born 20th February 2011

Heronbank Celtic Princess aka Skully

Heronbank Urbanhaze aka Sox

Heronbank Spring Awakening aka Olive

Heronbank Misty Morning aka Rosie

Heronbank Herald of Spring aka Harvey

Here’s his latest video!

…  Anne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK8lR0NNu9Q

Enquiries should be made to Heronbank in the first instance and your details will be passed on to their owner.

…  Anne

Chocolate Box Pups

Our friends, Andrew and Jan at Hanaland Cavaliers are developing a new website, courtesy of Nick at Urbanhaze.

They have a webcam for their puppies as we do.

Enjoy …

…  Anne

He hasn’t had an infection on his skin for quite some time now, so paws – and everything else crossed, unless he gets a sudden urge to scratch, and breaks the skin, he’s doing well.  His fur is growing again, although he is still bare underneath – I guess that might never grow back, but he’s looking great!  He still gets sore ears occasionally, but at least we have been able to stop using antibiotic drops twice a day for weeks!

I took him to see his favourite Vet Andrew a few days ago, to have his nails trimmed and Andrew commented on how well he is looking.  I would normally trim nails myself, but fin’s are soft and bleed easily.  I don’t want him to have any excuse to pick up an infection, and apart from that, if he does bleed, I’d rather it was on Andrew’s table rather than for him to stamp it on my carpet, with Fin keeping just one step ahead of me!

He’s feeling better in himself too, particularly after he has been on the treadmill, which he now does off-lead (must get a video of that!)

…  Anne

Fin

I am delighted to report that Fin is now featured on the Pooch & Mutt website who supply the Bionic Biotics which he now takes as a supplement.

We may try him on the Slimming Tonic in addition to using the treadmill to help with his weight control.

IMPORTANT – If you place an order please leave a message in our comments box, leaving your name, date ordered and order reference.  These details will not be published, but will allow us to claim a free bag to give to a dog in need.

available here.

…  Anne

Police said Leslie Trotman from Brentford was bitten on his right leg, knocking him over resulting in injuries to his left side and hand. He had attended West Middlesex Hospital for treatment shortly after the incident, which was reported to police, and officers spoke to Mr Trotman following his release from West Middlesex Hospital.

Scotland Yard decided to treat the matter as manslaughter after a post-mortem examination carried out at at Fulham Mortuary on February 2 revealed that Mr Trotman had died from a haemorrhage, caused by a ruptured spleen.  A police spokesman said: “Officers believe these injuries were sustained during the attack by the dog.”

A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and released on bail.  Three dogs have been seized from an address in Rowan Road, Brentford.  The matter has now been taken on by the force’s homicide and serious crime command under Detective Chief Inspector Charles King.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

This appears to be a truly shocking incident and I believe that owners should be made to take responsibility for their dogs actions, whatever the breed.

…  Anne

Cyda

Toby

Cyda has come into season again for the second time since her last litter, so we decided to mate her again to Toby.  Toby is the shy sort and doesn’t like being watched!

After a fruitless 2 hours plus at Janet’s, we decided to kidnap Toby and bring him home to do the job.  By yesterday evening, he was decidedly interested in Cyda and eventually they mated, with a tie of 18 minutes.

He chose to sleep in the dog room with the other cavaliers, (most unusual for Toby as he normally shares Janet’s bed due to his separation anxiety).

Following a surprisingly quiet night, I got up to let them out at 5.30am, and by 5.45am we had another tie – this time 27 minutes.  I think he’s got the hang of it now!  I have now had to separate them so I can get my blogs done!!!

If all goes according to plan, their puppies will be due on or around Easter Sunday.  Paws crossed!

…  Anne