We’re doing our best to prevent Ginger from developing separation anxiety, so each day, we leave her in her crate for a bit, while we get out. We’ve heard that doodles are especially prone to developing anxiety, so it feels especially important during this pandemic for her to realize we won’t ALWAYS be home. And that she will be OK.
We tell her to “get cozy” and she runs to her crate. Because she knows that means there are treats waiting. So she gladly goes into her crate, but she’s not a fan after we close the door.
She screams and cries a bit, and she digs at the door to the crate, but we calmly tell her she’s ok, and we walk away.
And then we usually drive away, because I can’t handle hearing her cry.
But the greatest part is always coming back, because Ginger is super calm. Doesn’t cry when we come in. Doesn’t scream or dig at her crate door. Just calmly waits for us to come to her and let her out.
And the calm is carrying over. Because she likes for us to pet her and give her some attention, but she does not go wild after spending a little time in her crate. She doesn’t chase Moxie and she doesn’t jump all over us. She greets us, gets a potty break and some water, and then usually goes and finds a spot to chill for a while.
Which leads me to believe that we could all benefit from a little “get cozy” in our lives. Maybe we need to allow ourselves to feel the panic, and to scream and cry, in order to reach our calm.
I’m thinking it’s worth a try.