There’s a Dog Psychologist In Da House.

Sunbathing in February – thank you global warming.

Twiglet – wee pudding. The baby.

I know I know – it’s no laughing matter but a glint of sunshine on the face as I stumble about the beach juggling the sausage dogs is frankly joyful.

But as of now. Today. This moment. All gamboling on the beach with the dogs is banned – and the reason? All of us humans and dogs are being trained by a dog psychologist. 

 

Walking without the dogs – just wrong, weird and Noooooo!

 

The problem is there have been traumas aplenty in the Craig household. The reason is Charlie Chorizo Sausage Dog of Love the 4 year old  – king of all he surveys – wire haired miniature dachshund boss has been droopy, depressed and convinced he neither wants or likes his sister Twiglet. Heartbreak hotel here I can tell you.

Food, toys and cuddles were the main source of angst. His dilated pupilly eyes bulged with jealousy as he whipped out of his bed and got her by the ear a couple of weeks ago and awful as it was to face , we knew it wasn’t tenable to continue living like this = everyone on edge, clenched and waiting for the next incident. So after much soul searching, googling and seriously considering parting with our wee hairy daughter, Ruth, a great friend of mine sent me the name and number of a dog psychologist.

The two sausages, Charlie and Twiglet. Look at that droopy face.

We were at the end of our tether, had tried everything else so confessing slight scepticism I contacted Julie and this week she came round to meet us all.

Rarely are we all in the same place a the same time but happily when Julie arrived it was to meet the  long suffering husband, the offspring who is currently back in the fold, his girlfriend and of course the two sausages aka the point of this whole thing –  Charlie Chorizo Sausage Dog age 4 and livid and Twiggy 6 months young all feathery eyelashes and feminine charm – which cuts no ice whatsoever with her big bruiser of a brother.

Twiggy being dramatic. No sausages were harmed in the making of this photo.

 

Adding insult to injury Charlie was declared a podgy wee fat boy 2 weeks ago by Victor our lovely vet so he has been on a very strict regime of food. He is losing weight and has come round to the fact a carrot baton is tasty especially  if its the only thing you are going to get..so chubby Charlies has receded revealing a rather  slim Jim – slender, stylish but still furious we had the audacity to introduce another sausage to the link….

Clones.

So after hysterical barking – from the dogs not David and I – Julie sat and talked us through the politics of pooches. The way we react to them and the consequences. In a nutshell she explained unless someone stood out as the boss then Charlie – bless him and his testosterone – would feel he had to take control. Sadly taking control of a world he doesn’t understand at all is going to end in tears. It is clearly  a complex issue but in a nutshell 24 hours in – and following Julies instructions to the letter – there is already a shift. Things are calmer, he looks happier, Twiggy still happy and waggy and us mere 2 leggers are determined to follow this through.

It’s really not the dogs that needed sorted it was us and the way we interacted with the dogs. 

I will report back as this is, as I say , only day 2  but we are more than hopeful, we are optimistic that this will return high stress situation to chill out zone with happy humans and dogs to boot.

So if you have a barker, chewer, biter, anxiety ridden dug – the good news – there may very well be help at hand. I will report back……….meanwhile here’s her website…..DOG PSYCHOLOGIST.

AlisonsDiary

Writer & broadcaster.

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