So after my blog post a couple of weeks ago about the separation anxiety of our new mini-dachshund Celia and finding out we also had issues with our older mini-dachshund Alice, time for a quick update.

Items munched while we were at work this past week – nothing!  Ok not quite nothing, but pretty much nothing. There were a couple of minor tuffs pulled off Celia’s sheepskin, which she has been sleeping on and they did get into the rubbish bin of snotty tissues and scattered them around.

Not a single sheets, curtains, valance or couch was eaten this past week.  Progress!

We had been walking them in the morning before work, but found that there wasn’t enough time for them to settle before we left for the day.  So our routine in the morning is now simply, no cuddling in bed, feeding at some point between getting up and leaving and before we leave, insisting they go back to their beds.

Alice is pretty happy with this routine, she often heads back to bed anyway, and being the winder-upper of Celia, this seems to be fixing the issue.

Despite “dog man” insisting on no dogs in beds, on couches etc and being on the far side of the room at all times, we are back to pretty much ignoring all of this.  But its on our terms now – we are at times saying “no” and they are happy to go find another spot, even at times in another room.  Such independant little doglets we have!

One other change I have made, is that I no longer put them out to the toilet – they are on their own to go as they please through the cat flap.  Our male dog was a sneaky inside piddler, but the girls are fine.  Making them have responsiblity for themselves is good for them and another form of their own personal independance.

We are also doing a lot of off lead, park walking – again this gives them freedom and the security in the fact that we are not escaping.  They can see us, we can see them.  Everyone is having fun.

Maybe too soon to consider another valance but I am thinking I might get out the fabric glue and have a crack at fixing the rips in the couch 🙂