Saturday, July 19, 2014

Project Hailey - Not the Best Day for My Girl

Thursday afternoon a girlfriend and her two children aged 4 and 5 came for a visit. I knew Hailey would find this a little stressful, so even though I was working at home in the morning I spent a lot of time trying to tire her out. Unfortunately it was a little windy in the morning so she was a little stressed before they arrived.

Lee - post kid visit
When my friend and the kids arrived, Lee barked and barked. I tried her on her leash but she wouldn't calm down. Unfortunately the kids aren't really comfortable around dogs (nor is my girlfriend as she has very severe allergies and hasn't had a lot of exposure), which made Lee more anxious. I made the decision for everyone (because it wasn't going to be a good visit if Lee was barking the entire time) to put her in the crate. 

After putting her in the crate she did bark for a few minutes but she settled. Several times during the visit she barked and whined. (Often when the kids ran so she could see them) She dug her crate a little, but didn't destroy anything. 

Phod on the other hand was an angel. He took the treats from the kids, he played ball with them, he let them pet him, he gave kisses. The kids loved him and the kids would have been thrilled to take him home.

In the end, although I felt a little bad for Lee having to be in jail (with a kong and a chew and her toys), I had a nice visit with my friend (unfortunately the weather was poor and kept us from a visit to the beach . . . maybe next time). 

I am proud of Lee for being able to settle in her crate. It is nice to know we have an alternative to help her when we have nervous dog people visit. 


14 comments:

  1. Sometimes a time out is the best option and maybe that needs to be her safety zone.

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  2. We're glad to hear that in the end it all worked out well. We feel bad that Hailey gets so anxious. Our Muffin is like that too, so we can relate.

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle

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  3. Sometimes a little crate time is what's needed to chill out. I'm sorry that she was so nervous and didn't get to visit but it sounds like her crate was the safest place for her to be.

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  4. I'm glad you could enjoy the visit of your friend. I feel a little sorry for Lee too, but at the end it worked :o)

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  5. Good for you Lee! GOOD GIRL!!

    Hugs, Sammy

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  6. sounds like it all worked out. Sometimes when we have all the family over (that is a lot of people) the pugs go in our bedroom - although they love everybody, it can be overwhelming for them too
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Greta

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  7. We have that too - Monty has to be crated and in a back room and Harlow can be out. We have been putting her in the same room with him.

    Monty and Harlow

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  8. Hi hi hi! Ojo here! Sometimes it is better to be safe in a crate with yumiies than out and about with scary things, no?

    Of course I LOVE kids. Not only are they fun, but often they have FOOD! And food on their clothes and hands, and food dropping on the floor, food being fed into Dog mouths... Oh yeah, I love kids!

    Cobi, on the other hand, not so much. She would rather be hiding away with something yummy, although she would rather than strange kids just never come to her house at all! (I feel that way about big loud machines. Not good at all.)

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  9. Poor Lee; so glad she had a safe place to stay while the kiddos were there. Our last dog didn't like children at all and we always had to put him in our bedroom when even our grads were around. He was a puppy mill dog and unfortunately never learned to play with toys and accept kids. That's why we ended up with a Bichon-wanted a dog I could trust totally with little ones.
    Hopefully the next visit will be during nice weather and a good time for all. I well remember I would get a bit stressed too about our last dog.
    Wags,
    Noreen & Hunter

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  10. We think Lee was grateful that she felt safe!

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  11. My aunt's new dogs seem to react similarly with my kids. They will just bark and bark and seem nervous around them, especially the toddler. Kids just aren't for everyone! Don't worry Lee.

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  12. Well, i'm glad she settled in the crate ok. I have had dogs who could not be loose in the house when company came over as well. It's not fun, that's for sure. I wonder if a thunder shirt for her would work to calm her down while people come to your house? I'm not sure though. I just received a thundershirt in the mail to review, so after I test it out on Koda for a while, I will let you know if it helps!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  13. That's great she settled in her crate. I had two dogs that I needed to crate when I left the house. Over time, they both loved their crates; it's where they went for peace and quiet--on their own. They each felt like it was their hideaway. So crates don't always have to feel like jail. They can be a respite for a dog.

    --Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats

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  14. That is just like our Maggie.
    stella rose

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