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Sasha's Diary

Day Nine Summary - Monday, 11-14-2005

After recording Sasha throughout the week, I discovered that she's pretty calm on the weekdays (see Day 2), and she does go through some anxiety on Saturday and Sunday. I am going to try to make my departure on Saturday exactly like it is on a normal workday. Crating her during abnormally-timed outings might be the best solution for now. From the videotaping, I also discovered that Sasha is not even alarmed that a work crew has been taping up and painting the exterior of our building. She sleeps right through it! Meanwhile, she has managed to lose her smaller puzzle ball. It must be jammed under a dresser or sofa, but I just can't find it!

I'd love to meet other welshie owners on Dogster and swap stories. This breed is amazing, and fun. I don't get a chance to see one very often on the West Coast.

Day Two - Monday, 11-8-2005

Background noise: Comedy Central
Departure: 9:20 am
Arrival: 6:20 pm

Sasha was a perfect angel today - no sign of anxiety after I left. She played with her puzzle balls, licked up everything in her bone and Kong, and then curled up on my couch (grrrrr...oh well) for a nice long nap. While sometimes she seemed a bit bored after I left, I'm really glad I had things scattered throughout my apartment for her diversion. I also left my lamps on a timer, so as soon as it grew dark, Sasha had plenty of light in the living room.

Day One - Saturday, 11-5-2005

Background noise: HBO Family
Departure: 3:30 pm
Arrival: 9:30 pm

After turning on the video camera, I left a bone stuffed with cheese & bacon cheese whiz, as well as a puzzle treat ball that she has to turn around and around to get treats to drop out. It also plays a pre-recorded message when she moves it: "Yay! Sasha!"

The results of the 6 hour videotaping show that no separation anxiety occurs within the first hour or two after I've left the house. She busies herself with her treats and toys, but after those ran out, she started to get some anxiety. But it was uttered fairly quietly as she paced around the apartment - no chance it was heard by any neighbor. Then she'd stop after a few minutes and lay down for a while. This was repeated several times.

I noticed that she was most happy with the puzzle treat ball, but I'll have to buy a larger one because she won't be able to push it under the couch. When that happens, game over. She also had a little accident while I was gone. It seemed to occur after the apartment got dark, so I was unable to see it on videotape. Maybe she's more nervous when there's no light? I've purchased a timer so that the lights come on after 4:30 pm, partially to test that theory and also so I can see what's being videotaped at night.

I used HBO Family Channel for background noise, but I'm thinking that going forward I will use Comedy Central instead, as I think the laugh track relaxes her more.