Twinkle.. my timid little girl.
She can't sleep without me near by.
She can't sleep when she's alone in the kitchen.
What do dogs do when they want attention?
They
BARK.
Just a couple of days ago, i went out and came back close to 2am in the wee early morning. There's my little ger OUT of her playpen; with the kitchen lights switched ON for her. You might have guess how
badly, loudly and LONG she had bark, for my parents to let her roam the entire kitchen with the lights on.
So clever little ME decided to create a separation anxiety solution.
The trick is to let her know that i'm always around, though i'm NT in the kitchen with her.
1. Place her in the playpen, in the kitchen, in the dark.
2. I start walking into the kitchen towards the end of the kitchen, waited a short while and CALMLY walk back to my room. (Totally ignoring her.)
3. The intervals are frequent in the beginning. Just seconds apart. (e.g. 5 secs)
4. Slowly increase the interval. From seconds to minutes. (e.g. 30 secs --> 1 min --> 2 min)
5. Each time just walk as per normal to and fro the kitchen and your room. Totally ignoring her.
6. Repeat this exercise for a period of about 20-30 mins.
This leads her to think that i will be walking there every now and then = i'm not gone far far away but still there with her.
Yes, it takes a lot of effort. But as long as i can get her to slp well and not bark and disturb my family. It's worth it. :)
Labels: mommy talking, night barking, separation anxiety, solution