Episode #184 Managing Change During and After Vacation

Have you ever returned from vacation to find your puppy's behavior completely changed? Discover the secrets to managing those unexpected shifts. Learn how vacations can disrupt our pets' routines and trigger issues like separation anxiety, changes in appetite, and potty accidents. Together, we'll explore effective strategies for preparing your furry friends before your trip and smoothing out their transition once you're back.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Puppy Training Podcast, episode 184, managing Change During and After Vacation. This podcast is designed to help you on your journey of becoming best friends through love and learning, as you train your own dog from home. And I'm here to help you every step of the way. This is the Puppy Training Podcast and I'm your host, amy Jensen. Step of the way. This is the puppy training podcast and I'm your host, amy Jensen. Hello you guys, welcome to the puppy training podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:30

I am glad to be back from vacation. Don't get me wrong. I love vacations. I love getting time away with my family. I feel like we get more quality time together when we're out of our normal environments, but it's also nice to come home just to have your regular routine and schedule and you know what's happening. It's a little less stressful, in my opinion, but uh, anyway, we recently got back. We had a lot of fun just being together, relaxing and, like I said, enjoying the new environment and experiences.

Speaker 1: 0:59

And my dogs unfortunately could not come where we were going, so we left them, fortunately with my mom and her dog, maggie, so they had a really good time. It was a party, but just as our experience involved change, so did theirs. You know, leaving them with someone else, it means their day to day looked differently and with that can come some behavioral changes. So oftentimes as we are prepping for a vacation, the dogs can sense something is about to happen that's different. And then as we come home from vacation, they've had some different experiences for the last few days or weeks or however long you were gone. So today I want to talk about that and how we can help our dogs when we know routines are going to be a bit off.

Speaker 1: 1:40

Whenever we change our schedules and routines a bit, our puppies are also going to go through these changes. So whether we take them with us, we board them at a facility or we have a trusted friend or family member care for them, it is a transition, and getting back to normal is another transition. So just expect that. That's really the best thing you can do is just to expect it, um, and that's going to help you prepare for some of these changes and difficulties that you might experience Now. You might not experience anything. You might get home Like we did when my dogs went to my mom's and came home, actually, life is pretty great.

Speaker 1: 2:10

I didn't notice a lot of changes, but you might have the opposite experience. You might get back and your dogs maybe have a few habits that you don't really love, that maybe we need to work on. Um, there might be a few setbacks in, maybe their sleeping patterns because that person might've put them to bed earlier, or maybe they got up earlier, or maybe the potty habits are a little bit different because they've spent time at someone else's home and now they're back at our house. Let's make sure that the house training habits are solid at our house. Again, you might have to watch them a little more closely anyway, and other behaviors because of the changes in environments different caretakers. Other behaviors because of the changes in environments different caretakers any interactions they might have had with other animals as well, could just cause some issues. So just be prepared for that. Just be prepared for some differences, right. Just expect it. And if you expect it, then it's a little easier to deal with. So just expect that there might be a few unwanted habits that were picked up that we might need to work on. No big deal, that's okay.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Now, dogs are creatures of habit. That's a good thing, right. So regular routines do help them feel secure and reduces anxiety If you have a really sensitive or nervous dog, maybe a more anxious dog, a routine can really help them relax. And you know we get really consistent with. This is the time we feed them and this is when we exercise and this is when they take their naps, so they start to settle in and relax. Because, on the same token, it's a little bit helpful, once they've uh, settled into your home and into your routine and they are relaxed and not as nervous or anxious, that you mix things up a little bit every day. Right, maybe we feed them at different times, maybe we go for walks at different times, maybe we go for walks in different places. We start to introduce small bits of change so that when these big changes happen, we send them to someone else's home while we're on vacation or they. You know, somebody is coming to our house to take care of them, whatever it may be that you know they can handle the changes. So, yes, routines are important for dogs. It relaxes them, it helps them feel secure, reduces that anxiety. Um, so you know, be prepared for that.

Speaker 1: 4:08

When vacations happen and change happens, that there's probably a little level of anxiousness and nervousness. Naturally that happens for everybody, including our pets. So recognize that when we leave on vacation, our dog's routine is often significantly disrupted. Now, common changes might include separation anxiety, right, dogs can develop separation anxiety when their people are away, which might lead to excessive barking, some whining, or maybe they start to chew furniture that they never did before. Now, hopefully, you've create, trained your puppy and you're leaving your puppy home alone while you are out and about. Right, you're going to the grocery store, you're going to the gym, you're going places without your dog, so your dog is used to being home alone. That can greatly help that first issue. As you leave on vacation, if they've never been away from you, that separation anxiety is a real possibility. So make sure that you're teaching your dog how to be alone.

Speaker 1: 4:59

Now, changes in appetite. It's very common when we leave our dogs that they might eat less. They also might eat more whenever their routine is disrupted, so it can go either way. My dogs often eat less, so stress can cause a decrease in their appetite, while boredom can lead to overeating. So I guess it can go. You know, either way, my dogs typically are eating less food and they're having plenty of fun things to do. They're really happy to be with Maggie.

Speaker 1: 5:24

So now altered sleep patterns is another issue that we might see. So, without their usual routine, our dogs might have some trouble sleeping or maybe it's hard for them to fall asleep at night. They're in a new place, it's not their same routine, right, and so it's a little out of the norm. They might need a little more assistance to fall asleep at night, especially these, these young puppies that are learning um. Or maybe they're brand new to you and you've just gotten them comfortable in your home enough to sleep through the night and then we're transitioning them to somewhere else to try to sleep through the night. Just recognize that that until they feel safe and secure, it's going to be a little bit more hard for them to fall asleep, and you know we might want to prep for that so they also might sleep more because there's less stimulation in the environment. Again, it depends on where they are while you're gone and what they have access to Um. But just notice there might be some sleep pattern changes. Also, you might notice increased clinginess or withdrawal. So once your dog notices your absence, some dogs become more clingy with whoever's taking care of them and alternatively, some dogs withdraw and they become less interactive. That's okay, it's just change in the environment. It's change in routine.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Now, what to expect when you get back, when you return from your vacation? We might want to expect that our dog's going to again show a range of behaviors, just as they readjust back to what everyday, normal life looked like before the vacation. There might be some excitement and relief. Dogs often display significant excitement and relief upon seeing their people after a prolonged absence. I love this. Actually, it's so endearing to see my dog's little butts wiggle and tails go crazy. They're so excited to see us. I usually just get down where they can come over and get a good back scratch and circle around me a bunch of times because they're so excited to see me. So doesn't that just make you feel loved, right? That's one of the things I love about dogs. So recognize there might be a really happy reunion.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Some exuberant behaviors, if you will. Another might be a little bit of anxiety. Some dogs might initially cling to you, right, and just follow you around everywhere to make sure you're you're not leaving. So expect that possibly there might be some temporary um you know, just an adjustment period. Give them a few days to acclimate back to a normal routine. It might take them that time, or even a week to just settle back into the usual routine. So just go about life as normal as you did before the vacation. Just anticipate that there might be, you know, a little bit of adjustment period there again where your dogs might show some odd signs of anxiety or maybe extra clinginess, just because they're trying to readjust.

Speaker 1: 7:55

Now, while you're away, if you can, maintaining your dog's routine as much as possible can help resolve some of these issues from happening, all right. So here are some best practices. First, if possible, have a familiar person or a pet sitter that your dog knows. Take care of your dog. If they know that person, they're going to feel more comfortable and they're less likely to be anxious and have some of these issues that we talked about. Also, just leave for that person a list of hey, this is my dog's normal schedule, this is kind of what their day looks like, and, if possible, have that person follow it as much as they can recognize. Obviously they're not you and they don't have your life. They have their life. So there will be some changes, but just giving them a good rundown of what your dog's day looks like can be super helpful. Also, leave behind items that smell like you, such as a shirt that you wear often or a blanket that you use right, that just can provide some comfort for your dogs If they are elsewhere, if they're not in your home while you're away, and then, before leaving, just gradually accustom your dog to your absence by leaving them alone for short periods of time and increasing the duration.

Speaker 1: 8:56

So, like I mentioned, make sure that before the vacation happens, your dog is used to being home alone for several hours at a time. This can really help your dogs as these changes like vacations come along. You're not going to have the dog with separation anxiety. They're not going to be super anxious when you leave. They're used to you being gone. They know how to relax and calm themselves when you are not present. So I always tell clients crate training or training your dog to be left home alone, which is we use crates for that. Or pens Pens are great too, but that is a gift that you can give your dog. One of the best gifts you can give your dog is to teach them how to live without you constantly there. Okay, so super helpful. Make sure you're doing that before you go on vacations.

Speaker 1: 9:40

Then, when you get back and trying to get back into routine. Do it gradually if needed, but just go back to your regular schedule. Try to get back into. This is when we eat breakfast. This is when we go exercise, um. This is when we go outside to play, um, and you know, depending on what their schedule was like when you were gone, you can know how much activity to reintroduce when you get back and then anticipate that, yes, there might be more jumping or maybe they're mouthing a little bit more than they did when you left them. There's going to be a few things that maybe they got away with while you were gone that we need to go back to the basics and remind them. No, these are the rules, this is what we do. This is how we say hi to a person. This is you know, we don't put teeth on people. We play with toys, not hands, that kind of thing. Just expect some of that that you're going to have to go back and do some retraining, um, and then they pick it up quickly. They remember. They're like oh, yes, I remember, this is how it is, and then we settle back into everyday life.

Speaker 1: 10:36

So there you have it, you guys, a few tips and tricks for you on when you plan a vacation, how to help your dogs manage and navigate the change in your team. There are some things you can do to definitely set them up for success, which is what we are all about here at Baxter and Bella. All right, you guys have a wonderful summer. I know we're enjoying ours the warm weather. The dogs love to be outside. Bella absolutely loves water and so does Baxter, so we're going to definitely try to find some places that they can play in the water this summer. It's definitely hot enough to do so. I hope you guys have a wonderful summer break as well. Happy training. If you have a question about anything you heard on this podcast or any other puppy training question, visit my site, baxterbellacom, to contact me.