My parents' visit and George's first road trip

Luckily, my parents are amazing. They are 'dog people', experienced dog owners although they hadn't experienced a situation like George's previously and hadn’t had the opportunity to meet him yet.

I discussed their visit with our VB and trainer at length. It was very helpful. We decided that George might need some extra situational medication due to having new people in the house and the change in routine. Our trainer advised us on the introduction, car journeys, ongoing management and many other things.

I trialled the new medication ahead of my parents' visit to watch for side effects. It was somewhat sedentary but the effects wore off fairly quickly. There were no other side effects. Had it not been suitable, we just about had time to try another medication.

George and I had practiced sleeping in the spare room on the odd occasion in the previous weeks and moved in a few days before. He did pretty well - he didn't settle particularly well the first couple of nights (it is a bit noisier being at the front of the house) but soon accepted it as his new sleeping place.

Our trainer advised that the first time George has someone in the back of the car with him shouldn't be with a stranger. My lovely friend came over so we could practice driving around with her in the back with George. He settled down with no issues. I put a little towel barrier in the middle so that George would get used to settling on one side.

I fretted about the introduction for weeks. Ideally, when visitors arrive, George should be in a separate room with a calming chew or licki-mat and then introduced calmly when they are sitting down. My downstairs is an open-plan space so George would have to be upstairs - something he would struggle with given his separation anxiety.

I decided to put George in daycare for half a day so I could collect my parents from the airport. This gave them time to sort out their cases and settle a little after such a long journey (not to mention we could have a big hug) before the craziness began.

George is very reactive to visitors. We don't have many so he hasn't had much exposure to them. It isn't a high priority for our training currently.

Our trainer's advice was to have my parents sitting on our return, to remain still and to completely ignore George.

I decided that when I was due to return with George from daycare, my parents would leave the house briefly, giving me time to get George settled in the garden with a licki-mat. They were to enter the house, sit on the sofa, remain still and ignore him. They played the part excellently.

George was barking and lunging but aided by the medication (and occasionally distracted by the licki-mat), it actually went better than I expected. I kept a steady flow of treat and retreat.

He remained on fairly high alert for the remainder of the evening. When they moved, he barked. He absolutely hated it when they went upstairs (I realised he hadn't seen many people do that).

My parents remained amazingly calm and patient.

The next morning, George barked at my Dad when he came downstairs. After he had calmed, I mistakenly allowed George to go upstairs with me. He was startled by my Mum in our bedroom and then my Dad came out of the bathroom behind him. He was barking and over-threshold. I should have managed that better.

Surprisingly, George was perfectly happy to hop in the back of the car next to my Mum.

The next few days required careful management and a lot of patience. My parents visited tourist gems like a random private field and the local SniffSpot. George slowly started to trust and accept my parents which was beautiful to see.

Over the following days, George's trust and acceptance of my parents grew.

We still had to be careful of sudden movements but he would approach them for cuddles and strokes. If they left the house, he would be excited to see them on their return.

After a few days of familiarisation, we had planned a road trip a few hours drive away staying in a dog-friendly cottage for a few nights.

This was George's first road trip: his longest drive and his first time staying overnight in a different place (other than daycare). I was apprehensive as to how he would cope but was bolstered by the support of my parents and not having to do it by myself.

He did really well. The extra medication undoubtedly helped but I am so proud of how he adapted.

There were some challenges of course. Unfortunately, the accommodation had a glass door so George loved to stand on guard and bark at the neighbours. We quickly covered that up as best we could so he couldn't see. We couldn't sit in the courtyard or sun room because there were too many visual triggers.

The first night he was quite restless. The yard wasn't fully fenced so I had to put his harness on each time he asked to go out (3-4 times - I should have brought a collar) and traipse out in the dark praying he wouldn't bark and disturb the neighbours.

At around 2am, I was standing out the front with him, barefoot in my pyjamas and coat when a police car cruised by. I was praying they wouldn't stop to ask if we were OK which would have escalated the situation. Luckily they left us alone!

Over the next nights, he settled more and more.

We were fortunate in that it was a quiet time of year to visit. Thanks to my Dad's careful research, we found excellent places to walk George which were quiet and trigger-free. We had vast beaches to ourselves. George had valuable (and rare) off-leash time. He was having a blast.

He was even braver on some trail walks (I was persuaded by the fact that they were likely to be deserted and that I had some help).

We did have one incident where we met a lady and her dog on a narrow part of the path. My Dad (helpful as ever) went ahead and explained that George is anxious so if we could have some space, that would be appreciated. She replied that her dog is also anxious. We got them past each other but there was some barking and lunging. I found it harder to relax for the rest of the walk although that was the only other person we saw. George was still more confident than I have ever seen him on a trail walk.

My parents left one afternoon to get groceries and George was distraught. I couldn't believe it - I thought I had envisaged every possible problem regarding the visit but hyper-attachment to my parents wasn't one of them.

When walking as well, he needed us all to keep close. He would panic if someone (usually my Dad) went too far ahead.

I was thrilled that he had accepted them as part of our family but was slightly concerned about how he would cope with their imminent departure.

On the day we were checking out of the accommodation, a handyman arrived to do some repair work. This is yet another example of how amazing it is to have some help. My Mum gave me the heads up and I was able to scoop George into the bedroom (despite painstakingly watching the door, he missed the only time we actually had a visitor). My Dad explained the situation and we were able to make our exit without George meeting the handyman.

After lots of windy roads (which George coped with excellently) and a few beach stops, we made it home. A successful first road trip for George 😀

Luckily George's distress at my parents leaving the house abated once we'd returned to our own house. That would have been a difficult one to manage although he did watch the door for a while once they’d left.

My parents had a couple of nights in a hotel so it really helped to slowly readjust George (and us!) back to our normal routine. I returned to work and George to daycare. He was so excited to see them when they came round in the evenings.

With my parents' help, we had slowly started reintroducing George to walks outside of the private field/SniffSpot.

My parents were so helpful. If someone approached us, my Dad would intercept and explain that George has anxiety and needs a little extra space. It really helped to keep George below threshold.

On walks, someone could go ahead and check the coast was clear. My Dad even managed to hide a friendly cat on the path with a strategically-placed backpack! Not to mention the help of someone being able to get groceries and petrol, and bring the bins in etc.

My parents visit was incredibly helpful for George's confidence. He was able to experience walks on beaches, trails and fields with less stress. He learned that he can adapt to new situations without anything bad happening. He fell in love with new people.

I feel like it was a bit of a reset button for George (and me) and I hope that we can continue to build on this confidence.

I’ve read a lot of stories about how hard it can be when your family isn’t on the same page. I am so grateful that my family are on my page – they are just very, very far away.

It's always tough to say goodbye but I have to say that this one was the toughest. I didn't want to do it by myself again. They are always fabulous but this time, they went above and beyond. Their patience, understanding and acceptance were incredible. They accepted eating at home every night instead of visiting the wonderful restaurants we normally do when they visit. They accepted visiting random fields instead of the spectacular walks we normally do. They advocated for George and kept him below threshold. They supported their daughter yet again.

But as my wonderful Dad simply said "Well, George is part of the family."