New Year resolutions

But there are a few things in particular I would really like to work on this year.

Separation anxiety

I'd really like to restart the separation anxiety training this year. George was doing OK. We'd got up to 7 minutes in the evenings but my training has been sporadic. I'd do a couple of weeks of regular training (with two days off per week as recommended) but then lose my stride.

There would always be excuses: he's asleep now, he's too active at the moment, he's had a hard day.

All of which might have been valid at times but I think I was quick to find an excuse. I was tired after a busy work day and didn't want to keep going in and out of the house!

Once I'd interrupted the flow, I always found it really hard to get restarted.

But it would make such an impact if I was able to leave the house even if only for an hour. It would greatly assist George if he had coping skills in place if I had to leave the house in an emergency.

I'm also paying for the app so need to make use of it!

I'll try to make it a priority and stick to it this year.

Happy vet visits

George's recent challenging visit to the vet has got me worried about him not being able to get regular check-ups.

Our trainer and VB recommended setting up happy visits where we just go to the clinic and only good things happen. As well as continuing to work on handling.

I am hopeful my vet clinic will accommodate this (they were very accommodating with him at the last visit).

I will speak to them and hopefully set something up.

Keep going

Those are two pretty big aims so I might leave it there for now. But I also intend to keep doing what we're doing with the below as what we are doing seems to be working!

• Regular and slow desensitisation to brushing and handling
• Slow desensitisation to the awning
• 2-3 walks a week in quiet areas/Sniffspots if possible
• Lots of enrichment at home
• Play scent work games at home
• At least one rest day once a week and continuing calm and relaxation at home

George is making good progress with brushing. By pairing with high-value treats and taking it really slowly with lots of breaks, he now gets excited when the brush comes out! I've been able to brush his ears and tail recently which was very difficult a few weeks ago.

He's also made good progress with the awning. It can be most of the way out now and he will go in the garden. He will still move away if I am opening or closing it but that's OK. That might come in time.

It's so encouraging when I see progress. It does make it easier to keep going!

On a personal level, I'm going to try to make sure I look after my own wellbeing. My exercise has taken a bit of a back seat this past year as we've been walking less. I'm going to try and restart the at home exercise classes I did during lockdown.

I'd like to take up the kind offers from friends to watch George for an hour or two (will see how that goes!). And I'd love to plan a couple of road trips with George and friends.