Charlie and Jake have grown very close since he's joined our family a little over 6 months ago. I'm constantly observing their behavior and play-style to make sure everyone is getting along and also because it's just plain entertaining.
Overall I feel that Charlie enjoys having a playmate but Jake tires her out with his constant demands. He prefers playing with Charlie over me or Alan... he doesn't quite understand how to play with humans and I think he's worried he'll get too rough. He's a very sensitive dog and is always trying to please.
Charlie's gotten skilled at letting Jake know when she's had enough playtime and she has plenty of room to go rest somewhere away from him.
Also, I've been taking them for separate walks at night so they each get one-on-one time with me and time apart from each other. Charlie really enjoys this personal time, but Jake cries like a baby when Charlie and I leave him behind with his grandma.
He's slowly getting better about being separated from Charlie for short periods of time and I think this is important so he doesn't become too dependent on her. I want him to feel comfortable in any situation and not rely on her for all his emotional support. It's important for him to be confident when he's left alone or separated from Charlie so he doesn't develop separation anxiety.
Which is why I'm taking him with me for a road trip this weekend - just the two of us! We'll be heading down to Platteville to visit my stepmom and her new puppy. I'm also planning a short visit with my sister near Madison and hopefully Jake's foster mom will be able to stop by for a visit with him.
Charlie will be spending the weekend with Alan, getting one-on-one time with her daddy. I'm sure she'll enjoy the easy restful weekend watching football and eating treats.
This will be the first time that Jake and Charlie will be separated for this long, but I'm sure they'll both do great! Jake will be so distracted playing with a new puppy, stopping for some fun hikes during the road trip and meeting new people, plus it will build his confidence being out on his own and be a good bonding time for the two of us. I'm really looking forward to a fun weekend!
It's great that you're so conscious of this and are working to help Jake build his confidence.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julia! My previous two dogs were very co-dependent on each other so I have some experience on what NOT to do. Lol. It's hard to separate them but I think once they get over the initial separation, they actually enjoy the one-on-one time.
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