I really love getting updates from my clients, in this case pet owners.
I was seeing these clients as they had had a dog move in with them and their current dog, from a family member who was struggling to look after them due to age and health.
Naturally, there were some teething troubles and both dogs had some gripes about the changes.
Because when a new pet joins an existing household, there are always going to be changes.
Changes in routine may occur that could relate to walking schedules or how far they walk, or where they walk. Each dog may have a different pace, one may like to stop and smell, one may not. Some like active walks, some like to meander.
Feeding schedules – because now there is another dog to feed, who gets fed first? Another bowl being placed, another water bowl maybe. The resident dog here was a bit of a grazer and would often leave their bones around to pick up when they wanted. That all changed as the new dog would snaffle them, so it created resentments to be dealt with.
Attention – now the attention is not fully focussed on the resident dog as the new dog has needs too. In this case, this dog was suffering with grief and it has taken time for us and the family to work with that. We have spent time communicating with her, using sound healing to work with her imbalanced chakras. We had to speak with her about boundaries and respect due to her not having many in her previous residence, which caused problems here. She actually wanted more structure.
Toys – again, a resident dog has their own toys, and although you may buy new ones or the other dog comes with their own toys, it doesn’t mean they won’t take a liking to the other dogs toys. So communicating has been key to help with her understanding about respect, and also mediating with both dogs.
Sleeping/resting spaces – it may be that one dog loves being on the settee curled up to Mum, but the new dog also likes this and is getting in first. Or there not enough room for both of them.
The resident dog did not understand the new dog was grieving and all the changes she had been through. She herself also needed to understand why she had moved home, and that she was definitely staying here for her natural life.
The resident dog also didn’t understand why she had come and how long she would be there. Sometimes they feel like they are not enough, and that Mum and Dad have therefore added to the family. So we have to communicate the reasons.
Emotionally things changes too. The resident dog will now not just being picking up the owners’ emotions, but also the state of being (physically, emotionally, energetically) of the new dog too. Sometimes that can mean their own emotional battery gets too full and the emotions start overflowing. If there are worries, concerns or stresses about the new dog, then additionally the resident dog feels that too.
So there is lots to consider when we work together, and we look at everything, including their environment.
There were also messages for their owners too in all this, but we shall keep that confidential.
But there are always messages on many levels. Pets will often for instance signify that we are spending too much time on our phones. They will paw at us, or sit and stare at us, or keep gesturing for us to go outside. Sometimes they sit on our phones or ipads,etc. Sometimes they will stop on walks if we are not being present and glues to our phones.
So we look for the messages too.
So I do like to send my pet owners a check-in a week after our session so that changes can be noticed, or reflected on, and I ask them to praise their pet when they see the change that was needed.
All of us like positive feedback, pets too!
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