When we are out and about, we are usually with both pooches. Sadly there are times when one has to be left behind, which is always Miss M. It is funny that in the many years that Mr. B has been in our lives, he has never been left home alone, even when it is just Miss M with a vet appointment, Mr. B is there giving her moral support or maybe it is Miss M giving Mr. B comfort.
So when we are in a position where only one pooch can come along, it is Mr. B putting on his leash and Miss M going to bed, but don't feel sorry for Miss M, the days she spends alone are dreams come true. 
Miss M has a first love and it isn't meeting new people, it is her love of food, actually her love of things she deems edible, which is almost everything. Now whenever we leave, including when we leave with Mr. B, she is more than excited to go to bed.
In bed she gets her incredible edible frozen Kong, but the excitement does not stop there. A and I go through painstaking lengths to hide treats as well as all the other treat filled Kongs around the house. Miss M's day alone becomes a grand scavenger hunt finding treats all around the house.
Now not only does Miss M love when we leave for work, but she is more excited when we leave with Mr. B. She will run to bed and even start complaining until we give her her most favorite thing, her incredible edible Kong.
11 comments:
WOW that is a great way to solve the problem of leaving one dog at home. I have two dogs and on a few occasions we have to take only one dog out at a time. I am going to start leaving special surprises at home the next time we have to do this. I love your blog it is always filled with great stories and great ideas! :)
We need to try that - we have yet to leave either boy alone because we feel guilty!
Sam
Athena isn't as excited to see us leave the house as Ms. M, but she gets totally excited when we leave her with a cow's knee cap. They are nasty little things, but she LOVEEESSSS them! This week we put Athena in her crate with one for a couple of hours and left the videocamera going. We wanted to see if she shows any signs of separation anxiety. Pretty much she just gnawed on her knee cap the whole time!
So far my little puppy does well when I leave, though there's usually one little yelp as I leave the unit. I've been thinking about getting her a Kong since she really lives treats. Might be good for when I have to be gone a bit longer.
I always leave my 2 with huge knuckle bones from Target and they seem to do the trick.
I too, have 1 who is sometimes left behind. Mostly because she is a bit hyper-active and has zero tolerance for slow-motion activities like sitting at a cafe or walking around a festival. But ironically she is much better behaved than my other guy when left home alone and I assume spends her time sunbathing and lounging with the cats:)
PS: Miss M's picture's are the best!
I love this! We do a similar thing for Lily - we baby gate her into the back third of the apartment and leave treats hidden around the kitchen, even sometimes a second kong :)
@Pitlandia pooch - what do you leave up videotaping? We've been so curious to see what Lily is up to when we're gone!
Great idea, my pack gets the same thing, makes leaving for work a happy time for them, they can't wait for me to leave! What is in Miss M's incredible edible frozen Kong? I use part of each dog's meal and a bit of canned food to hold it in tight. Sometimes a few treats hidden in their crate bedding too.
We do the same thing for Roadie in regards to the scavenger hunt around the living room. It totally distracts him when we leave and we haven't had any trouble with separation anxiety
I'm with you Miss M! A frozen Kong could motivate me for all sorts of good behavior. Although Coco has a bit of separation anxiety. She may not even go for the Kong.
Kitty
That last photo of Mazzy in her crate is too much for me! I just love her!
We always bring both dogs to the vet even when only one needs to go. I thought it made us crazy so I am glad we aren't the only ones. :) Three of our current four dogs have a first love of food as well, although one has a first love of chasing and eating bees in the backyard...but that's a different story for a different time...
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