Nope, she's not unhappy,she's just a little homesick and confused. This move has brought on new fears, strange noises and some panic. I probably made it worse. No, I know I made it worse. During the week leading up to the move, we shifted a lot of stuff to the garage, which if you didn't know was detached, just a short walk 1-2 mins away, but still out of eye sight. After 25 trips, Emma got a little ansy, so I let her follow me. She would wander down the sidewalk, then settle in the grass and then I would head back to grab something else. She's still got nosy puppy in her, so she couldn't be left alone. One bird, squirrel, person or car and she bolts...she just wants to say "Hi" and show them how cute and lovable she is. But,we all know she would end up getting hit or lost (because she forgot to turn around and gets distracted). So, I had to call her name and keep her close by, she made hundreds of trips with me, and had to be reminded often. Now she thinks she's gotta be underfoot every second of the day. It's amazing how quickly she developed this learned behavior.
After discussing with a vet friend, we have started her on 1/2 tablet of benadryl twice a day and she spends 45 minutes in her kennel, 3 times a day. She hasn't been in it since she was a pup and Winnie was alive. I house trained her with it, and made them stay in it when we were gone (mainly to protect her from the psycho Winnie), and after Winnie passed she was such a good girl, I let it go. Until now!
After two weeks here, we left her in her usual couch spot for 4 hours and returned to 4 spots of vomit and her first in house potty break since she was puppy. Seems she barked her head off til she puked, not once, but 4 times? And ON MY NEW WOOD FLOOR!! This will never do.
Since Winnie's passing she was even good about sleeping in her own bed in the living room. Since we restarted kennel time, we are sleeping in it as well. The first 2 nights she only whimpered at daylight. And last night, not a peep! Of course last night she hesitated when I told her it was night-night time and started to put her in. She actually stiffened her front legs, like she was gonna refuse,but, I just put her on in. Of course she is napping more, that's probably a combination if the Benadryl and sleeping in her kennel at night. But, she's a Shih tzu, that's what they do: eat, sleep, potty, nap, eat, nap some more, potty and sleep!
The other change is her feeding. She has ALWAYS been a food bowl in the kitchen gal. That's over too!! My lovely new home has those same wooden floors in the kitchen. I put the food and water in her feeding rug, but she takes a face bath every time she drinks and then strings water all over the kitchen. Food bowl and water moved to the laundry room, and she took to that much quicker than the kennel. It's almost as if she likes having the privacy, and I have saved my floors!
We are anxiously waiting for the day she just wanders in her kennel to nap, all alone. It is her cave, den, safe place, she just has to realize that herself! GOODLUCK little Emma Grace----it's for your own good, Mommy promises!!
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