Rem blog

Sometimes when we are out at a restaurant as a family you can hear barking coming from our direction. Mitchell will say "doggy" while JD starts speaking into his cell phone, "It's OK Remy, we'll be right back, go lay down". The barking quiets, only to start up 10 minutes later and the process of calming the pup down begins all over again...

Yes, we have resorted to using our cell phones as a dog monitor so that we can calm Remy down when we leave. Since moving to a new condo recently, Remy has developed some separation anxiety when we are not home. He expresses his anxiousness by barking, which turns to a howl once he gets going.

We have never had this problem in the three years that we have owned him, but there are several issues outside of our control that we believe have led to his anxiety. If you want our diagnosis of the problem, let me know and we can talk dog psychology together. Either way, we need to find a solution because we have gotten complaints from the neighbors, and emails from the condo association. We have tried all sorts of modifications to get him used to the idea that when we leave, we will be coming back for him. I also tried calling the vet recently to inquire about medication for our nervous nelly, and was told to contact the local animal behavior specialist. I looked up the specialist's information, only to learn that a consult starts at $200, and a 30 minute phone conversation is $65...

The only other thing that we haven't tried (besides getting another dog to keep him company, which is out of the question) is an anti-bark collar. I'm hesitant to do this for obvious reasons, but I have to say that I am starting to consider it as an option. Before all of the animal activists start writing letters, please know that we are running out of options here. We can't leave our cellphones on forever (plus Remy is starting to catch on), he can't always come with us, or go hang out with his cousin Marcus (although the D'Orazios have been extremely gracious in letting us bring him there when we need to), and we can't continue to avoid leaving the house so that he doesn't bother the neighbors. These things are impractical and are taking a toll on this familia. We don't want to have to find Mr. Remy a new home, so perhaps we should try and land a spot on Cesar Millan's, "The Dog Whisperer". In the meantime, this desperate dog owner is welcoming your suggestions...