Establishing a more or less regular routine has been tremendously beneficial to both Pia and I. She still is less than happy when I go out or disappear, but it's not nearly as bad as it was. And I can move around the house and be out of eye-sight for quite long periods of time. And once the crate and ex-pen arrive, I'll be able to better acclimate her to my being gone. They key, so far, is that she doesn't see me go out. I usually leave through a door she can't see me from.
But I was wondering what everyone else's routine was. Just for curiosity's sake. Here is ours, and it seems to be working: 5:45 - Wake up, let the other animals out of the house, bring her carrier outside and let her do her business. Usually walk down to the corral, tie her to the fence (always supervised) so that I can hay the horses 6:15ish - Inside, play time. Any time we go out together, she gets play time when we come back inside. This is only if we go out together. For 30-90 minutes in the morning, it's Autumn time - morning work out in the other room. Pia's usually on her first nap. I don't want her around because there are weights involved and a small dog underfoot could be quite dangerous for both of us. And we've sort of established that the living room (which is blocked off anyway) is my space. As much as I can, she's never in that room. If she is, I'm carrying her. Breakfast for both of us. Shower for me. Check email. And a second morning outting about an hour after she's eaten. Back inside for a little more play time. Try to get to this point between 8-9; earlier if possible Work until 12-1pm. Midday potty break. Lunch for me. Sometimes an afternoon snooze because it helps compensate for the fact that I usually get 4-5 hours of sleep on average. And it gives her about an hour of very good, quiet cuddle time. She gets dinner between 5-6 so that I can take her for her post-supper mini-walk when it's still light. At this point, we're only going about a block up to the neighbor's dumpster, down to the corral to hay the horses and back because she's still sick and that's about how long it takes her to relieve herself. Back inside for play time for her. Settle her down. Dinner for me. Quiet time for her. Quiet time for me (separate rooms). I usually take her out once more before bed - usually around 11pm. Sometimes, once more - it depends on how late I'm working. I'm usually up until 12-2am. If it gets to be past 1am, I'll usually take her out for one final wee before bed. When I finally call it a night, she goes in her bag (no crate yet) on the floor by my bed - she's a lot happier, I'm a lot less stressed because there are no late night bathroom serenades. She settles down. I read. Lather, rinse, repeat in the morning. ------------------------------------ We are now on Facebook! Join today! http://www.facebook.com/groups/chihuahuasclubYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
