The Katzke Dog Diary

I think I’ve arrived at an indoor solution for Henry and Eo that manages both of their issues.

Eo is fine in the house, kennel or yard… but doesn’t deal well with her frustration when another dog / cat / squirrel runs by and she can’t give chase. In that case, she barks, runs, and destroys things. The barking is bad for the neighbors, the running is bad for her hips, and the destroying things is bad for keeping the peace with my roommate. The kennel is the ideal place for her because of her hips and because from the kennel she can’t see passing dogs / cats / mooses / squirrels, and the white noise from the A/C and HEPA filter keeps her from hearing them.

Henry is fine in the kennel as long as Eo or I are in the room with him. If he can’t see her (or if she’s asleep or hidden in her own kennel in the closet) then he’ll panic and try to escape because of his separation anxiety. When he escapes from the kennel by any means necessary, and finds that I’ve gone out the front door (he’s a GREAT scent tracking dog) and he can’t follow me, he’ll eat at the front door. Also not good for my roommate relations. When he’s outside with her, I think Eowyn plays a little too rough with him, and he’s somewhat afraid of her. And when he’s left alone in the house, he’ll bark the same way Eo will and paw/claw at the front windows and blinds.

I think I’ve finally found a good solution. If I leave Eo up on my bed in my room, and close the door to my room behind me, they’ll stay in there. Henry will stay in his kennel, and Eo will just sleep up on the bed or play with some of her toys. She won’t eat at the door (she knows the house tastes bad… and she’ll make me mad), she won’t eat at my bedding, and she will keep Henry from freaking out. My room can kind of be a big kennel for her, with a little one inside for Henry. Which is what I was thinking about building in my closet for the two of them, anyway.

We’ll test it out tomorrow…