Some bonus content for Puppy Week - I am telling you all about a client I have worked with this year. Check earlier in my feed for Parts 1 and 2!
Arrival day went well. Esme was a little anxious, after all this is the first time she’d been away from her mum and Nana and her brothers and sisters and the people she knows about. She was inundated with brand new smells, so it was little bit intimidating for her, but she did well.
When evening arrived Helen began to feel anxious as she wanted to feel confident about nights from the outset. I said I’d be on the end of the line as needed. We had already briefly discussed sleep training, and Helen had acknowledged it may go on for a couple of weeks. Helen was happy to work with what I’d suggested to do when it came to night times.
What was unexpected though was how hard the first nights could be. Esme is away from her family, she may feel alone, and her only way to communicate is by crying at the top of her not so little voice. It can be very stressful and very tiring. For those who have had babies, it’s incredibly similar to when a baby is crying and you don’t know why. It brings feelings and emotions to the surface and it can be triggering and make us feel helpless.
Helen promptly messaged me "What do I do? I don't know how to cope with this. What if I get it wrong?" I replied "you won't get it wrong because we've got this, we'll do this together".
First things first, we confirmed Esme had her blanket, her hot water bottle and a teddy, plus a blanket covering her crate to make it nice and cosy. I described the tried and tested technique that we were going to do moving forward. I kept it simple and explained each step, and Helen could message me at any point and tell me what was happening.
This process of talking and messaging backwards and forwards helped to keep Helen calm, which was the top priority. If you have to go down to see a pup at night, you have to be calm despite their stress.
To Helen's surprise, Esme did go to sleep that first night and slept peacefully until early morning.
The next day, I recommended Helen create a little evening ritual for her and Esme, leading up to bedtime. I was there on hand for her for the next few nights, though it didn't take long for both Helen and Esme to settle into their evening routine, and their steps leading up to bedtime.
Another important part about this was Esme learned to love her cosy crate, her little safe corner. She could take herself in there and snuggle in and feel safe.
It has been a pleasure to support Helen and Esme and to watch Esme settle into her new home!
Helen says: "Georgia's support was invaluable to me, particularly at night. I am autistic and night time is when I am at my most vulnerable, so having a plan to follow and support at the end of the line was so important to me. Esme and I have had a smooth ride of it thanks to Georgia and I could not have done it without her."
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