05/01/2022
Let me tell you about my boy Loki... He is a bundle of anxiety and fear, and I suspect that this was has been in him from before he was born, which means it's well ingrained in his being and will be a part of him, in some way, forever... The best analogy I have heard is that dogs (and people) have an anxiety bucket which is filled up everytime they are exposed to a stressful situation. The bucket needs to be emptied regularly to prevent overflowing (or reaching threshold) and the best way to do this is to manage the environment and allow for minimal stress (for Loki, this is avoiding dogs and people)... The bucket can take up to 72hrs to empty completely, but when it is the relief is visible... This is Loki after a few days of isolation from stress - he still went for runs on the beach but we spent more time training and playing games, this mental stimulation is vital for emptying out his bucket... We have good and bad days and we take them as they come and adapt to give Loki the best from life
