Anxiety
Our 3 year old Mickey is a very sensitive dog. Sensitive to everyones emotions and to his surroundings. He is scared of thunder, fireworks, etc. That is normally quite controllable as we do not ever bring him near fireworks and during thunderstorms he goes downstairs into his crate (on his own). It is never anything too severe and he recovers quickly.
A few months ago we were at a dog park when a sudden surprising thunderstorm and downpour hit within minutes. We got caught outside in it but left quickly The damage however had been done. We went back the next day and he remained stressed in this area...tail between legs, at our heels constantly, unable to focus, wont take treats, etc. We stayed away from this area for about a week and then went back and all was good - it seems he had forgotten it. We then went on vacation for the summer and he had a great time. When we returned we went back and all is still good at this park!
Our new problem developed about 2 weeks ago. We were going for a walk right outside our house which is in a city, lots of traffic, construction, etc. This has never bothered him before. Out of the blue he began experiencing the same symptoms as he does during a thunderstorm or fireworks. Cars driving by, big trucks, etc. This has NEVER bothered him in the 2 and a half years he has been with us. Everytime we go outside he is now freaking out. We unfortunetly do not have the option to avoid this as it where he needs to go every single day. It gets worse as we approach busy streets or when loud noises occur but we are not able to go around this. Nothing has changed in our routine besides a thundershirt we didnt seem to make a difference on or off. We do manage to get outside the city on weekends and take him offleash in fun areas where he is totally fine. But we do need to correct this anxiety in the city as this is where we live and where he has to live and do most of his walking. It is to the point where he doesnt want to go outside, freaks out on the walk (which we now have to cut short) and the second we walk inside his tail pops up and he feels fantastic!
Any ideas or suggestion?
Sorry for the long post, just thought I should explain a bit of background. :)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Suzi, Zeus & Valentine on
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poor baby maybe if you found a bench to sit at with him on his leash for a while in the noisy area and gave him yummy treats he would see it is not a bad thing :)
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Permalink Reply by justine moeller on
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Hi Suzi - thanks for the reply. We actually have been sitting down on benches and trying to get him to calm down. He will not take any treats at this point but we are going to try some liver tomorrow.
Tonight we are off to the country for him to have some fun!
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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WIll he take treats, or is he shut down?
If he's shut down completely, honestly I would consult a behaviorist; desensitization is very tough to accomplish if you can't expose a dog to something from a distance that keeps him below threshold (as you probably already know).
If he'll take treats, I would take him out, feed him some steak, and take him right back in. Keep it to potty breaks for now, then gradually increase the time he's out.
If he's not accepting anything, he might need some doggy anti-anxiety meds while you recondition him. Any chance he'd wear ear plugs? That might make it tolerable for him.
Poor baby! It's tough to be sound-phobic in an urban area (assuming it's the noise and not the rapid movement of traffic). I wonder what set him off?
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Hi Beth,
He completely shuts down and will not take treats. Our treats right now are not that enticing so we are going to up the quality. We dont use treats that often in our house so the ones we have are a bit old. I will have to invest in something extra yummy.
We have an appointment with our vet but not for another two weeks. He will do a full evaluation of him and we can go from there. I wish for nothing more than to avoid meds but I suppose if that helps....
We just really want to figure out the source if what happened, ya know?!
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One thing you might try is walking him late at night or very early in the morning when it's quieter. He might take treats then, especially if you delay his dinner. If he's reluctant, try getting something really stinky (aged cheese, smoked meat, liverwurst) and waving it right in front of his nose rather than offering it in the traditional manner. I know with cats you can sometimes get them to eat when they don't want to by wiping a small amount on their nose; they lick it and then that engages the tastebuds and increases the scent.
The other thing you might try is seeing if he'll take something right by your front door. Run out the door, give him a bit of something and run back in before he has time to think of it. The problem, of course, is where does he potty in the meantime?
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I did forget to mention he is MUCH better early morning and late at night. We try our best it just often doesnt fit in our everyday life to walk them at those times. Night we can but early morning we can often get out for about 20-30 minutes. I am able to give them a good hour walk during the days which was working really well until this. He can usually manage to get his business done before he freaks out. Going to get some good treats for him and see how that goes. Thanks for the advice!
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Poor baby...do you have a martingale collar so he can't get loose? I would do what you're doing with the longer walks when he's less stressed. Cheap hot dogs work well for yummy training treats and you can just take 1 out of the freezer:) Good luck...I'm always afraid of this with some of mine since we live in the country they aren't as used to heavy traffic but they do ok. We have a thunder shirt for Wiley but since we bought it it hasn't stormed so I really don't know if it works or not! Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Lois B. Allen on
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Hi Justine,
I have just been listening to a Temple Grandin Book entitled "Animals Make Us Human". I don't know if you are famililar with her she is a high functining autistic woman with a Ph.D. in animal science or Zoology. She is an expert on handling all animals but has had a career designing facilities that handle animals that will go into the good chain.
As a child she had severe panic attacks. She noticed that cattle that were squeezed into chutes for vaccination calmed down so she went home and had someone help her make a squeeze chute so that she could be squeezed to help her anxiety. This worked well for her for years. She said that she learned that someone had made a t shirt for this purpose which may be the thunder shirt but it needs to very snug but should not be kept on for longer than 20 minutes. She also said that wrapping ace bandages snugly around the chest-abdomen and keep it there for 20 minutes. She also said you could try putting him in your lap and putting both of your arms around him and holding him tight for several minutes. Also, when you pet him don't pat or scratch, put your hand near the head and give long firm strokes pressing down as you move your hand down the body. She said that if they were having a bad day to alternate the Pressure procedure with periods without.
I wondered if when you are on these walks and sit on the bench if more than one family member can go and then you or someone can pick him up and then both of you put your arms around his body.
Also, have you thought of the Bach Rescue Remedy for pets? it does not contain drugs and is a natural remedy. It is made to help anxiety and such. I recently got some because my 11 month old Randy is hyper active and when company comes he goes crazy. I had recently gotten the Bach Remedy for visits but we had a storm that with thunder and my new rescue dog Reese went crazy so I made them little sandwiches. Little pieces of cocktail bread with 4 drops of the remedy with a tiny bit of potted meat on top. They thought they had gotten something wonderful. It wasn't long before both were relaxed and Reese went to sleep and Randy laid around calmly. I concluded on the second time that 3 drops were adequate for Reese. Both weigh about 35 lb. Mickey sounds like a wonderful boy. I hope something will help him soon.
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Hi Lois, thank you for the reply.
I am indeed aware of Grandins work. We are vegans so the idea of having more humane slaughter plants obviously gets me listening, although I am not sure how much I agree - although that is a whole other topic! :)
We actually tried the holding thing during one of his episodes tonight. I am not sure about the results. When we put him down he was still worked up but within a few minutes had calmed down. I am not surfe if that was because of the pressure we applied to him or just because he felt better. We continued walking for another 40 minutes without any problems.
I will look into the Bach Rescue Remedy, would be very interested in knowing what is in it. We are not fans of drugs, especially for behaviour issues so I would have to do some research with it. From what I just read though it sounds like it works! I just wouldnt want to give it to him before a walk, ya know? Thunderstorms are scary but manageable. He simply removes himself from the situation and returns when it is over. We are lucky to have a basement where the sound is blocked out so he will even go there and play - just wont stay upstairs.
Thank you very much for your reply, I really appreciate it!
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Justine, when all positive training fail, I would look into a good quality supplement / OTC / Rx. In my human experience, Valerian (in liquid extract form) is the closest thing to benzodiazepine - (alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium), with minimal withdrawl / side effect. Just like anything natural / rx, over dosing can cause serious problem (low heart rate / blood pressure / breathing problem). If I was in your situation, I would first try it on myself, if it's okay, then consult with your vet. Message me directly for dosage.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I don't know if you like reading blogs, but this person posts a lot of really helpful information (IMO) and she has a dog with an anxiety disorder. She does use a medication with great success but I can't remember off the top of my head what it is...paxil maybe?
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Thanks for the replies everyone. We have been working with Mickey and it is becoming easier to snap him out of the 'anxious' states he gets himself into. We sat and watched a train go by yesterday which never bothered him in the past but did yesterday - it took us about 10 minutes to get him to stop pulling and panting and he was back to his regular self. Lots of work btu we are getting there.
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