I jinxed myself.....
Well I had been recently thinking and saying how well Kirby was doing lately....turns out I jinxed myself. Today Kirby got out and ate my work shoes. I had him out to play and have fun before I left to tire him out but somehow he broke out of the pen that he has been fine in for a few weeks now. I locked him up again later when I went out to dinner and re-inforced the area he got out from and he broke out yet again. I am at my wits end and I think I am going to talk to the vet about medication. I'm just done dealing with his anxious behavior CONSTANTLY and now with him escaping the super re-inforced ex-pen I am just DONE. I am probably going to start to sedate him and lock him in a crate from now until I move. I am crossing my fingers that I will be in the new place by early July. I just can't deal with this anymore. Kirby is more of a hassle and source of frustration for me than a good companion. I've been keeping him on leash most of the time when out, and his remote collar broke a few days ago so I had to send it back so now I don't have that either. I'm thinking he will be a good candidate for an anti-anxiety medication though and maybe that will help. I've continued to give his calming treats and they don't seem to be doing anything anymore. *sigh*
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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yeah I think he'd do great with somebody who was home all the time as most of his issues are a result of separation anxiety, no separation then no destructive behavior! I'm going to give the anxiety meds a try to see if they can aid in some of the other training I am already doing with him. I do really want it to work out as he and Franklin love each other and if we could just work through all the bad behaviors that stem from his anxiety I really do think he will make an awesome little dog. I'm hoping some doggie prozac will help take the edge off so my training can be more effective. Also once I get his vaccine stuff sorted out (the rescue gave me pretty much ZERO paperwork for vaccinations) then I can hopefully bring him to my work's doggie daycare which will help burn energy. As it is now I can't bring him because his vaccine info isn't acceptable since they just gave me a sheet of paper with hand written dates, I may end up having to re-do some vaccines but hopefully the dr can override stuff to get him in since he is vaccinated already.
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Permalink Reply by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on
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Melissa, I know I've been playing cheerleader for you and encouraging you to hang in there and I do believe Kirby needed you to be the one to take him. Had he not come to you, he probably would have died from all the health issues he had in the beginning, but you knew what to do and had the means to take care of him. However, I do think Beth has a valid point. Kirby sounds so much like Brodie, only he's younger and has been abused. I don't think Brodie could survive in a home where his owner had to leave for work every day. Maybe you should start searching for someone who is home most of the time who has the experience to work with him on a daily basis. Maybe someone with older kids that have the energy to keep up with him? Honestly, if I lived closer, I'd be willing to give it a try, but we are just too far away to help out. You might look into homeschool groups in your area and see if there is a family who might be willing to take him. You could start out with a 'daycare' basis for him where they basically take him during the day while you're gone on a trail basis to see if it would work out. Or you might contact your local dog training club and see if there is someone who is retired and home that has experience with agility, etc. might be willing to do the same. I think if you could be home with him 24 hours a day, you could make a fantastic dog out of him, but with your schedule it just may not ever work out. He is too scarred from whatever happened to him in his puppy phase to deal with you leaving him so much.
Also, at this point, I think I'd just bite the bullet and have him vaccinated for everything so that you have the proper records. It's been long enough it won't hurt him and then you will know it was done right. Since the paperwork never came through, I suspect she either didn't have them done or she did them herself and that's why there is no proof of vaccines.
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He was vaccinated in February and I have proof of the distemper (which I have already boostered) and bordetella, just the lepto I need to finish and then I'll talk to my vet on Tuesday about re-vaccinating for rabies. I suspect he has severe hip dysplasia as well so when she does her exam I'm going to see what she thinks. If she says hips look good then I may start looking for retired or work from home people to take him. If she says hips look bad I'll keep him until I get my employee discounts and have his hips x-rayed to see how bad they are. I really think (hope) that when I move into a bigger place and can bring him to work with me it may fix some of the main issues (breaking out and destruction) and we were doing SO WELL when I had the remote collar. New one is in the mail. I just think (hope?) with more time we can learn to live together in a happy family! I've never had to re-home an animal so I think I'm a bit stubborn on this issue! Lol. I will keep my ear open at work though for any corgi lovers or herding dog owners searching for a little ball of energy. If the perfect home comes along I would be more than happy to offer a trial and take him back if needed. He and Frank are just so bonded. And as I type this I am wondering if maybe taking him to work will help break the bond between him and Frank and allow him and me to bond more and him to pay more attention to me when training.....hmmmmm
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Permalink Reply by justine moeller on
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If you plan on working with him for the next while, the biggest suggestion I can give to you is spend time crate training. Use high value treats/bones. I do not like crating either, but with his issues being left alone and especially his age (he is a toddler!) it could be a lifesaver.
Since you work and study, perhaps spend some time working up to see if he could spend the night in his crate while you are there. That way if he freaks out, you are in fact there to let him out. We start crate training dogss who have issues with the crate at 5 minute intervals and usually within 2 -3 weeks are up to a couple hours of well behaved crate time. Is there anyway in the evening you could have the crate beside the couch while you are studying or whatever and start there?Why do you think he has hip dysplasia? That would be very young to be seeing issues. I really hope he does not!!
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I have been working on the crate training and he is ok now in his crate for up to 1-2 hours at this point with me there. If I am home and he can see me he will sleep fine in his crate now. This was how he was before I left him locked in there and left the house. He used to sleep at night in the crate just fine until I locked him in there and left the house. I will start working on locking him in and leaving him for a few minutes at a time and see how that goes.
With the hip dysplasia he has some weakness in his right hip and after he runs a lot he will lay and whine and not be able to settle and get comfortable and will jump and run away if you touch his hind end during these times. I flexed and extended his hip and can feel a bit of a pop on his right hip, left hip feels ok and his knees feel ok. I'm no doctor though so will have her manipulate and see what she thinks on Tuesday.
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That could actually be part of his behavior. If he is chronically in pain, that may be why he is restless and can't ever relax. What you are describing reminds me of our Newfie who had atrocious hips and one bad elbow before he turned one. Fortunately his personality was easy going though.
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Permalink Reply by Roger/Laurie on
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I think the retired or home a lot person is a great idea. The only way we were able to handle "crazy rescue" Tenby (the free spirited wild child) in the beginning and even now a little bit is that we are retired and home a lot. Kirby might just be a great dog for an active retired person or couple. He likes people AND gets along with other dogs (something Tenby will never do). Retired people would love to walk him on their morning walks and I bet he would love traveling in an RV. We enjoy taking our dogs with us and Chepstow just loves visiting the other neighbors in the RV parks.(Tenby prefers to stay in the trailer)
I understand every thought you have, I hate to admit it but there were days I wished I could have taken Tenby and had him put down he was so emotional damaged. The first two years with him were terrible. But as you know he has turned into "our crazy tri" and we love him.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Melissa, I always read your posts about Kirby with hope that things are improving. I know you are frustrated but doing the best you can. Maybe the crate training is your best option since Kirby obviously just can not control himself. The dogs I have crate trained over the years always end up liking it and even seeking out their crate when I am home sometimes for some peace and quiet. I don't usually use crates but have had some that really need it such as our dobe that eats things when we are gone. She adapted quite well to it with Kongs filled with cheese etc. Best of luck to you while you work on Kirby!
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Yeah I think now I am just going to do frozen kongs, everlasting treat toys, and some other chews that will last a while, lock him in the crate, leave the house for a short period and then come back. He will have to be locked in the ex-pen until then and my mom was visiting these past few days and we pretty much re-did a lot of my house/shelves/closets etc so if/when he does escape the ex-pen the stuff he MAY be able to reach isn't as important as it was before. The new house I'm hoping to move into has a really perfect little entryway into the dining room/kitchen that can be easily blocked with some babygates and I think will be perfect in the future for keeping him confined. I was hoping maybe the anti-anxiety meds would help him cope with being in the crate as well as continuing with the slow process of getting him re-used to being locked in the crate while I am gone. I suspect the rescue just locked him in the crate without actually introducing him to it and maybe that is why he freaks out when he is in it and left alone. He is ok in it when I am there and will actually go lay in the crate I have in my living room that does not have a door on it, its just when I leave that he panics.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael McClanahan on
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If we lived closer together I would seriously volunteer to dog-sit any time you had to leave. I'm a stay at home mom, and I swear, being home almost 100% of the time is what got Pippa through the worst of her anxiety.
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So he is adequately confined now but that doesn't seem to matter to doggie destructo. He has now chewed a HUGE hole in the carpet where his ex-pen is. Bye bye deposit.....I am really upset at him right now and seriously starting to consider finding him a new home. Until then he will live in his plastic crate and just have to deal with it, as clearly an ex-pen is no longer an option. Still planning to see the vet Tuesday for meds and if they make a significan difference will then consider trying to work through this with him, if not, a new home will probably be best.
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Sorry to hear this, but I can't say I'm shocked. Kipper (the Boston) is the only one of mine that has carpet under his ex-pen and it's an old area rug someone gave us, which is good because he destroyed it immediately, digging it up and making big fuzz wads to lay on. As I've mentioned previously, Kadi has pulled up the linoleum under hers. So far Brodie hasn't done any of that, but he makes up for it in other ways. :(
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