OT: Help with a dog behavior issue

[Martin]

We have a 75 lb shepherd lab mix. She’s that gorgeous red brown color mix. She was a rescue we got from a no kill shelter. She was raised by horders and abused. She’s got lots of issues and I wanted to ask you all about one. Storms scare the hell out of her I mean complete panic. Between 10 pm and 7 am I was up half the time with her because she can’t settle down. She will dig up the carpet, move furniture get stuck underneath the bed, accidentally break things, etc. Drugs don’t help. She will burrow into a corner to try and stay safe. She’s 75 lbs and too strong to hold down and cuddle with. I need ideas for her own in-door shelter in the corner of a room. Normal blankets pillows dog toys are useless in theSe circumstances. Any ideas?

 

[Martin]

Here she is.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Have you looked into anti anxiety dog vests?

The 25 Best Dog Anxiety Vests of 2019 - Pet Life Today

 

[Triad]

Here she is.

I have had my RESCUE dog for near 7 years now. The issues she came with she still has but in lesser amounts.
When she is good she is very very good. She WANTS to do what I want.
EVERY dog needs to trust YOU. Love YOU. With Rescues it takes time. Some like mine lived on the streets, some idiot dumper her from a good home to the street. Food is big in her life.
Love her, understand what she does isn't insulting YOU, she learned bad habits. It takes time, caring, and love. Always tell her/him was a good dog she is. Sometimes that's hard. At this point you are her GOD treat her as God would.
The greatest punishment you can give her is to not be near you. Beating a dog is stupid they never know why it's happening.

 

[Bronxjeff]

Our big fellow is mellow about everything, let's our grand daughter pull his ears and ride him, meets every other dog with a grin. But he is afraid of fireworks, doesn't act up but very stubbornly sits right in front of you and will paw to get your attention. After checking with the vet, we tried over the counter 5mg of melatonin and he is much more relaxed with that.

Best of luck!

 

[uconnfan68]

We have a 75 lb shepherd lab mix. She’s that gorgeous red brown color mix. She was a rescue we got from a no kill shelter. She was raised by horders and abused. She’s got lots of issues and I wanted to ask you all about one. Storms scare the hell out of her I mean complete panic. Between 10 pm and 7 am I was up half the time with her because she can’t settle down. She will dig up the carpet, move furniture get stuck underneath the bed, accidentally break things, etc. Drugs don’t help. She will burrow into a corner to try and stay safe. She’s 75 lbs and too strong to hold down and cuddle with. I need ideas for her own in-door shelter in the corner of a room. Normal blankets pillows dog toys are useless in theSe circumstances. Any ideas?

The kids and grandkids have a steel cage for their big puppy. She's a boxer mix, and almost 75# and strong too. She's been trained to go into her cage when little ones come over (she's too big and friendly for them), and she seems ok with it. At least it will stop her from tearing up your house.

 

[Aluminny69]

Try a good CBD oil. And the thunder vests work for many dogs, too.

The Best CBD Oil for Dogs – Reviews & Buying Guide (2020) | BestCBDOil.com

CBD oil isn't just for humans. Read our reviews and buying guide to see if CBD oil can help your dog with anxiety, pain or other ailments.

www.tuck.com

 

[Martin]

We tried Thundervests OTC drugs even Prozac 3 does a day. We have a cage but she displays the same digging behavior in the cage so we don’t cage her anymore. We had a “dog whisperer” come who helped some. We sat with her at the shelter 5 times a week for almost 6 weeks before they let us take her home. Then they did an interview and home inspection. She’s great, except when we have visitors, she barks a lot until she learns to trust you.

 

[borninansonia]

Enroll her in the Scared Rescue Dog Tests, which will help answer the question Can Canine Healthy Soil help scared rescue dogs reduce their fear and become happier, more confident dogs?

Many recent studies show the possibility that highly bio-diverse soil may help reduce fear and anxiety in dogs. Some of the studies, including those in Nature and Science, are listed and summarized at the canine healthy soil hypothesis website.

www.caninehealthysoil.com

 

[YSRFrisbee]

What a sweet girl! I am glad you rescued her <3 How long has she been a part of your family?

I am sorry to hear about her difficult upbringing. But she is so blessed to have found a nurturing home with you and your family. Many of the behavioral issues you've alluded to can be traced back to her early developmental days (usually around the 8-12 week age range). Although an uphill battle, things can be a little more manageable with time

That being said, noise phobias can develop in any dog at any age. And storm phobias, in general, tend to be more difficult because it involves many different factors (noise, barometric pressure, etc). Does she have any fears with fireworks, air shows, lawn mowers, etc?

If you are specifically asking about t-storm phobias, what type of medication have been tried thus far? This includes both medicine from your vet and any OTC holistic therapies (specifics, if possible. and how long was she on the prozac?)

Thanks!

 

[veryolddog]

I recently acquired a German Shepherd puppy who is now 4 months old. Last night we had a big storm and he became very nervous. I just comfort him by petting and make him feel comfortable. This seems to calm him down and he will just go to sleep. Be patient. My Golden never cared for big storms and use to come and lay on top of me until the storm passed. Find whatever brings comfort and calms and you and your pup will be happy.

 

[Martin]

Enroll her in the Scared Rescue Dog Tests, which will help answer the question Can Canine Healthy Soil help scared rescue dogs reduce their fear and become happier, more confident dogs?

Many recent studies show the possibility that highly bio-diverse soil may help reduce fear and anxiety in dogs. Some of the studies, including those in Nature and Science, are listed and summarized at the canine healthy soil hypothesis website.

www.caninehealthysoil.com

Looking at this.

 

[Martin]

What a sweet girl! I am glad you rescued her <3 How long has she been a part of your family?

I am sorry to hear about her difficult upbringing. But she is so blessed to have found a nurturing home with you and your family. Many of the behavioral issues you've alluded to can be traced back to her early developmental days (usually around the 8-12 week age range). Although an uphill battle, things can be a little more manageable with time

That being said, noise phobias can develop in any dog at any age. And storm phobias, in general, tend to be more difficult because it involves many different factors (noise, barometric pressure, etc). Does she have any fears with fireworks, air shows, lawn mowers, etc?

If you are specifically asking about t-storm phobias, what type of medication have been tried thus far? This includes both medicine from your vet and any OTC holistic therapies (specifics, if possible. and how long was she on the prozac?)

Thanks!

It’s been over 2 years. All loud noises seriously spook her. Something simple like the noise a heavy truck can make driving down the hill will make her move to a bedroom and away from the front room. We live in an area where fireworks are legal so for about a month over the summer she is miserable. Since she can sense a storm coming or hear an explosion from far away the minute her senses are up she’ll refuse an ice cream cone! She’s better now than 2 years ago but the other night it thundered all night long in the midwest where we live.

 

[Golden Husky]

I live near the La Costa Country Club where the facility hosts a fireworks display every July Fourth so my six Golden Retrievers have to endure that noise. I recommend a product called Licks Zen. You can get it a Chewy.com.

 

[HuskyNan]

The kids and grandkids have a steel cage for their big puppy. She's a boxer mix, and almost 75# and strong too. She's been trained to go into her cage when little ones come over (she's too big and friendly for them), and she seems ok with it. At least it will stop her from tearing up your house.

Unless the dog is a puppy, it may see a crate as punishment. It can still be used but will take time for the dog to see it as a safe have.

 

[YSRFrisbee]

It’s been over 2 years. All loud noises seriously spook her. Something simple like the noise a heavy truck can make driving down the hill will make her move to a bedroom and away from the front room. We live in an area where fireworks are legal so for about a month over the summer she is miserable. Since she can sense a storm coming or hear an explosion from far away the minute her senses are up she’ll refuse an ice cream cone! She’s better now than 2 years ago but the other night it thundered all night long in the midwest where we live.

For noise phobias, SILEO is a great option for noise aversion and it won't cause a ton of sedation. Her weight may not make it the most cost effective medication, but it can certainly help for days like NYE and the 4th. You'll have to get this from your veterinarian.

In most cases, a combo of both desensitization AND medication works best with managing phobias vs just medication alone. But some other medications your vet can try include xanax, trazodone, diazepam. Keep in mind that some patients can exhibit the side effect of having INCREASED anxiety But it's definitely worth a shot! As far as desensitization techniques, try to play or do an activity during the storm that will get her mind off the storm. I realize that this is much easier said than done, but it's worth a try!

Purina has a product called Calming Care which helps to populate the GI tract with bacteria known to help reduce stress. It's very tasty and dogs really love it (and often times get addicted! haha). This requires an RX but is definitely worth trying for managing general anxiety.

Thundershirts, a drop of lavender oil being the ears, and Adaptil collars are also worth looking into if you want something more "natural". Although they are rarely the silver bullet, they can be helpful in a multimodal treatment protocol.

And there is simply not enough evidence for CBD oil at this time. While it probably won't hurt, I have seen many clients spend a lot of money on products that yield very little success. That's because data on dosages, purity factors, etc is all anecdotal at this time. And many companies are making big bucks in the pet market so it's everywhere these days. Once there are sufficient clinical studies there will be better options for this in the future. But the veterinary field isn't there yet.

Hope this helps!!

 

[YSRFrisbee]

Oh and there's always this. haha. New product that was recently launched. Again, doubtful that it'll do much, but at least her teeth will be clean LOL

 

[mudcat]

Many of the above suggestions can be useful, especially in combination. One thing re meds: research them carefully, especially in terms of effects (e.g. prozac can be an anti-anxiety drug, but it is not sedating drug; similarly, many of the sedating drugs do nothing for anxiety. Consult with your vet regarding a sedative which will not interact with an anti-anxiety med and possibly try them in combination).

 

[Nicvan07]

I do rescue work (cat/kitten shelter) and I started one of the cats on CBD vs going right to Prozac and it had amazing results. She’s not nervous anymore, she’s eating again. She was mainly so anxious and aggressive. The anxiety piece resulted in her not eating or being able to function correctly. A lot of hiding and then aggression issues. The cbd was amazing for her.

 

[cabbie191]

We have a rescue golden retriever. It's in the nature of this breed to be nervous with storms - was common with her sister who wasn't a rescue.

For us, the Thundervests seem to help. On the other hand, they also weigh 55 pounds and a bit easier to "force" cuddle with.

 

[Ozimoto]

We tried a thunder vest with our pup. He ate it....

 

[Bronxjeff]

We tried a thunder vest with our pup. He ate it....

Power dog!

 

[Triad]

It’s been over 2 years. All loud noises seriously spook her. Something simple like the noise a heavy truck can make driving down the hill will make her move to a bedroom and away from the front room. We live in an area where fireworks are legal so for about a month over the summer she is miserable. Since she can sense a storm coming or hear an explosion from far away the minute her senses are up she’ll refuse an ice cream cone! She’s better now than 2 years ago but the other night it thundered all night long in the midwest where we live.

How old is she? Drugs mask problems rarely CURE them. I had 3 dogs that showed signs of thunder and gunshot fear one reacted strongly. Each were fine when it ended. I learned to know and learn to live with it. You can't fix all human problems and you can't fix all dog problems--understand that. If you REALLY love this dog learn how to live with with the problems. My current rescue dog barked for over one hour straight when I picked up at the shelter. She still barks. Now I accept it as her protecting me.
She'll never be as those we raised from puppies were. 80 percent she is great. the rest is a reflection of a life she was forced to live. I love her, she loves me. Nuff Sed.

 

[RowdyFan]

I have 2 Golden Retrievers, both rescued as pups. The younger one "found" her voice one day and barksbarksbarks at the most stupid things. We refer to her as a junkyard dog. She is 7 now, and about a year ago she just stopped/ignored any all attempts at being corrected or distracted. We put her on Chill Out, from Super Snouts Hemp Company. After about a week, I started seeing noticeable improvement. She is calmer and more relaxed, and more willing to listen and focus. Good luck with your pup. Please keep me posted.