Already had a blk lab Lily who is well behaved.
Adopted 2nd blk lab 3 yrs ago, age 2, from humane society. Jed has bad anxiety. Current daily routine: Leash free park run EVERY morning 30 min. Nutro ultra holistic- breakfast. Dogs go in custom welded 6' x12' steel bar pen in garage when we go to work. Bowl of water and a stuffed kong everyday. Radio is on softly. We dont talk or pay attention to dogs before or as we leave and we ignore them when we return home. Jed goes frantic and barks madly all day. Sometimes vomiting. Emptys water bowl with feet. The dogs are together but he remains upset.
I cant do yard work and leave him in the house or he freaks out. If i tie him outside he freaks out when i walk just beyond his reach. If i bring Lily to the vet i have to tranquilize Jed (acecvet) so he can be left at home. I left him in my Escape to run in and get milk and he chewed my shifter to pieces.
Tried sonar collar, citronella collar, correction collar, no help for barking. He is a little relaxed in the house with us but not normal. He is clingy. He wont sit and stay when company comes cuz he has to be by my side. All the training in the world will not over-ride his panic. both dogs are together and can play all day but he is too panicked. The barking upsets the well behaved dog. The neighbors have not complained, yet. If i put them on the patio to play he throws himself against the door and digs at the glass. He is wound up like a top at the vet, we get back door service and have to cover his eyes so he doesnt see other animals. When he goes to the park he runs around for 10 minutes but get worried and walks next to my side for the next 20 min. We try to socialize him with dogs but he foams at the mouth and is excited but still remains by my side.
When we first got him Jed stayed in a bedroom with lily and he chewed trim, door, doorways, and opened the window to get out.
We moved onto crating him and he got out of the crate. If he didnt get out he vomited and broke teeth.
Moved onto a mesh wire pen in the garage. He chewed through it many times. Barkbusters (dog training) came in and eventually told us to try medication combined with training. Put Jed on Clomicalm for a year. Poor results. Also tried bach rescue remedy prior to meds.
Husband welded current pen which limits his destruction but he tries to dig through the concrete.
I cant give him to the humane society again as no one will put up with this dog. I cant tranquilize him everyday. I could give him to a farm but he doesnt want to run free as he is clingy. I could give him to someone who stays home all day but eventually they have to leave the house!
I am sooo upset, Jed is suffering but IS it my choice to put him to sleep? I have to consider If i put him down my other dog will be alone. The only thing i have not tried is DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone). I adopted this dog and it is my responsibility but where do i draw the line. He is suffering as well as us :(
Looking for the magic solution
Dog Training
Recommended Answer:One thing I don't see here is where you've gotten professional help from a behaviorist (I've only heard garbage bout Barkbusters myself but I suppose that varies area to area). Have you talked to a behaviorist at all? That would be my next step personally.
There are homes that work for dogs with separation anxiety, I would get into contact with a rescue group before having him put down, but I haven't seen the dog personally so I can not make an informed call on how bad he really is and if his quality of life has degraded enough to warrant him being put down. In the end you'll have to evaluate that and decided.
Add:
Barkbusters are dog trainers not dog behaviorists. There is indeed a difference and I still believe you should look into consulting a professional and reputable behaviorist.
Dog Training Online - Inside Secrets of Professional Dog Trainers Revealed
- Reading your question and details, I can see you have put a LOT of effort and care into trying to make Jed's life more bearable for him. You have done everything you can be expected to do for him. He sounds like his fear and insecurity makes him miserable. If you feel that he's suffering and it can't be appeased, maybe it is time to let him go. Personally, I'd probably choose that myself. He sounds like he has little to no joy in life,. and why live a life that you cant' enjoy? Mental pain is every bit as real as physical pain, and if he was suffering physically, wouldn't most people set him free from that? Ultimately, it is your decision, but I can't fault you for what you decide to do, either way. You are trying your best to do what's right for him, and that's all anyone can do.
- it sounds like a tough situation, but putting the dog down is not the right thing to do. I work at a doggy day care and there is a dog that has the same problem. He comes about once a week and has gotten so much better. I would recommend get a trainer to work with you on it. Also try a doggy day care. It will get him away from you and it can teach him to have fun while hes away from you and see that its not the end of the world to be away from you. Find a daycare that is willing to work with him and help him. You want him to be at the best place possible so he'll learn to be happy. Also, you want a trainer that will help him and wants the best for your dog. Please dont put the dog down because of something that can be fixed. Youll need patience but it will pay off.
- i totally understand! we had our shep akita mix (1.5yr old when we rescued him). he was in that kennel for nearly three months. i think that had a great deal to do with the anxiety. recently i noticed the term'KENNEL DISTRESS. wonder if that is related? the poor guy. chlomicalm, behavior modification, breaking out of crates, chewing mini blinds, doorknobs,vinyl flooring, ...digging under privacy fences,chewed up seatbelts....bleeding paws, broken teeth... so sad. luckily we lived in a close knit neighborhood.
our friend would keep him during the day, if not, we actually had to tie him out to the front of the garage. we left the garage door up so he could go in and out. he did not bark so much. we adopted a puppy to keep him company. that seemed to work. we eventually were able to keep him indoors uncrated as he got older. but we never knew what we would find when we got home.
there were so many many many times i wanted him to just disappear. i hate to admit that . he was extremely anxious before thunder storms as well. extremely anxious. and one afternoon early in the spring 2007 (you could barely hear the faint rumblings of thunder in the distance) he took off. we never saw him again. not the dog warden, not the neighbors, no one. he was gone.
please dont give up. i know its frustrating and costly and very sad. but pets are not disposable.
you have tried . you care about jed i can tell. maybe the behaviorist is the answer. not the vet or prescriptions.
- My dog would also freak out if I took the trash out and left him inside, or if I took a shower with the bathroom door closed. I had to laugh about the shifter- mine chewed the seatbelt apart when I ran in to the store to get milk. The lady in line behind me made a comment to me about a dog making horrible noises in the parking lot, and I just knew it was my dog. I know what you're going through all too well. Has your vet tried another medication? Or changing the dosage? My dog was prescribed Clomipramine and we had great results (along with desensitization training). There is another drug that is stronger than that as well, but we decided to try the Clomipramine first and see how he did. My vet also advised taking him to a doggie daycare, to a groomer, any place where I would have to leave him in someone else's care. The thinking behind that is the dog learns that the world does not revolve around me, other people are out there that will take care of him too so my leaving isn't such a horrible thing. My dog was only on the meds for about 4 months, he goes to the daycare for a half day once a week. The desensitization training was intense, but it does get better. I also used a "barker breaker" to train him not to howl and bark when left alone. I saw no difference with the D.A.P., the pheromone collar, the liquid calmant or the calming treats. Here is a website with some training tips. Don't give up on Jed! Good luck to you! http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dog…
- Sounds like you have really given your all. The only other thing I can suggest is go to a good qualified dog trainer. Maybe the dog can be someone's service dog, a dog that never leaves its master, so there may be another home he could go to. Or you can take him to the humane society and tell them what his problems have been. If they feel he is teachable, they'll work with him, and adopt him out as a special needs dog, if not, they will humanely euthanize him. I'm so sorry you're faced with this decision.
- It IS your choice to put him to sleep, but to put him to sleep because he's horribly behaved isn't a good reason in my opinion. Why don't you try to get a trainer. Also get patience (sorry i didn't mean to be mean saying that) and persistence will help to. It seems like he is walking all over you guys so this time show him who's the alpha, it's not too late.
Also with the seperation anxiety issue. Get a tape recorder and recorder your voice talking to the dog and make sure the dog can't reach the recorder or leave music or tv on which is comforting. If he doesn't like the crate isolate him in a room with plenty of things to chew up. Or get someone to baby sit him.
Now don't expect it to get over things by next day or next week some dogs take a WHILE to be properly trained and obedience. Don't expect too much or you might dissappoint yourself and blame it on your dog.
Hope i helped.
