Since this is more advice and opinion than factual, let’s move this to IMHO (from FQ).
In my experience, yes, drugs work. Almost too well. So the pet owner has no reluctance to increase the dose/frequency when their schedule keeps them away from home for longer and longer periods.
My friend who fosters Weimaraners deals with cases like this.
I’d rather work harder and fix the situation without having a dog sleeping 20 hours each day.
/rant
Also, I’ll add, if you freeze a PB Kong it lasts much longer. They really have to work at it.
All my dogs have been NPR listeners. I just assume that a human voice is more reassuring to them than music.
Finally, Doggie Daycare is amazing. Not only is it good for socializing, but nothing tires them out like 8 hours running around with other dogs. When they’re pups, we usually do 2-3 days per week. As they get older and lazier it becomes less, but we still try to do once per week. And my experience is that they’re most tired the next day.
And if you do look into daycare, shop around. The one that Oskar seems to really like is a bit drab and not of freshest paint, but he doesn’t care about that and it’s $30/day. The one with the murals, and actual hydrant, the online streaming, and the little hook with your pup’s name on it is $60. But let’s be honest- that ain’t for the dog.
This might not be possible, especially in the short term. I had a dog who needed to be crated both when I was gone and at night until she was three and a half. That wasn’t because of anxiety, it was because she was a chewer. Oh, man, was she a chewer. I feel lucky that she finally grew out of it enough to rely on chew toys. Sometimes behaviors don’t fade, or take years to do so.
I wouldn’t start with drugs. There’s a lot of stuff that’s been suggested that they can try first. Mainly getting the dog properly crate trained to love the crate and other training in general.
The dog might need drugs later on (mine’s on 40mg of Prozac daily - I’m not against drugs) if the anxiety doesn’t get better but right now it’s a puppy with separation anxiety and that’s not so uncommon that you need to immediately go to drugs.
Obviously… they should consult a vet and see what might be best. The goal is quality of life for the dog…SEVERE separation anxiety is not something the animal can comprehend the same way we do. It really does reek of “let them cry it out” for a baby. Use the tools available…and sometimes that tool is medication regardless of the weird stigma people put on it.
No. “Drugs” should not be your default response to behavioral issues, not only because it is only masking the dog’s problems but is also a crutch for an owner who doesn’t want to put in the effort or attention to fixing their problems in training and disciplining the dog. Anti-anxiety medication might be necessary if a dog has been severely traumatized or has other issues that aren’t purely behavioral, but the vast majority of issues with dogs are caused by inattentive or untrained owners, and most can be fixed with a firm, loving hand and consistent discipline and reinforcement. This takes time and patience but is rewarded with a companion who is happy because they understand what is expected of them and know what they should or should not do, versus a listless animal that is doped into submission.
Any dog owner should have The Art of Raising a Puppy to understand not only how to raise and discipline a dog but also how the world seem’s from the dog’s perspective, and how to motivate the dog to behave as desired.
Stranger
All due respect… This is very wrong. It ignores very basic things like breed genetics and issues like rage syndrome.
“masking the dog’s problems”…imagine saying to a depressed person “You know, that medication is only masking your depression.” What medication allows is for the dog to be in a place that you are able work with them and do training, give them confidence or reassurance at an even level.
As someone who has worked with multiple trainers at this point and spoken with behaviorists… “a firm, loving hand” isn’t a cure-all or even possible in some cases. You find ways to manage.
No, it doesn’t. Different breeds will have distinct temperaments (with a lot of variation within breeds, and of course unknown in mixes) and it is important to select a breed or dog with a temperament that suits the owner’s lifestyle and expectations (i.e. don’t get a working breed and expect it to lay around all day), but it is important to train and discipline the dog so it understands what behavior is expected. Most anxiety comes from not understanding what is expected or not being allowed to perform an instinctive motivation (i.e. herding, pointing, tracking, et cetera) or given sufficient mental stimulation. “Rage syndrome” i.e. Springer or Cocker raging (with which I am personally very familiar) is a result of inbreeding, and a dog that just cannot be controlled or relied upon not to make sudden, unprovoked attacks on another animal or a person needs to be put down for everyones’ safety, not just unreliably drugged into submission. A dog with truly severe separation anxiety may just need an owner who is a homebody, but correcting most separation problems is a matter of consistently teaching the dog to self-sooth and have confidence that the owner will return.
As I noted, dogs that have experienced serious trauma may need anti-anxiety medications because that fear has been deeply embedded into their emotional core, but the vast majority of “misbehaving” dogs are really the result of undisciplined or negligent owners, and the behavior can be corrected with appropriate training and conditioning. Your response, on the other hand, contained no awareness or nuance whatsoever; it was literally “DRUGS”, followed by a short list of mostly misspelled anti-anxiety medications, which again, does not resolve the fundamental problem and in fact just perpetuates any lack of discipline and training on the part of the owner.
Stranger
I am not a crating expert at all but I do believe it’s helpful if the crate is always open and in one place. They need to be able to go in and out when they choose (when you are home) so they become more comfortable with it. Feeding them in the crate may help too.
DogTV? It sounds ridiculous but it did actually seem to help some of my pup’s behavioral issues. Even if they don’t actually watch the screen the sounds are supposed to help. But music might have worked just as well.
I have raised a lot of dogs (My parents both bred show dogs) and I have never crated one. I really don’t like them. I prefer to teach my dogs how to be citizens of the house. Crates are for traveling and we got them used to them only for that purpose.
Your dog is a rescue, so we can assume some sort of early neglect or trauma. Celtdog was also a rescue, and had some issues for the first six months or so. His primary concern was whether or not he needed to find food for himself. I started feeding him more often, and that problem dissipated.
With some variation for breed (I really hope you haven’t adopted a malinois?) a full puppy is a calm puppy. It sounds like the puppy was left too long a couple of times through absolute necessity and now panics. Puppies can not be expected to hold their bladders for over three hours. It’s not reasonable. So they need a safe space with pads where they are allowed and encouraged to relieve themselves.
A large stuffed animal can often help. Don’t ever treat it like a tug toy, but let the pup see you and other family members cuddling with it. Correct him if bites it, but cuddle the two together so that he associates it with safety and love. Never leave him without making sure he has his cuddle buddy. If you choose to use a crate as his den, you can bundle him in there with his cuddle buddy without closing the door.
Another thing I did that really helped CeltDog was to get some pressed rawhide and just hold it for him while he chewed. Not the kind with tiny bits pressed together but the really tough ones they can chew on for days. Like this. I got them too big for him and held onto one end while he chewed, like holding a baby’s bottle. Petting him gently in long head to tail strokes as he chewed. He associated chewing his bone with my presence and protection, and chewing on that became his preferred way to deal with stress. I made sure he ALWAYS had a bone close by when I left, and he never chewed a shoe again.
hth
I’d hoped this thread would be free of bigotry. Personally, I love the high-energy, drive oriented Malinois. If they’re too much for you, I totally understand.
Kizzy. Part Malinois and possibly the most excellent trainable dog I’ve ever interacted with.
I love Malinois too, but they would clearly not be the right dog for the OP. Bigotry? ROFL!
Breed specific legislation is a pet peeve, as are people who think a breed defines the individuals that comprise the breed. Lazy thinking IMO.
So you think a first-time dog owner with a 1/4 acre yard would be fine with a malinois? C’mon. There are differences, that’s why there are breeds. A malinois needs a highly active lifestyle with jobs to do daily. Their energy levels will definitely become destructive in apartment living. Will you try to deny it?
If you are trying to class me with the idiots who think all pit bulls are murderous hell hounds then kindly stop.
IME there are more differences between individuals within a breed than there are differences between breeds. /discussion
Stopped at your request.
Belgian Malinois are highly intelligent and energetic dogs that are great for people who are willing to put in the effort and don’t have a problem applying a firm discipline but there are (as evidenced by the number of the breed who are surrendered to shelters and rescues) a lot of people who seem to think that they are just a bolder version of German Shepherd and don’t understand how much energy and drive these dogs have, especially in their first couple of years. This is a dog that can easily destroy a large piece of furniture in minutes if they aren’t sufficiently engaged, and can escape from nearly any yard or kennel if they put their mind to it. This is not a breed for the casual owner who just imagines having a handsome ‘guard’ dog and ends up with a master of mischief which can outsmart the average Mensa member when it comes to getting their way.
Stranger
I have a Weimeraner x German Short haired Pointer. (Photo in avatar)
He as a puppy had severe separation anxiety. I have a very sweet picture of him (well, I was angry at the time, but still…) sitting on top of an absolutely destroyed mattress.
That led us to take him to puppy day care, which he loved. Then to group dog training, which, being the runt of his litter and possibly suffering oxygen starvation at birth, he loved but was not very good at.
He did learn, though, at the training, that even if you cannot see your human, they will come back.
Always.
We used the same training technique as the dog trainers. Leave for 1 minute, then come back with treats. Leave for 5 minutes, then come back with treats etc, until he did not need the treats and did not destroy anything.
We got another puppy once he calmed down a bit, and she was easy. She had a companion, and she is a little domineering, so someone to bully.