All About Our Pets(Pics, Advice, Etc)

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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2013-10-26 14.44.52 (1).jpg
dyachei said:
Those are also characteristics of a brown tabby
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hehehehe

are tabby's a breed of cat though, or just a descriptor of the cat? Wiki page seems to think it's not a breed...

but yeah, he looks pretty tabby :p
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Alrighty anyone into behavior studies...I'm at the end of my rope here.

A friend of mine found a lost dog that turned out to be one of the school's teaching beagles that was adopted months ago. They tracked down the first owner who says they rehomed him, and the second owners denied ever having one. So, someone dumped him. Anyways, he's in perfect health (a bit skinny that's all) and as sweet as can be.

However, he has severe separation anxiety. He bays so badly in the crate that my friend's neighbors complained and his landlord gave him 24 hrs to find a place for the dog. He calls me in a panic and of course, I agree to help him out. We live in the country so no one is really close enough to be bothered by baying.

1. I have dealt with separation anxiety before, but never this bad. He bays and screams within a minute of being left in the crate. Once he did it for three hours (we recorded it). For days (almost a week) we tried the leave for 5 minutes, leave for 10 minutes, fifteen, etc, scale it back down if you pass his limit, etc - nothing. He starts almost immediately still, no improvement, not even 5 minutes. We feed him in the crate, only give him treats in the crate, play talk radio, give him toys, things that smell like us, exercising him until he's super-tired, got him a tightish sweater to act as a Thundershirt, etc - nothing. I think he may be beyond help in this department. He won't bay if he knows you are in the house, but he whines after a while if he cannot see you. And if he knows you left the house it gets 100x worse.

2. The bigger problem. He isn't housetrained. I'm guessing this and the baying was why the first people rehomed him. Being that he lived the first 3 years of his life in a run, I'm not surprised. He'll poop in the crate (yes, the crate is small enough that he shouldn't be doing that). He'll poop and pee anywhere. We've had him for a month now and with constant watching (fiance works from home for the moment so he is around more than me) he has gotten slightly better, but still. He was afraid to poop or pee in front of you (I bet former owners scolded him for it so he thinks ANY pooping and peeing is bad) but we got him over that somewhat. He will poop after a brisk walk after mealtime and pee reliably in the morning and evening, but if you don't watch him like a hawk he tries to sneak off and do it in the house. Any he lets it all go when people leave, likely out of fear too.

So we have a dog that can't be allowed to roam the house if we are gone because he'll poop and pee everywhere. Yet we cannot crate him because he screams bloody murder and I'm sure it drives our other animals bonkers (and sometimes I fear it is loud enough even for OUR neighbors to hear).

He's very clingy and we have been taking steps to foster independence (no sleeping in the bed, not too much coddling, etc) but he just flips out whenever he is left alone and pisses and ****s everywhere.

The only thing that MARGINALLY works is confining him to the mud room. He will whine, but not bay as badly. He'll still poop and pee on the floor, even if we have taken him out beforehand. We tried puppy pads in this scenario, and those don't seem to attract him.

This is only temporary - my friend is taken with him and plans to move to a place with fewer neighbors so he can work on him, but we have him until TG.

Any advice?
 
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WhtsThFrequency said:
Alrighty anyone into behavior studies...I'm at the end of my rope here.

A friend of mine found a lost dog that turned out to be one of the school's teaching beagles that was adopted months ago. They tracked down the first owner who says they rehomed him, and the second owners denied ever having one. So, someone dumped him. Anyways, he's in perfect health (a bit skinny that's all) and as sweet as can be.

However, he has severe separation anxiety. He bays so badly in the crate that my friend's neighbors complained and his landlord gave him 24 hrs to find a place for the dog. He calls me in a panic and of course, I agree to help him out. We live in the country so no one is really close enough to be bothered by baying.

1. I have dealt with separation anxiety before, but never this bad. He bays and screams within a minute of being left in the crate. Once he did it for three hours (we recorded it). For days (almost a week) we tried the leave for 5 minutes, leave for 10 minutes, fifteen, etc, scale it back down if you pass his limit, etc - nothing. He starts almost immediately still, no improvement, not even 5 minutes. We feed him in the crate, only give him treats in the crate, play talk radio, give him toys, things that smell like us, exercising him until he's super-tired, got him a tightish sweater to act as a Thundershirt, etc - nothing. I think he may be beyond help in this department. He won't bay if he knows you are in the house, but he whines after a while if he cannot see you. And if he knows you left the house it gets 100x worse.

2. The bigger problem. He isn't housetrained. I'm guessing this and the baying was why the first people rehomed him. Being that he lived the first 3 years of his life in a run, I'm not surprised. He'll poop in the crate (yes, the crate is small enough that he shouldn't be doing that). He'll poop and pee anywhere. We've had him for a month now and with constant watching (fiance works from home for the moment so he is around more than me) he has gotten slightly better, but still. He was afraid to poop or pee in front of you (I bet former owners scolded him for it so he thinks ANY pooping and peeing is bad) but we got him over that somewhat. He will poop after a brisk walk after mealtime and pee reliably in the morning and evening, but if you don't watch him like a hawk he tries to sneak off and do it in the house. Any he lets it all go when people leave, likely out of fear too.

So we have a dog that can't be allowed to roam the house if we are gone because he'll poop and pee everywhere. Yet we cannot crate him because he screams bloody murder and I'm sure it drives our other animals bonkers (and sometimes I fear it is loud enough even for OUR neighbors to hear).

He's very clingy and we have been taking steps to foster independence (no sleeping in the bed, not too much coddling, etc) but he just flips out whenever he is left alone and pisses and ****s everywhere.

The only thing that MARGINALLY works is confining him to the mud room. He will whine, but not bay as badly. He'll still poop and pee on the floor, even if we have taken him out beforehand. We tried puppy pads in this scenario, and those don't seem to attract him.

This is only temporary - my friend is taken with him and plans to move to a place with fewer neighbors so he can work on him, but we have him until TG.

Any advice?
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Is it possible to leave him outside during the day? I know that to some people an outdoor dog is totally wrong, but if it is that or something worse (shelter, euthanasia) I'd pick outside any day. It's not too cold yet and he might enjoy himself, plus foster some independence in him.
Or get another dog to keep him company. Group living is what he is used to.

Otherwise, I've had reasonable luck with DAP spray alone or in combination with Valium with my dog when he started freaking out last year- eating the carpet, door frames etc out of the blue.

The kennel bred beagles at school make me sad because I suspect this occurs more frequently then we realize. After too long as a kennel dog, it has to be hard to train them to be house dogs. I appreciate that we have them at school, but I worry about if it is the right thing for the dogs.
 
We unfortunately don't have a fenced yard :( We're out in Merrimac, between BBurg and Cburg, so we have the land for it but haven't gotten around to it yet. I have no issues with people leaving dogs outside either as long as they have shelter, water etc. and they don't leave them out all the time. This little guy just seems pathologically attached to people. I mean, you walk into the next room and he has to follow you.

He was with another dog in my friend's house, and he's living with another dog, a cat, and a rabbit right now at our house, so I dunno if it is a group thing. He doesn't react much to other dogs (or animals in general). I'm thinking drugs might be an option here.....we're gonna try Benadryling him first and I might grab some DAP stuff to try first. The former is what I had to do with my dog when I was working through her separation anxiety (obviously in addition to all the actual training/conditioning and only if I was going to be gone for long periods of time - she is an independent dog and got through it pretty fast though).

I agree. I worked as TRACSS tech here during vet school, and I hate the fact we have to use purpose-bred dogs. I mean, they're so sweet, but they seem like husks of dogs. Thankfully they have re-instituted pair housing (I am pretty sure - they were housed singly back when I was in vet school). I know practicing things on living dogs in necessary but it still makes me feel sad sometimes. He's SUCH a good dog, absolutely bulletproof personality, loves to cuddle....but the anxiety and housetraining....poor thing. I can't be mad at him.


CanHardlyWait said:
Is it possible to leave him outside during the day? I know that to some people an outdoor dog is totally wrong, but if it is that or something worse (shelter, euthanasia) I'd pick outside any day. It's not too cold yet and he might enjoy himself, plus foster some independence in him.
Or get another dog to keep him company. Group living is what he is used to.

Otherwise, I've had reasonable luck with DAP spray alone or in combination with Valium with my dog when he started freaking out last year- eating the carpet, door frames etc out of the blue.

The kennel bred beagles at school make me sad because I suspect this occurs more frequently then we realize. After too long as a kennel dog, it has to be hard to train them to be house dogs. I appreciate that we have them at school, but I worry about if it is the right thing for the dogs.
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WhtsThFrequency said:
Alrighty anyone into behavior studies...I'm at the end of my rope here.

A friend of mine found a lost dog that turned out to be one of the school's teaching beagles that was adopted months ago. They tracked down the first owner who says they rehomed him, and the second owners denied ever having one. So, someone dumped him. Anyways, he's in perfect health (a bit skinny that's all) and as sweet as can be.

However, he has severe separation anxiety. He bays so badly in the crate that my friend's neighbors complained and his landlord gave him 24 hrs to find a place for the dog. He calls me in a panic and of course, I agree to help him out. We live in the country so no one is really close enough to be bothered by baying.

1. I have dealt with separation anxiety before, but never this bad. He bays and screams within a minute of being left in the crate. Once he did it for three hours (we recorded it). For days (almost a week) we tried the leave for 5 minutes, leave for 10 minutes, fifteen, etc, scale it back down if you pass his limit, etc - nothing. He starts almost immediately still, no improvement, not even 5 minutes. We feed him in the crate, only give him treats in the crate, play talk radio, give him toys, things that smell like us, exercising him until he's super-tired, got him a tightish sweater to act as a Thundershirt, etc - nothing. I think he may be beyond help in this department. He won't bay if he knows you are in the house, but he whines after a while if he cannot see you. And if he knows you left the house it gets 100x worse.

2. The bigger problem. He isn't housetrained. I'm guessing this and the baying was why the first people rehomed him. Being that he lived the first 3 years of his life in a run, I'm not surprised. He'll poop in the crate (yes, the crate is small enough that he shouldn't be doing that). He'll poop and pee anywhere. We've had him for a month now and with constant watching (fiance works from home for the moment so he is around more than me) he has gotten slightly better, but still. He was afraid to poop or pee in front of you (I bet former owners scolded him for it so he thinks ANY pooping and peeing is bad) but we got him over that somewhat. He will poop after a brisk walk after mealtime and pee reliably in the morning and evening, but if you don't watch him like a hawk he tries to sneak off and do it in the house. Any he lets it all go when people leave, likely out of fear too.

So we have a dog that can't be allowed to roam the house if we are gone because he'll poop and pee everywhere. Yet we cannot crate him because he screams bloody murder and I'm sure it drives our other animals bonkers (and sometimes I fear it is loud enough even for OUR neighbors to hear).

He's very clingy and we have been taking steps to foster independence (no sleeping in the bed, not too much coddling, etc) but he just flips out whenever he is left alone and pisses and ****s everywhere.

The only thing that MARGINALLY works is confining him to the mud room. He will whine, but not bay as badly. He'll still poop and pee on the floor, even if we have taken him out beforehand. We tried puppy pads in this scenario, and those don't seem to attract him.

This is only temporary - my friend is taken with him and plans to move to a place with fewer neighbors so he can work on him, but we have him until TG.

Any advice?
Click to expand...

This sounds a lot like my beagle when we got her. She was a hunting dog and lived in a kennel for the first two years of her life, and wasn't housebroken when we got her. She had terrible separation anxiety and if we left for even five minutes she'd pee and poop on the floor. Sometimes she would do it even if you just went to take a shower.

I'm sure you can find plenty of stuff on housebreaking. We mostly just treated and praised every time she went outside and she eventually got the idea. One thing we did though was to hang a bell on the door and touch her nose to it every time we took her outside. It took a long time, but she eventually learned to ring the bell when she wanted to go out. She was so anxious all the time and she whined CONSTANTLY for the first six months, so the bell helped us know when she needed to go out and when she was just whining for the sake of whining.

We could not crate her. At all. She would soil it, whine and bark, and claw and chew it to the point that her gums and paws were bleeding. To this day, we simply cannot put her in a crate. I think it's just too much like the kennel she used to live in, and it freaks her out. So we left her out. It did mean we cleaned up messes around the house A LOT during that first year, but it was much less traumatic for her and, in the end, less cleaning and replacement of crates for us. We were lucky that she was not destructive when she was loose in the house. We followed some advice we found online (so take it with a grain of salt) and always followed the same routine when we were leaving: get our stuff together, tell the dog to get in her bed, tell her to stay, tell her she's a good girl, say "We'll be back!" (this was the key line that we used every single time before we left, so she would understand that we were leaving the house), and then leave. No going back into the house if you forgot something, because that would upset her and guarantee she'd pee on the floor. Once you went out the door, you were out until it was time to return home for at least an hour. When we got home, she would get a treat and lots of praise if she'd behaved herself and not made a mess. It took a loooooooooong time (probably a year and a half, to be honest) before we could be 100% certain that she wouldn't make a mess, but now she can stay by herself for as much as eight hours without a problem. She got so used to our routine that even now she'll got hop in her bed and settle in when she sees us putting our coats on.

But the thing that ultimately made the biggest difference for her was doggy daycare (which I realize may not be feasible in this situation). She couldn't be left alone in the house all day, so we started taking her to this awesome doggy daycare near my mom's work. I don't know if it was all the extra socialization or just the fact that she was tired from playing all day, but it mellowed her out completely. Within a month or two she was a totally changed dog. Her separation anxiety is gone, she's no longer afraid of strangers, she can be left alone for hours without peeing or pooping in the house, she no longer whines constantly, she gets along with every dog she meets. If doggy daycare isn't a possibility, maybe just frequent trips to the dog park or visiting friends with dogs will help.
 
Thanks for the response - I like the bell idea.

I throw a party outside whenever he pees and poops. Even special treats (he goes bonkers for Pupperoni) just for that. OMG GOOOOD DOOOG GOOD BOYYYYEEE GOOD BOYYYY!!! I probably look like a fool, hehe.

I forgot about the special "line" - my dog had one too when I was training her, it was "be good, no bark". I'll try and use one for him too.
 
Since the topic is trouble...here is my new puppy! We're getting her Tuesday. God help us.
 

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I like Blackdog's ideas. The only caution with a bell is that some dogs decide that ringing the bell means they get to go outside and may ring it when they feel like going out to romp around, not necessarily pee or poop. Maybe if he rings the bell, out to pee/poop/no fun (except praise of course) allowed. Then he can play or go for a long walk when you decide, not correlated to the bell?

Good luck, WTF and CanHardlywait!
 
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that redhead said:
I like Blackdog's ideas. The only caution with a bell is that some dogs decide that ringing the bell means they get to go outside and may ring it when they feel like going out to romp around, not necessarily pee or poop. Maybe if he rings the bell, out to pee/poop/no fun (except praise of course) allowed. Then he can play or go for a long walk when you decide, not correlated to the bell?

Good luck, WTF and CanHardlywait!
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That's true, she does ask to go out just for the sake of sniffing things and running around. It's not a big deal for us since she has an invisible fence so it's just a matter of putting the collar on and turning her loose. But I could see how that would be super annoying with a dog that needs to be leash walked.
 
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Hi everyone, looking for some advice:

We adopted a 2 yr old black lab/possibly cattle dog or aussie shepherd mix from best friends animal sanctuary last april. She was incredibly timid and quiet for the first month and then suddenly she became very leash aggressive and started barking incessantly at the sound of a pin drop outside. If we had her outside on her leash and another dog or person walked by, her hair would stand straight up and she would go into complete frenzy attack mode, i.e. kicking her hind legs out, snarling, lunging, barking. Once the person or dog approached her, she would very hesitantly (and slowly) relax and then be friendly. She never snapped, but she always looked like she was about to and it made me very nervous. I contacted Best Friends for advice and they sort of discounted my situation. The trainers said they remembered how sweet she was and couldn't believe she would act like that. They advised doing positive reinforcement training. I tried doing that for a few weeks, but then someone I tech with recommended Barkbusters, so I used them. The BB trainer got her to calm down instantly by using a bean bag and a training collar (non spike or choke). She was great for a few weeks, and then all of the problems started up again no matter how much we used the Barkbusters techniques. When she gets into this "frenzy" outside, she will not respond to the bean bag dropping or the training collar or treats or anything. It's becoming a big problem because I live in a townhouse style apartment, and direct next door neighbor has a little min pin that aggravates the situation by snarling and barking every time I am outside with Beth. Now, even when the min pin doesn't bark, Beth immediately snarls and lunges at my neighbor's window EVERY time. I am so frustrated - I love my dog but she is acting completely different than she acted at the shelter. I volunteered there so I got to observe her for 4 days in a run with 3 other huge dogs (way bigger than her, she is 50#). She was perfectly fine with them and all people. The only thing I can figure is that all of the dogs at Best friends bark at passerby and other dogs. Since their runs are adjacent to each other with a chain link fence in between, I noticed that most of the dogs run back and forth up and down their runs barking at their neighbors.

I should also mention that I have 2 small dogs as well - spaniel mixes and she is perfectly fine with them. She actually pooped herself when we introduced them. :) Now she is totally comfortable with them and they are BFF. PLEASE IF ANYONE HAS ANY ADVICE, I am in dire need of help. I don't want to spend any more money on training since Barkbusters cost a fortune! Especially if it isn't even going to work. :( HELP
 
jerseyshoregirl said:
Hi everyone, looking for some advice:

We adopted a 2 yr old black lab/possibly cattle dog or aussie shepherd mix from best friends animal sanctuary last april. She was incredibly timid and quiet for the first month and then suddenly she became very leash aggressive and started barking incessantly at the sound of a pin drop outside. If we had her outside on her leash and another dog or person walked by, her hair would stand straight up and she would go into complete frenzy attack mode, i.e. kicking her hind legs out, snarling, lunging, barking. Once the person or dog approached her, she would very hesitantly (and slowly) relax and then be friendly. She never snapped, but she always looked like she was about to and it made me very nervous. I contacted Best Friends for advice and they sort of discounted my situation. The trainers said they remembered how sweet she was and couldn't believe she would act like that. They advised doing positive reinforcement training. I tried doing that for a few weeks, but then someone I tech with recommended Barkbusters, so I used them. The BB trainer got her to calm down instantly by using a bean bag and a training collar (non spike or choke). She was great for a few weeks, and then all of the problems started up again no matter how much we used the Barkbusters techniques. When she gets into this "frenzy" outside, she will not respond to the bean bag dropping or the training collar or treats or anything. It's becoming a big problem because I live in a townhouse style apartment, and direct next door neighbor has a little min pin that aggravates the situation by snarling and barking every time I am outside with Beth. Now, even when the min pin doesn't bark, Beth immediately snarls and lunges at my neighbor's window EVERY time. I am so frustrated - I love my dog but she is acting completely different than she acted at the shelter. I volunteered there so I got to observe her for 4 days in a run with 3 other huge dogs (way bigger than her, she is 50#). She was perfectly fine with them and all people. The only thing I can figure is that all of the dogs at Best friends bark at passerby and other dogs. Since their runs are adjacent to each other with a chain link fence in between, I noticed that most of the dogs run back and forth up and down their runs barking at their neighbors.

I should also mention that I have 2 small dogs as well - spaniel mixes and she is perfectly fine with them. She actually pooped herself when we introduced them. :) Now she is totally comfortable with them and they are BFF. PLEASE IF ANYONE HAS ANY ADVICE, I am in dire need of help. I don't want to spend any more money on training since Barkbusters cost a fortune! Especially if it isn't even going to work. :( HELP
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It sounds like your girl has anxiety issues, which can be very stressful and frustrating for an owner. She's afraid of other dogs/people/strange sounds and situations, and she's using those behaviors to say "get away from me" as loudly as she can. This kind of behavior can escalate the more she's exposed to stuff that scares her. My pup has major anxiety-related dog aggression, so I've been there. I don't know anything about Barkbusters, but from skimming their website, it looks like they emphasize a dominance type of model, which can get some short term results for anxious dogs, but the effect usually wears off. I would recommend taking the shelter's advice and switching back to a positive reinforcement model. The trick is to expose her to things that scare her without pushing her into that "frenzy" state. That's a self-reinforcing negative experience for her. So, if she can't handle a dog barking in real life, play ten seconds of a dog barking on YouTube and give her treats, then build up from there. If she's flipping out when she sees other dogs/people on the walk, try walking her in less populated areas or at less busy times of day. Build up positive experiences, be they with treats or toys. Reward her any time she pays attention to *you* instead of to whatever is scaring her, and try teaching commands to redirect her attention (with my girl, I use "look" and "touch" with cheese whiz or a squeaky tennis ball as the reward). Make sure you're familiar with the subtler signs of anxiety (i.e. yawning, licking the chops) and be aware of safety. Try not to force her to interact with someone she obviously wants nothing to do with. Above all, *remember safety* because an anxious dog is an unpredictable dog. Just because she hasn't snapped doesn't mean she won't. Sadly, it took my pup sending an eleven-year-old dog to the e-vet before I realized that.

I'm trying not to stray too far into veterinary advice (mods, if this is over the line, let me know and I'll take it down) but my girl really benefited from a consult with a veterinary behaviorist and some anxiety meds. If you have access to a behaviorist (maybe someone at your clinic knows one?) it might be worth seeing if they could give you some advice.
 
In case anyone else is having cat scratching issues, thought I'd update on my cat's progress.

Tried the double sided tape, Petsmart brand. Total PITA. Haven't seen my cat attempt to scratch the couch since putting them on, but they stick to everything BUT the couch. I never realized before how frequently I bump into the arm of the couch as I walk by it, and ending up with sticky tape attached to your leg a dozen times a day is annoying. Then I mistakenly put a plastic bag down next to the couch and it rapidly turned into an unrecoverable mess, so that was the end of that.

Bought the Petsmart brand of Soft Paws today and just as an experiment decided to try putting them on by myself. My boy was a rockstar and tolerated it without complaint as long as I gave him a break after every few nails. Hardest part was stopping him from licking his paws until the adhesive dried. It was funny watching him lightly paw at the carpet after I finished, trying to figure out what the heck was on his feet. But now he's running around and playing with his toys and he doesn't seem to mind them at all. $20 for a box of 40, which should last me at least 4 months if they stay on as long as the package claims. Keeping my fingers crossed that things continue to go well, because this seems like a really good solution!! :D
 
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pooter said:
It sounds like your girl has anxiety issues, which can be very stressful and frustrating for an owner. She's afraid of other dogs/people/strange sounds and situations, and she's using those behaviors to say "get away from me" as loudly as she can. This kind of behavior can escalate the more she's exposed to stuff that scares her. My pup has major anxiety-related dog aggression, so I've been there. I don't know anything about Barkbusters, but from skimming their website, it looks like they emphasize a dominance type of model, which can get some short term results for anxious dogs, but the effect usually wears off. I would recommend taking the shelter's advice and switching back to a positive reinforcement model. The trick is to expose her to things that scare her without pushing her into that "frenzy" state. That's a self-reinforcing negative experience for her. So, if she can't handle a dog barking in real life, play ten seconds of a dog barking on YouTube and give her treats, then build up from there. If she's flipping out when she sees other dogs/people on the walk, try walking her in less populated areas or at less busy times of day. Build up positive experiences, be they with treats or toys. Reward her any time she pays attention to *you* instead of to whatever is scaring her, and try teaching commands to redirect her attention (with my girl, I use "look" and "touch" with cheese whiz or a squeaky tennis ball as the reward). Make sure you're familiar with the subtler signs of anxiety (i.e. yawning, licking the chops) and be aware of safety. Try not to force her to interact with someone she obviously wants nothing to do with. Above all, *remember safety* because an anxious dog is an unpredictable dog. Just because she hasn't snapped doesn't mean she won't. Sadly, it took my pup sending an eleven-year-old dog to the e-vet before I realized that.

I'm trying not to stray too far into veterinary advice (mods, if this is over the line, let me know and I'll take it down) but my girl really benefited from a consult with a veterinary behaviorist and some anxiety meds. If you have access to a behaviorist (maybe someone at your clinic knows one?) it might be worth seeing if they could give you some advice.
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Thank you so much for the advice! I think you are right on target - what you are saying really makes sense. Her aggression is definitely fear related and if its negative reinforcing, then that explains why it is just continuing to get worse. Barkbusters definitely used the dominant type of model - it must have really startled her at first when I slammed the bean bag on the floor, so she behaved, but now that she is desensitized to the bean bag, she is back to her old ways of paying attention ONLY to the trigger (dog, person, cat, etc). I tried what you said with the treats and positive reinforcement, and we made a little progress already. I wanted to expose her to the neighbor's dog without pushing her into her frenzy, so about 20 feet with the neighbor's door i had her sit and gave her shredded cheese. Then when she was calm I took a step closer to the neighbor's door and when her ears and tail started to go up, I had her sit and shoved cheese in her face again. I kept doing this until I was actually able to walk along the whole side of the neighbor's house by stopping, sitting, and offering cheese. Usually she will go into frenzy mode as soon as she comes within 15 feet of the house. The neighbor's dog didn't bark this time, which will make the situation harder to overcome, but even just being able to walk by the house without her going crazy is a HUGE accomplishment. Then today I walked her around the neighborhood, and when she started to show signs of unease I put her into sit and gave her cheese. We made it around the neighborhood and home (eventually) with only one mid-level freakout. I guess it will take time and patience. She tends to be more fearful at night, so I think I will avoid taking her for long walks at night until she has mastered the daytime. If she does not continue to improve over the next couple months, I will definitely consider taking her to a veterinary behaviorist - it's not a bad idea. I think she has some deep psychological issues from transferring foster homes and shelters 4 times, traveling on the air plane twice, and having constantly had to adjust to a new home, new animals, and new people. You would think this would have made her wise, but instead seems to have had the reverse effect. It's like she doesn't know what proper behavior is! It may very well be that she needs anxiety meds down the road to overcome her fears, but hopefully this type of training will make a difference. I'm sorry your dog bit another pup - hope everyone was okay, but it sounds like you have a handle on the situation now. Just curious - do you have an idea what happened in your pup's life to have her become this fear aggressive?
 
jerseyshoregirl said:
Thank you so much for the advice! I think you are right on target - what you are saying really makes sense. Her aggression is definitely fear related and if its negative reinforcing, then that explains why it is just continuing to get worse. Barkbusters definitely used the dominant type of model - it must have really startled her at first when I slammed the bean bag on the floor, so she behaved, but now that she is desensitized to the bean bag, she is back to her old ways of paying attention ONLY to the trigger (dog, person, cat, etc). I tried what you said with the treats and positive reinforcement, and we made a little progress already. I wanted to expose her to the neighbor's dog without pushing her into her frenzy, so about 20 feet with the neighbor's door i had her sit and gave her shredded cheese. Then when she was calm I took a step closer to the neighbor's door and when her ears and tail started to go up, I had her sit and shoved cheese in her face again. I kept doing this until I was actually able to walk along the whole side of the neighbor's house by stopping, sitting, and offering cheese. Usually she will go into frenzy mode as soon as she comes within 15 feet of the house. The neighbor's dog didn't bark this time, which will make the situation harder to overcome, but even just being able to walk by the house without her going crazy is a HUGE accomplishment. Then today I walked her around the neighborhood, and when she started to show signs of unease I put her into sit and gave her cheese. We made it around the neighborhood and home (eventually) with only one mid-level freakout. I guess it will take time and patience. She tends to be more fearful at night, so I think I will avoid taking her for long walks at night until she has mastered the daytime. If she does not continue to improve over the next couple months, I will definitely consider taking her to a veterinary behaviorist - it's not a bad idea. I think she has some deep psychological issues from transferring foster homes and shelters 4 times, traveling on the air plane twice, and having constantly had to adjust to a new home, new animals, and new people. You would think this would have made her wise, but instead seems to have had the reverse effect. It's like she doesn't know what proper behavior is! It may very well be that she needs anxiety meds down the road to overcome her fears, but hopefully this type of training will make a difference. I'm sorry your dog bit another pup - hope everyone was okay, but it sounds like you have a handle on the situation now. Just curious - do you have an idea what happened in your pup's life to have her become this fear aggressive?
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're off to a great start! I can definitely see the frequent changes in her environment causing some issues, unfortunately. With my girl, it's harder to know. I adopted her just two weeks after she was dropped off at a high-kill shelter as a "stray." The kind of "stray" who's a healthy weight, recognizes a bag of Pupperoni on sight, and comes with her own collar. There's no way of knowing what her early life was like, so I try not to speculate. She's a pittie mix, but so are 95% of the homeless dogs in Philly. She makes up for her issues by being unbearably cute and eager to please. :)
 
dyachei said:
He is no bengal. Unless she spent fat wads of money on him. He looks like a tabby.
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Definitely agree that he looks like a tabby, but my former stray kitty Tesla has something to say about those fat wads I definitely didn't spend on her... :p

1ksxvrL.jpg
 
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Anyone have advice on bringing an outdoor cat indoors?

There's this cat that has been hanging around our property and none of my neighbors have fessed up to owning him (assuming it's a him). One neighbor said he's been hanging around since they bought their house in 2005 and he certainly looks like he's well into middle age. Over the last 2 months he's been getting gradually closer to us and when I was getting the mail a couple days ago he came up and rubbed along my legs. I squatted down and pet him for a while so he's obviously not truly feral. We live in a rural area with quite a bit of wildlife and I'm worried about him getting eaten by a coyote. About a week ago my husband and I were working in our yard and let one of our cats come out with us for a while - she's strictly an indoor cat that we occasionally let outside when we're there to supervise otherwise she'll start clawing at screens in an attempt to break out. We caught her laying under a bush with the cat that's been hanging around (our cat is spayed and UTD on leukemia, rabies, and FVRCP vaccines since she came from a rescue recently). Now that I know this lingering cat is friendly and gets along with the bitchier of our 2 cats I'd like to eventually bring him inside, at least after dark. The first step will be catching him (which I don't think will be too difficult since he now lets me pet him) and taking him in for an exam, a FIV/FeLV test, and submit a fecal but from there what's the best way to gradually bring him indoors? I've been leaving food out for him but I don't think he'll ever come into the house on his own since he always takes off when he sees our 2 large dogs.

Anyone dealt with a situation like this before?
 
BD - Glad to hear its starting off well! Hopefully the softpaws help.

Jerseyshore, anxiety and fear issues don't necessarily only equate to an unknown or bad past. A friend of mine went through a huge rollercoaster with her dog - that she got at 8 weeks and raised on her own. She ended up having to euthanize due to the behavior problems and she very strongly advocates workign with your dog in a positive scenario to train early on because she thought (like many do) that poor behavior can only come from a dog with a history of some sort. Good luck with your girl - sounds like the positive methods are already starting to pay off :)
 
EngrSC said:
Anyone have advice on bringing an outdoor cat indoors?

There's this cat that has been hanging around our property and none of my neighbors have fessed up to owning him (assuming it's a him). One neighbor said he's been hanging around since they bought their house in 2005 and he certainly looks like he's well into middle age. Over the last 2 months he's been getting gradually closer to us and when I was getting the mail a couple days ago he came up and rubbed along my legs. I squatted down and pet him for a while so he's obviously not truly feral. We live in a rural area with quite a bit of wildlife and I'm worried about him getting eaten by a coyote. About a week ago my husband and I were working in our yard and let one of our cats come out with us for a while - she's strictly an indoor cat that we occasionally let outside when we're there to supervise otherwise she'll start clawing at screens in an attempt to break out. We caught her laying under a bush with the cat that's been hanging around (our cat is spayed and UTD on leukemia, rabies, and FVRCP vaccines since she came from a rescue recently). Now that I know this lingering cat is friendly and gets along with the bitchier of our 2 cats I'd like to eventually bring him inside, at least after dark. The first step will be catching him (which I don't think will be too difficult since he now lets me pet him) and taking him in for an exam, a FIV/FeLV test, and submit a fecal but from there what's the best way to gradually bring him indoors? I've been leaving food out for him but I don't think he'll ever come into the house on his own since he always takes off when he sees our 2 large dogs.

Anyone dealt with a situation like this before?
Click to expand...

My kid was a stray that I found when he ran across a busy road in front of my car. I suspect he was someone's pet for at least a little while but he had definitely gotten accustomed to the free outdoor life. A few days after I brought him home he tore open the screen of my bedroom window and jumped out while I was at work. Fortunately, I think he was so scared at being in a new place that he just hid in the bushes beneath my window the whole day. When I came home he appeared on the porch, covered in mulch and meowing to be let in. :LOL: After that I kept his nails trimmed and only left windows open a few inches when he was unsupervised.

He did meow at the doors and windows a lot during the first month or so, especially at night. Surprisingly, once the weather started getting cold he stopped asking to go out. I think he realized he had a good thing indoors and he wasn't about to throw it away and risk being stuck out in the cold!

The big thing for him has been lots of enrichment. He seems to get bored more easily than my lifelong indoor cats do, or maybe it's just more noticeable when he's bored. I open the windows as much as possible when the weather when the weather is nice and he loves to sit and sniff the fresh air. Also making sure he has a window to sit in and look out year-round seems to help. He really just likes to see what's going on outside. His big thing is climbing, which is apparently an outdoor cat trait. Whatever the highest place in the room is, he will find it and get to it, even if you think it's too impossibly high for him. I'm constantly amazed by how high he can jump. He frequently manages to walk on top of every door in my apartment. So I have to be careful about where he goes, if he can get down by himself, and if there's anything breakable up there. Your guy is older so that may not be as much of a problem, but definitely a lot of playtime and activities will be important, since being an indoor kitty is boring much of the time. Allowing him outdoors during the day would definitely help with that, though.

You might want to get yourself some Feliway spray as well just to help him feel more comfortable and keep the other cats from getting stressed. And if he's intact, it may help prevent spraying too.


Edit: Just for fun, here's my formerly stray outdoor kitty. :p https://www.dropbox.com/sc/t7j46uk4yi7pkej/suK6txTGvG
 
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that redhead said:
BD - Glad to hear its starting off well! Hopefully the softpaws help.

Jerseyshore, anxiety and fear issues don't necessarily only equate to an unknown or bad past. A friend of mine went through a huge rollercoaster with her dog - that she got at 8 weeks and raised on her own. She ended up having to euthanize due to the behavior problems and she very strongly advocates workign with your dog in a positive scenario to train early on because she thought (like many do) that poor behavior can only come from a dog with a history of some sort. Good luck with your girl - sounds like the positive methods are already starting to pay off :)
Click to expand...

redhead, you're right - unfortunately some dogs can have tremendous behavior issues despite their positive upbringing, and sadly euthanasia can be the only way to go for the owner's, dog's and other people's safety. feel terribly for your friend though - that has to be the worst feeling in the world.
 
I just wanted to post my sweet little Eva's story and pictures on here. Eva's 15 year old chihuahua mother came in the clinic I work at for a pregnant spay. After the doctor began the surgery, he realized the puppies were full term. :( He didn't have the heart to put them down and the owner to the chihuahua didn't want anything to do with the puppies. So the technicians kept them. She had 6 puppies, and I took Eva in. I have had her since the day she was born and now she is a year old. :) Unfortunately, her brothers and sisters didn't make it, but at least they had a chance.

At 4 weeks At 3 months
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At 1 year
946824_10151473579184527_936080626_n.jpg
 
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Geordie failed his Canine Good Citizen's test because he reacted to the dog while on leash. I'm so frustrated because I feel like I'm trying to work on it (hard to practice though without other dogs...at least ones that he doesn't know) and because he didn't use to be that way until some random dog ran up to him while it was off leash and he was on leash. I even thought we had a chance at passing it because he was just pulling a little towards the dog but not barking/growling until the test dog walked past him and then he flipped.
 
orca2011 said:
Geordie failed his Canine Good Citizen's test because he reacted to the dog while on leash. I'm so frustrated because I feel like I'm trying to work on it (hard to practice though without other dogs...at least ones that he doesn't know) and because he didn't use to be that way until some random dog ran up to him while it was off leash and he was on leash. I even thought we had a chance at passing it because he was just pulling a little towards the dog but not barking/growling until the test dog walked past him and then he flipped.
Click to expand...

It's tough. I have been working toward CGC certification with one of my guys and he failed because he doesn't like having his paws handled. I've gotten him to a point where he allows me to cut his nails (without protesting or trying to pull away) but he doesn't dig strangers touching them. He's kind of a "spooky" dog and is fine with most strangers but I really don't trust anyone around him that I don't know well or anyone who doesn't have a lot of experience with dogs.
 
EngrSC said:
It's tough. I have been working toward CGC certification with one of my guys and he failed because he doesn't like having his paws handled. I've gotten him to a point where he allows me to cut his nails (without protesting or trying to pull away) but he doesn't dig strangers touching them. He's kind of a "spooky" dog and is fine with most strangers but I really don't trust anyone around him that I don't know well or anyone who doesn't have a lot of experience with dogs.
Click to expand...

I'm working on getting him a little better about that as well. He let her touch his feet, check his ears and brush him, but you could tell he was a little nervous. I can clip his nails, brush his teeth, etc no problem and he's better allowing it if I get to pet him, but since you can't do that in the test, it's another thing I want to make him more comfortable with. Luckily, the two classmates of mine who ran the training class and frequently volunteer at the Working Dog Center are willing to help work with me using the dog they use for tests. Hopefully we can pass it in the spring.
 
My senior cat isn't eating as much as I would like her to and she is becoming quite thin. She likes pâté style wet cat food watered down. Any ideas of other things I can try? She won't eat chunky wet food and picks at her mobility support dry cat food (I've tried Iams hairball, dental diet, and urinary S/O but she won't eat those).
 
ky261682 said:
My senior cat isn't eating as much as I would like her to and she is becoming quite thin. She likes pâté style wet cat food watered down. Any ideas of other things I can try? She won't eat chunky wet food and picks at her mobility support dry cat food (I've tried Iams hairball, dental diet, and urinary S/O but she won't eat those).
Click to expand...

I have a super picky senior kitty that ate Friskie's wet food her entire life (she was relinquished by her family). She would turn her nose up at the Wellness and Natural Balance I feed my other kitty. I wanted to give her something a bit better than Friskie's so I went to a couple different pet stores and bought a variety of brands and flavors. The only one I found that she would eat on a regular basis is Avoderm. Her favorite is the salmon and she'll eat the ocean fish most of the time (both are pâté). She won't touch the chicken and she really likes their new flavor - tuna and crab (but that's a chunky one).
 
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Last week was rough. Sprocket the rat had a $220 surgery. Her sister had to be unexpectedly put to sleep at the emergency clinic (first time I have been in the room with my companion animal when they passed away). She was bleeding into her bladder. My friend had to put their father, T-Bone, to sleep yesterday and asked me to be with her for that. It was rough... emotionally and financially. I was in at the vet for 2.5 hours with Amelia... alone... crying my eyes out.

I want to get my friend something because T-Bone passed away. Any suggestions?
 
Seriously considering bringing my Dane with me if i get into vet school... I know my parents won't feed or take care of her. Don't know how that's gonna work, but yeah.
 
So when I (hopefully) leave for vet school this fall, I will be bringing my little pit mix Gia. I was wondering, have any of you had problems finding housing around your schools because you have a bully breed? I'm bringing her no matter what, I was just curious how difficult housing would be.
 
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roblaur said:
So when I (hopefully) leave for vet school this fall, I will be bringing my little pit mix Gia. I was wondering, have any of you had problems finding housing around your schools because you have a bully breed? I'm bringing her no matter what, I was just curious how difficult housing would be.
Click to expand...

I don't have a pittie, but I wasn't opposed to getting one when I was looking for a dog and didn't want to deal with the potential of not adopting one if there was one I fell in love with. There were a few places in Philly that I had called that didn't out right say they didn't allow pits when I talked to them, but they were hesitant about saying dogs were allowed. They started drilling us about what dogs we had, which threw up a huge red flag for us. That being said, I know many of my classmates in Philly have pittie mixes and haven't had issues so there are plenty of places.
 
roblaur said:
So when I (hopefully) leave for vet school this fall, I will be bringing my little pit mix Gia. I was wondering, have any of you had problems finding housing around your schools because you have a bully breed? I'm bringing her no matter what, I was just curious how difficult housing would be.
Click to expand...
My apartment complex has a breed restriction list but I'm pretty sure I've seen every breed on the list here. My friend who lives here has a German Shepherd and was able to bring him with a note from her vet and a note from her puppy training class instructor that he hasn't shown signs of aggression. Never hurts to ask even if their website or ad says they aren't allowed!
 
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Stb1473 said:
My apartment complex has a breed restriction list but I'm pretty sure I've seen every breed on the list here. My friend who lives here has a German Shepherd and was able to bring him with a note from her vet and a note from her puppy training class instructor that he hasn't shown signs of aggression. Never hurts to ask even if their website or ad says they aren't allowed!
Click to expand...

Also, sometimes having a certificate from things like a Canine Good Citizen's test helps too.
 
roblaur said:
So when I (hopefully) leave for vet school this fall, I will be bringing my little pit mix Gia. I was wondering, have any of you had problems finding housing around your schools because you have a bully breed? I'm bringing her no matter what, I was just curious how difficult housing would be.
Click to expand...
My Pittie is special needs and will come with me wherever I go. I actually chose my schools around BSL, but am also concerned about housing :( So glad you asked this question!
 
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meet sampson! he's a 1yo aussie mix who weighs about 40lbs. he was a foster-to-adopt agreement this weekend. he is very sweet and super friendly. his "needs improvement" areas are stairs, cars (he's terrified of them), and walking on a leash. has anyone trained a dog to climb stairs before? he doesn't really seem to understand the concept and is a bit afraid of them
IMG_1441.JPG
 
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jmo1012 said:
meet sampson! he's a 1yo aussie mix who weighs about 40lbs. he was a foster-to-adopt agreement this weekend. he is very sweet and super friendly. his "needs improvement" areas are stairs, cars (he's terrified of them), and walking on a leash. has anyone trained a dog to climb stairs before? he doesn't really seem to understand the concept and is a bit afraid of them
IMG_1441.JPG
Click to expand...

Congrats jmo! Glad you were able to work out an adoption agreement. He's very cute!

For stairs and walking on a leash, luring works really well. Start forming a positive association with whatever bridge you'd like to use (i.e. clicker, voice etc) and reward. Then once you establish that, you can work on training the behaviors you'd like. For walking on a leash, peanut butter on the end of a spoon works really well so you're not hunching and bending over to treat.

EDIT: I missed the afraid of cars part. Training the "watch me" behavior works well. Start in a neutral environment and gradually increase the amount of time you hold eye contact. When you're out and a car approaches, you can cue "watch me" and he will hopefully focus his attention on you and not the car.
 
privera3 said:
Seriously considering bringing my Dane with me if i get into vet school... I know my parents won't feed or take care of her. Don't know how that's gonna work, but yeah.
Click to expand...

Do you have any concerns finding housing that will allow a giant breed? I have a Dane and two cats and am kinda thinking it might be rough to find a place that allows more than two animals and takes dogs over 50#. Just wondering if places around vet schools are more accomodating to pet owners?
 
TooLove said:
Congrats jmo! Glad you were able to work out an adoption agreement. He's very cute!

For stairs and walking on a leash, luring works really well. Start forming a positive association with whatever bridge you'd like to use (i.e. clicker, voice etc) and reward. Then once you establish that, you can work on training the behaviors you'd like. For walking on a leash, peanut butter on the end of a spoon works really well so you're not hunching and bending over to treat.

EDIT: I missed the afraid of cars part. Training the "watch me" behavior works well. Start in a neutral environment and gradually increase the amount of time you hold eye contact. When you're out and a car approaches, you can cue "watch me" and he will hopefully focus his attention on you and not the car.
Click to expand...
i got lucky - he decided to do the stairs by himself. i think he was just initially nervous because he suddenly started doing them like a champ. we're going to try some desensitization for the car thing because he is so afraid of our driveway at the moment and he has to walk near it to go for a walk. it's almost like he's afraid we're going to make him leave here because he just loves coming back in the house.
 
privera3 said:
Seriously considering bringing my Dane with me if i get into vet school... I know my parents won't feed or take care of her. Don't know how that's gonna work, but yeah.
Click to expand...
I took my Dane to Grenada/SGU. If there is a will there is a way. I had to search for an apartment that would take her, get the things we would need etc but it has been so wonderful having her with me. It was well worth the trouble.
 
jmo1012 said:
meet sampson! he's a 1yo aussie mix who weighs about 40lbs. he was a foster-to-adopt agreement this weekend. he is very sweet and super friendly. his "needs improvement" areas are stairs, cars (he's terrified of them), and walking on a leash. has anyone trained a dog to climb stairs before? he doesn't really seem to understand the concept and is a bit afraid of them
Click to expand...
Oh he's adorable!
I hope it works out, I'd love to meet him in January if it does!
 
fromthebox said:
I took my Dane to Grenada/SGU. If there is a will there is a way. I had to search for an apartment that would take her, get the things we would need etc but it has been so wonderful having her with me. It was well worth the trouble.
Click to expand...
i feel like anything is possible if you (and a few others) can get a great dane to Grenada ;)
 
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Where there's a will there is a way for sure!
People told me I would never get to take my bird to Canada with me...it's a hassle, it's expensive, and he has more permits and paperwork than I do, but I made it work.
 
fromthebox said:
I took my Dane to Grenada/SGU. If there is a will there is a way. I had to search for an apartment that would take her, get the things we would need etc but it has been so wonderful having her with me. It was well worth the trouble.
Click to expand...
Are there special vaccinations or a quarantine period for pets coming into Grenada? My sister had to get her cat a passport (yes, a real passport!) when she brought him back with her from Europe.
Also, how did you get the Dane to Grenada? This is fascinating.
 
Posey said:
Are there special vaccinations or a quarantine period for pets coming into Grenada? My sister had to get her cat a passport (yes, a real passport!) when she brought him back with her from Europe.
Also, how did you get the Dane to Grenada? This is fascinating.
Click to expand...
nothing more than UTD on normal vaccines and a health certificate. Grenada is not a rabies free country so there are far fewer hoops to jump through. they also only ask for a domestic health cert instead of an international one which is awesome (way cheaper and much less involved!)
 
Hey all, I'm having issues with my dog and I'm hoping someone has ideas for me!

Within the last few months, she's been chewing stuff apart around this house. Now she DOES have a crate, but we stopped putting her in that when I came home to the plastic pan/floor thing of the crate chewed apart last year. This week, she ate a red ornament and proceeded to puke red vomit...everywhere....

Anywho, I'm crating again after that incident. She had toys when she chewed the pan and she still will have a toy in the crate now. However, she is displaying aggression whenever I close the crate door. I hesitated to reprimand her because I was worried that would make the crate seem like a bad place. I am not sure if she is having separation anxiety (I am not living at home during the school semester and she still is destructive whenever anyone leaves) or is able to push my family around by snarling and lunging at the hand that closes the door (very likely). Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd appreciate it!

PS: I woke up to her having rearranged our nativity set. Mind you, I was home in bed. She usually stays with me throughout the night. The obvious answer is to get everything off the floor. But any ideas as to why, 5 years into her life with us, she is doing stuff like this now?
 
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