Jane Is Dependant On Pheromones To Be Normal

[tez]

- have you looked into her diet

- why dont you crate her at night so she cannot run about at odd hours, giver her a toy or bone in there to keep her entertained

- what kind of training have you been doing with her to modify her behaviour?

Neknbet, the thing is she normally dosen't run about at odd hours. She sleeps on my bed and is normally content and settled.

Training wise, we used positive reinforcement and clicker training which she responds to very well although I would be the first to admit that there are way better trainers out there than me. The trouble is that when she is as hyped up as she was the other day, she dosen't seem to be able to respond to the training as her ability to concentrate has gone while she is hyper-stimulated by every thing around her.

Diet wise she has a combination of Advance dry, chicken frames, sardines and whole eggs with shells as well as training treats and the odd stolen morsel.

[tez]

I don't know whether you wanted to keep her on the DAP or not but my vet recently gave me an article on the new DAP collars, which means the dog doesn't have to be near the wall diffuser. Just a thought. I haven't even read it all yet. It is on the dining room table with the rest of my 'to dos'

Let me know if you want a copy though.

Tenille W, The article on the collars does sound interesting so a copy would be most appreciated. I don't normally have a collar on her as she and Gus play too much for it to be safe but if she were to ever need a stay at the vets for any reason, it may be a handy tool to have.

I don't really want to keep her on the Dap but if it is the only way for her to react 'normally' within her environment then I will continue to use it.

[tez]

A Veterinary Behaviourist may be able to confirm your findings, or alert you to any research papers done lately on what you are seeing with your dog.

They would also be pretty interested in her I think!

I actually think that hyperactivity is a form of stress in the physiological effect in would be having on her body if she was always in a high state.

You may need to consult with someone to teach her to calm herself down, if you want to experiment with weaning her off it. But if you are happy then just go with the flow I guess...she is still an adolescent after all. At 24-36 months may see her calming down a bit.

Ah the joy of living in the country far far away from the experts!!! Certainly would be great to have a chat to someone who might shed some light on the situation! I even tried the dog loving doctors at work but they are still trying to get their heads around artificial pheromones so weren't much good.

Please don't misunderstand me, Jane is great behaviour wise now. I think thats why I was so surprised at the change in her behaviour when the dap was turned off for 10 hours. It was so extreme!!

[bedazzledx2]

I had a station bred kelpie that we used to say was ADHD and for the first few years drove us mental!!! She lived to a ripe old age of 16 and bless her, was still annoying (in a nice doddery way) till the day she died! The others would go to bed but she was up late and finding things to do. She was the reason I got hooked on obedience and agility trying to find an outlet for her abundant energy. Oh if I knew then what I know today!!! I would have her again in a heartbeat! Not the dog for everyone but when you tap all that energy in a positive way what she could achieve would be breathtaking!

It may be that giving Jane LOTS to do will help. Mental exercise can be quite exausting and this is a dog that may benefit from a program of training, exercise and crate training along with self control games. Does she play tuggy?

I had a cat on the infuser but didn't notice such a dramatic effect....valium worked best for him From what I understand it mimics the scent of a lactating bitch so she may well be psychologically hooked on it.

A Veterinary Behaviourist may be able to confirm your findings, or alert you to any research papers done lately on what you are seeing with your dog.

They would also be pretty interested in her I think! :D

I actually think that hyperactivity is a form of stress in the physiological effect in would be having on her body if she was always in a high state.

You may need to consult with someone to teach her to calm herself down, if you want to experiment with weaning her off it. But if you are happy then just go with the flow I guess...she is still an adolescent after all. At 24-36 months may see her calming down a bit.

Ah the joy of living in the country far far away from the experts!!! Certainly would be great to have a chat to someone who might shed some light on the situation! I even tried the dog loving doctors at work but they are still trying to get their heads around artificial pheromones so weren't much good.

Please don't misunderstand me, Jane is great behaviour wise now. I think thats why I was so surprised at the change in her behaviour when the dap was turned off for 10 hours. It was so extreme!!

Edited October 2, 2010 by bedazzledx2

[Staranais]

How much exercise & training does she get currently? Perhaps she is getting enough for a pet, but is she getting enough for a working dog?

Even a working dog can learn to settle in the house to some degree, but many of them do just simply need a lot more mental & physical stimulation than a dog bred to be a pet needs.

[rosalind]

I had a dog that was hyperactive for a while when she was young and through personal recommendations eventually found a good animal homeopath. The remedy worked well and she quietened down, still very active and alert but not hyperactive. Every now and again I had to take her again and she would get a different remedy for the different symptoms, but after a year or so she was fine for the rest of her life.

[Stitch]

From experience I would say that most dogs settle down as they mature and I am guessing that 19mths isn't mature for your breed of dog.

Easy to say I know, as I have a hyperactive dog myself that I have yet to find how to get to calm down.

It is possible that if you weaned her off the DAP and gave her time to get used to being off it, she would normalise - you will only know if you try, and that means putting up with the hyperactivity for a while.