cavvysavvy Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 HELP!!!! I have two CKCS's. one is carefree and happy whilst the other is a complete stress head. Lately his behaviour has got much worse, and I am talking scratching doors to the point where I need to putty and repaint etc... Basically, for the sake if the both if us this behaviour cannot go on..... The only chance I can think of is going back to work in the last month after having some extensive time off having a baby who is almost two years old, but I am only gone four days a week, and the dogs have always been used to me coming and going to do shopping etc... He constantly barks while I am heating the car up and whines if he knows I am going anywhere. This behaviour on,y used t be exhibited during thunder storms and gunshots. I don't want onto resort to Valium or other sedating drugs, but does anybody have any possible solutions for me as I am at my wits end and its breaking both our hearts Your help is much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 DAP diffuser/collar or a thundershirt may help - worth trying... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Being gone for four days a week having been home most of the time for the past two years is a helluva big change for your dog. I don't have any advice, I'm sorry, but just wanted to say not to be afraid of Valium. I have a dog who is afraid of storms. Never having had a dog who was afraid before, it was a bit of a shock and was more than happy to try her with a 1/4 Valium (she is tiny). Works a treat :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Have you tried distracting her with something before you go out - a chew toy or long lasting treat of some kind? Something she only gets when you leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 We had a sheltie girl who'd rip the soft furnishings to shreds when I went out. UQ dog behaviourist vet said it was separation anxiety & gave me an understanding of the dynamics. Then gave us a list of things we had to do.... they weren't hard, just had to do them consistently. To my amazement, there were differences within a couple of weeks. In this case, the vet didn't mention medication....so it wasn't used. Sheltie came good. But, in a later case with a tibbie, the vet suggested a low dose of valium along with the same behaviour modification. Apparently, valium just acts as a muscle relaxant & doesn't fog the brain so the dog can still learn. This dog came good, too. If you'd want it, I could type out the list of strategies the vet behaviourist gave us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 In those 2 yrs what was the dogs life like. Where the dogs encouraged to remain independent or where they relaint on your company for that time . When you planned to go back to work did you try readapting there routine or just go to work. Has there day time changed dramatically since working ?? 4 days is pretty much full time ,When you get home what time do they get ?? or have they been some what forgotten with child & working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) BTW, before I took our furniture-ripping (when left alone) sheltie to the behaviourist vet, I'd thought she was doing it because she was being starved of affection. . So she got heaps more cuddles & attention. But, the behaviourist vet explained the dynamics behind the problem & said by doing this, I was making her worse. Among the strategies the vet gave, were big doses of ignore .... & cuddles and attention only given for specific behaviour. I was glad I finally went to someone with expert knowledge. Edited June 5, 2013 by mita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_ Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) Have you tried distracting her with something before you go out - a chew toy or long lasting treat of some kind? Something she only gets when you leave. Was going to offer the same advice because we all know how much Cavaliers love food :laugh: Maybe stuffing a Kong with something and freezing it? Edited June 5, 2013 by mel_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have spoken to a dog behaviourist on the telephone since posting this, who has suggested tat it is attention seeking, rather Han anxiety. Nothing has overly changed in my routine to explain the exhibited behaviour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have spoken to a dog behaviourist on the telephone since posting this, who has suggested tat it is attention seeking, rather Han anxiety. Nothing has overly changed in my routine to explain the exhibited behaviour I am sorry but I disagree, your routine has changed big time from being at home full time to going to work 4 days a week. Even if you went to the shops etc every day while you were at home it does not compare to going to work 4 days a week. You have the child to get ready before going to work, then you go to work, then you come home with child. Then you have to get dinner, bath child, put child to bed. You would not have a lot of spare time in those days. There is still all the other household stuff to do as well. Before if you went to the shops you'd be gone an hour or two, most likely in the middle of the day, with no rush to get out of the house at a ceertain time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Is he still doing it when you are NOT present? If it were attention-seeking it would be contingent on your presence, because there's no point whining and carrying on to no one if you want attention from someone. The fact that he has also shown anxiety about noises in the past may be indicative of an underlying general anxiety problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbear Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Try some calming paste. I have found it really good for stressy fosters 4 Calming Paste is a nutritional supplement for horses and dogs containing the unique combination of magnesium, tryptophan, B-group vitamins and chamomile in an easy to use paste formulation. SPECIAL FEATURES The unique combination of ingredients in 4 Calming Paste produces a fast acting and reliable result every time. A noticeable result can normally be seen in the animal within 20 minutes of the initial dose being given. 4 Calming Paste is the perfect supplement to use when traveling. It is also suitable for use a training tool when an animal is being trained out of a particular behavior. http://www.vetproductsdirect.com.au/ItemDesc.asp?IC=Valcalm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Calming paste is good. The best thing I've found is Chinese herbs. There are vets down in Melbourne that prescribe them. I've recommended them to a no. of owners with this type of problem and they have all had good results. Are you leaving music on when you leave and a piece of clothing that you have worn in his bed? His routine has changed drastically so you just need to take some measures to help him get over this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have spoken to a dog behaviourist on the telephone since posting this, who has suggested tat it is attention seeking, rather Han anxiety. Nothing has overly changed in my routine to explain the exhibited behaviour Is this behaviour occurring while you are out or at home? If it occurs while you are out I don't see how it could be classed as "attention seeking". Dogs live in the moment and it sounds to me like he is exhibiting anxiety and if he has storm anxiety than it is more likely he has some separation anxiety as well as a result of the changes in the household. Do you work for 4 continuous days or are they staggered? Some dogs can't cope with the "all or nothing" scenario where their people are at home with them one day and gone all day the next. It is a good idea to create separation times even on those days when you are at home - for example have the dogs outside while you are inside for periods during the day. If you do a search on this forum under "separation anxiety" there are heaps of strategies you could try but I would not discount medication if nothing is working after a few weeks. The longer it is allowed to go on the more it will escalate. I hope things improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I have spoken to a dog behaviourist on the telephone since posting this, who has suggested tat it is attention seeking, rather Han anxiety. Nothing has overly changed in my routine to explain the exhibited behaviour The UQ vet behaviorist who dealt with our sheltie.... described her separation anxiety as 'demand behaviour'. By ripping soft furnishings to shreds when left alone.... she was demanding 'I want you here with me!'. It's not just a case of attention-seeking.... it's a case of what the dog is actually 'seeking' by behaving the way it is. Which is why the training strategies included huge doses of teaching her that she could not demand anything... & that she only would get attention of any kind (treats, pats, cuddles, meals, toys) when she was quiet. And had first obeyed the command 'Sit'. The second part of the training strategies was to set a day bed place where she was trained to get used to spending time there.... even when I was at home. With treats, Kongs & items that had my scent on them (like old unwashed T shirts). She needed to learn tolerate not having my attention. The need is to have specific strategies which fit the behaviours that a dog is showing. As I said, best thing we found was to go to a well qualified vet behaviourist at UQ. Took one session of her explaining what the dog was actually doing & setting out a list of not complicated strategies. Then we had to put them into practice.... consistently... until the dog's behaviour changed along with our behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) My almost 11 year old Cavalier has been obsessively scratching at food cupboards for a while now (mostly in the evenings), but then shes hasn't been well for a while. Shes damaged a lot of our paint work, luckily they very old cupboards. She had some liver issues a while back and the vet suspected cushings too, but we haven't put her through the tests yet for it. Not keen to put to put her through too many invasive tests.. I have tried various things to solve this problem, but until recently because we have finished it, we had her on some calmative powder which we believe was helping. I think the changes with her health and aging has caused her to have some anxiety problems now. For a younger dog, Id be wanting to check all possible reasons and address them first before resorting to long term anxiety powders/medications.. Edited June 7, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) Was going to offer the same advice because we all know how much Cavaliers love food :laugh: Maybe stuffing a Kong with something and freezing it? Great idea ! altho if you have 2 cavaliers, you might need to do up 2 of them in case they start fighting over it when you not home, especially if one is having food issues .. I always worry tho with leaving treats for dogs unsupervised that they could choke when no one is around to help dislodge the treat if it was too happen.. but then i'm a worry wort Edited June 7, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 i also suggest kongs etc and the DAP diffuser i believe the DAP diffuser helps to settle my pair while im at work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I recommend Patricia McConnell's booklet I'll Be Home Soon. It's a quick and easy read, and full of wonderful information on how to recognise and treat separation anxiety, and behaviours that fall short of SA but are still problematic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterpaws Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 PM the member SAS who does work with rescue great danes and ask if she would mind sharing one of her booklets with you. They have a fantastic guide to separation anxiety and how to deal with it. It should help and there is no special equipment needed :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now