<p>My dog has been acting peculiar lately. She has always been territorial, and goes Cujo on us if she sees a dog being walked down the street. Even flips out over old ladies, as though we are under attack. Don’t even get me started on what happens when the doorbell rings.</p>
<p>In the last couple of weeks she seems to be worried even without stimulation. I don’t know if it’s because the windows have been open and she’s hearing sounds from outside, but she looks unsettled to me. Sometimes she stays alone in the kitchen when the rest of us are in the family room. Unusual. Or she’ll stand next to my chair and stare at me.</p>
<p>I’m taking her to the vet tomorrow for a routine check up and I’m going to ask if she should be on “medication”. She is 8 years old. Anyone ever had to drug their pooch?</p>
<p>No, but maybe I should. The “Cujo” reference cracked me up, it matches our pooch as well! But have to say that ours is not usually unsettled unless there is something actually going on – although the Christmas-tree light deer our neighbors put in their yard every holiday season constitute something “going on”, and result in the dog flipping out EVERY TIME I take her out in the dark through the entire month of December. And since it is dark morning and evening that time of year, it is that much more crazy. She is 12 and clearly is never going to learn that they ARE NOT REAL in spite of many trips over to their yard to confirm this.</p>
<p>Anyway… I will be interested to hear what your vet says.</p>
<p>Has anything in your household changed, such as a kid away to college, or even back in school during the days now? Sometimes, that’s all it takes for a pet to become a bit unhinged. You’re right to get a full check-up for her as the isolating herself in another room can be a sign of illness, poor eyesight, hearing loss, etc.
Try some Dr Bach’s Flower Remedy drops; a natural calming remedy, you can find it at natural food stores, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and places where herbal remedies are sold.
Please let us know what your vet says!</p>
<p>We have a dog who is 13 mo old, although we’ve only had him a month (adopted from a shelter).
I’m seeing signs he was under socialized, but that’s easily remedied.</p>
<p>He is the 4th dog I’ve had, if you count two dogs in childhood & no, Ive never had an anxious dog, although the smallest dog we had was a cockapoo when I was 11. Smaller dogs do seem to be more nervous & territorial.
Next weekend, I’m taking an all day workshop on canine massage.
However there also is info on internet & it may be a way to communicate & help your pets.</p>
<p>We are going through the same thing only my 2 are going Cujo on each other. Just yesterday I was chatting with a woman at petsmart. She swears by GNC ultra Mega Calming formula dog bites. Ingredients are B-1, Colostrum Calming Complex, and L-theanine. Petsmart had a sample pack for $4.00</p>
<p>Haven’t tried during daytime hours, but one dose at 9pm gave us all a full night sleep!</p>
<p>My 10+ year old aussie/border collie mix dog is similarly territorial…barks like crazy at anyone passing by and goes nuts when the doorbell rings…or if she even THINKS she hears knocking (sometimes if we set something down on the counter and it SOUNDS like a knock). </p>
<p>My adult children have dogs that they want to bring over when they come to visit, so I had a dog trainer come over to help me with strategies for working through some of this with them. For us, the key is for me to take my dog on daily disciplined walks (forward moving all the time, no stopping to sniff and do business—I am in charge, not the dog), and then when the visiting pups are here, take them along as well. That seems to establish the routine for them and they get along fine. </p>
<p>So, perhaps if all is well at the vet’s, you can find a trainer to come over and offer advice? I do hope your pooch calms down for you!</p>
<p>My little Lulu (MSRIP) was on prozac. She was a compulsive licker (carpet/floor,) a biter and a resource guarder. It helped - especially with the compulsive licking.</p>
<p>You may want to try to find a runner/jogger who would be willing to take your dog with him or her on some runs. My dog has been high strung ever since puppyhood, but I run with him regularly, and it does WONDERS for his disposition. Tired dogs don’t “go all Cujo” because they are just too tired . . .</p>
<p>Not sure what size breed you have. Mine is a 25 lber, and people are astounded at how far he can run (8 miles is no issue at all, and he’s done up to 15 with me). That’s a lot of energy that needs to be dissipated!</p>
<p>SIL’s dog is on some anxiety meds, not sure what. He was extremely anxious, barked at everything or anything that makes a sound, and would loose bladder control when visitors would come over. Drove my SIL crazy. Now he is much better but still not totally 100%.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! I’ll let you all know what the doctor says. I should add that this dog also seems to have a nervous stomach. We rarely go away anymore because she ends up with intestinal distress (use your imagination) a day or two after we get home. This is with a pet sitter, not a kennel. So she is hyper aware of the family. We haven’t had any changes to the routine lately, though.</p>
<p>She is a small standard poodle and has a sweet disposition. As long as nobody walks in the street. Gotta wonder what she’s thinking. I don’t like to think she is anxious.</p>
<p>We tried supplements, pheromone collars, calming food, trainers. Nothing really helped. We went to a behavioral vet. She put the dog on prozac. He is so much better.</p>
<p>Off topic from the original thread, but my dog will do this even when she can barely stand from exhaustion…</p>
<p>Juniebug, is the pet sitter maybe slipping her some treats (or people food) you don’t normally feed her while you are gone, thinking she is being ‘nice’? They might not tell you (the pet sitter may not want to, and the dog surely isn’t going to rat the pet sitter out!). I assume you are supplying food, too.</p>
<p>I stand corrected, intparent! I should have said my tired dog is too tired to go “all Cujo” - - and I do know that at least some trainers are very adamant about the importance of exercising dogs quite a lot. Of course, as you point out, every dog is an individual.</p>
<p>Juniebug, my guy is a poodle cross and is very high strung. I hope you find some answers at your vet! Look forward to hearing their recommendations.</p>
<p>So, the doctor gave me a bottle of Elavil to try. I won’t start til tomorrow because he drew blood just to make sure there are no other health issues. He said it’s a very low dose and will probably take a few weeks to see any effect. Doctor did ask about any changes going on in our home, as did some of you, but really, we are the most boring family on earth. </p>
<p>Intparent, the pet sitter came to my house because I also have a diabetic cat and I thought they would both be better off here. They each get stressed when I am away. A little less so when it’s DH, ha ha. </p>
<p>Boomer22, I’m glad to hear your dog benefited from the Prozac. I hope to have some good results as well.</p>
<p>Amarylandmom, I am guilty of not exercising her enough and of not properly training her. I have trouble handling her when we encounter another dog, and honestly, it’s embarrassing. A well trained dog is a thing of beauty. On a brighter note, yesterday my DH was able to get her to sit for him in the driveway (on a leash) while a woman and her dog walked by. She was trembling with excitement, but she stayed sitting for him. Baby steps.</p>
<p>My new adopted pit bull was very dog reactive. I was embarrassed too. Fortunately, I found a trainer who has worked wonders. He decided the e-collar (electronic collar) was the most humane training aide for her. Dogs need to have obedience in order for the e-collar to be appropriate because it is not used as punishment. A few training sessions with a good trainer may work wonders. Dogs like structure and they like to know who’s boss. Sometimes proper training can make them more confident and that can radically improve their behavior. It turns out she was not being aggressive but was just overly excited and then frustrated that she couldn’t get to the other dogs.</p>
<p>Please please please don’t just use drugs without also consulting a dog behavioral specialist. It sounds awfully indulgent to get a behaviorial consult on your dog, but understanding WHY the dog is “territorial”. Is she afraid of other dogs and fear-aggressive? Is she aggressive? Is she protective? Is she a frustrated greeter? Each of those requires different training to address the issue and help the dog to behave better. For example, using a shock collar (e-collar) on a fearful dog (and a dog that barks at other dogs may be afraid and wanting the dogs to stay away) will make the dog MORE fearful, not less.</p>
<p>Often drugs can relieve anxiety and help the dog to behave better. I use Xanax with one of my dogs to relieve noise fears (thunder, fireworks) and it is definitely helping her learn to be less afraid.</p>
<p>Agreed. That would be using the e-collar as a punishment rather than to reinforce basic behavior - similar to clicker training. You do not want the dog to associate the e-collar with other dogs or people or with the handler. It is only to match up with commands. There is no shock involved the way I use the collar. I test it on my arm before I put it on every time and, to me, it feels like the tip of a pencil grazing my arm. I have tested on several friends who can’t even feel it at the level I use on my dog. Only when she lunged at a cat have I ever turned it to the point that it was startling to her. This was after she completely ignored every command I gave her.</p>
<p>as silly as this may sound I would try the THUNDER Shirt. It is also sold at petsmart and made the world of difference to our dog, no medication, no shock collar just the thunder shirt. It is very soft and easy to put on and can be left one for up to 8 hours. Our pooch was a barker when someone came to the house and especially my D’s BF because he was already tentative to start with (had never been around medium to large dogs) our Borador (half Lab, half Border collie) would bark continuously when he came over. Our trainer suggested the thunder shirt and we gave it a shot. We had our D give us 15 minutes warning for they would be over and I put the shirt on the dog. The BF could come in and the dog would not bark or jump on him. We use it any time there is a stressful situation and we would swear by this thing. It coddles your dog just like you do with a child wrapping them in a blanket and holding them. I should do a commercial for them LOL . Now we very very seldom have to use it but always keep it close by, he feels less anxiety and so do we.</p>
<p>I am sorry you and your dog are going through this. </p>
<p>My dog was very reactive on the leash…all CUJO when I first got him. It scared the pee out of me and I got very twitchy when we’d see other dogs. BUT over time I got less scared and encountered owners who were very confident in their own dogs and I found the MORE time we spent with other dogs the BETTER he got. Now, 8 months later, HE is the dog I am offering up to those leash-reactive parents. Many times I think it’s not true aggression but the adrenaline rush mixed with parental anxiety (she’s stressed so I am stessed I must protect her!). </p>
<p>Start by YOU being very friendly on the street…say hi to everyone when walking him. Let him know you are comfy and relaxed and friendly. Then just ask if their dog is friendly (you could say you are socializing your dog everyone knows what that means) and allow a five second sniff then walk on. I swear my dog now has buddies all over town that he cannot wait to say hi too. </p>
<p>The real change happened after a few months of play time with dogs and when I left him at a great kennel where he was around other dogs for a whole week.</p>
<p>Also lots and lots of exercise…not only wears him out but you get lots of “practice” encountering others. </p>