Just need to bitch, any advice is welcome.

[bruunk]

Do you have a trainer you trust in the area who could work one on one with you, Ryan, and the dog? Maybe even at your house?

[mrsdee1982]

I would highly recommend contacting your Vet and a licensed trainer in your area. The trainer can come to your home and work with you guys it is anxiety/territorial based behavior. The vet can rule out any underlying medical causes.

You have a few options available to you before you think about re-homing. Of course, if you aren't able to make these options work for you, then it might be in yours and the pups best interest to re-home.

[wormgerm]

If you could choose to leave him out would you be able to get a dog walker to help release some midday tension? He isn't destructive to spite you. He's upset about being alone. Also, is he crated overnight too? If he already hates being crated being in there for 2 long stretches every day might not be a good solution for him.

[missjenniebean]

I agree with PP about the vet and trainers. Obviously the poor pup doesn't like the crate. Is there a smaller room like a laundry room or bathroom you could keep him in? During the stressful time of the baby and arrival im sure doesn't help. But definitely try everything you can before finding a new home! That's what I would do, because I know rehoming mu pup would be heartbreaking to me.


My pup hates crates, isn't violent just scratched the metal and I was afraid she would hurt herself but she did a lot better in a small room.

[wormgerm]

Another thought. Isn't your mom going to be watching LO? Will she be at your house (please say yes. So much easier than packing baby and allllllll the gear up every day!) If so the dogs will be out, right? That might help significantly.

[silv3rlining]

Have you tried a thunder shirt and/or the pheromone spray stuff for his anxiety?

[Widget123]

I'm not really a pet person, but what breed of dog is it?

[noeliav]

First, I'd go to the vet for a physical work up, and inquire about possible anxiety issues.

Then, assuming all checks out well, I'd find a new trainer. One that doesn't spew that "dominance theory" crap. Try looking for someone who is specialized in positive reinforcement or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or a Veterinary Behaviorist. With a small kiddo expected soon, I'd get on this asap, which it seems you know.

[noeliav]

Apr 30, 2015 13:39:51 GMT -5 @littlechivette said:

Apr 30, 2015 13:30:21 GMT -5 Widget123 said:

I'm not really a pet person, but what breed of dog is it?

He's a mut, and they think he was abused before we got him

If this is possible, then you should run (not walk) far far away from anyone who tries to push the dominance theory on you. It's 100% inappropriate for an animal with a history of abuse.

[mrsdee1982]

Yeah, it seems like severe anxiety is the root here. That can be helped with meds and behavioral therapy. I really hope things get better, for your sake and for the pups sake.

[paintdadanta]

Sounds like the crate is more of the issue than anything else. What type of crate do you use? Is it the open wire type or plastic enclosed kind? Making the crate a safe place rather than somewhere he goes when you leave should help.

We had this issue with one of our veteran's service dogs that we were training. Putting bedding in the crate and a special toy that only is used when you leave like a kong with peanut butter in it or the hollow filled bones (make sure they are durable for safety and replace when small enough to swallow). Once the environment is comfortable, work on positive conditioning. Some people prefer to simply feed their dog in the kennel until it becomes comfortable. Another option is lure the dog in the kennel with treats either on the ground or held through the bar - do not close the door though! The point is for them to associate the kennel with something positive food/treats. They need to learn that going in the kennel does not mean you are going to leave him there.

If your dog really has some nervous tendencies, lavender oil can work as a calming agent. Feel free to PM me if I can help you with any other ideas.

[billyhorrible]

I definitely think this is anxiety related - and probably exacerbated by your pregnancy. I know you were posting earlier that the dogs don't seem to notice, but this could be the "noticing."

I feel like we've talked about this before, so forgive me if this is repetitive (we had an anxious pee-er too, which is why I think I remember this).

1) Definitely look into a behaviorist as opposed to a trainer. It's like sending a kid to military school versus a psychologist. Both will address the immediate issue, but you want to get to the underlying source to prevent it from re-emerging in a different manner.

2) You may want to talk to you doctors about medication. Some people find Feliway plug-ins to be a big help. I do know of dogs that are on prozac, or something similar.

3) I hate saying this, but you can't rehome the dog. If he bit your husband, he now is considered to have a "bite history" and that means that if you rehome him, and he bites anyone else, you can be held liable for their damages. For this reason no rescues will take him, because they can't risk the liability, and would put you in a very dangerous (and potentially costly) situation if you tried to rehome yourself.

[Bluedaisy]

I definitely second the advice given about the vet and behaviourist.

My dog goes to daycare twice a week and it's been wonderful for her so I can't say enough good things about that, however if you have a naturally anxious dog it might not be good for him to introduce a big change like that.

I've been reading a lot about how human pregnancy affects dogs and from that and talking to other people it could also be something in your hormones right now. I know people whose dogs were really anxious during the human pregnancy but once baby was born they were wonderful again. This is not to say that you shouldn't try to figure things out but just a little reassurance.

[flbabychin]

@littlechivette, I can definitely relate to your fears about your dog. DH and I adopted our dog from a shelter 3.5 years ago, and they couldn't give us any info about her history, other than that she was found in a different state and brought to IL because they had no-kill shelters. Anyhow, we adopted her as a puppy and over the years, she has shown a lot increasingly aggressive and anxious behaviors. We've trained with an in-home trainer, whose approach seemed to only more her worse. Then, after we moved cross country and found out we were pregnant with LO, we took her to a veterinary behaviorist, and are continuing to work on the things that she is suggesting.

I would definitely second (or third?) the suggestion to take your dog to a veterinary behaviorist as well. Ours ended up diagnosing her with generalized anxiety, prescribed Prozac, and we are doing exercises with her daily that help her to relax and tolerate periods of time being alone. Due to our dog's history of aggression toward small animals (mostly predatory, given her possible breed mix), the vet suggested that we keep baby and dog separated, unless she is leashed and being handled by whoever doesn't have the baby. So, we're working with her to make her experiences alone positive. That might be something that your dog could benefit from, if she struggles to be alone and tolerate it well.

[Bluedaisy]

Apr 30, 2015 23:26:41 GMT -5 billyhorrible said:

I definitely think this is anxiety related - and probably exacerbated by your pregnancy. I know you were posting earlier that the dogs don't seem to notice, but this could be the "noticing."

I feel like we've talked about this before, so forgive me if this is repetitive (we had an anxious pee-er too, which is why I think I remember this).

1) Definitely look into a behaviorist as opposed to a trainer. It's like sending a kid to military school versus a psychologist. Both will address the immediate issue, but you want to get to the underlying source to prevent it from re-emerging in a different manner.

2) You may want to talk to you doctors about medication. Some people find Feliway plug-ins to be a big help. I do know of dogs that are on prozac, or something similar.

3) I hate saying this, but you can't rehome the dog. If he bit your husband, he now is considered to have a "bite history" and that means that if you rehome him, and he bites anyone else, you can be held liable for their damages. For this reason no rescues will take him, because they can't risk the liability, and would put you in a very dangerous (and potentially costly) situation if you tried to rehome yourself.

I just wanted to say that #3 might be a regional thing.  Here the SPCA will take the dogs based on history (ie was the bite provoked, how severe was it, was it a one time thing, etc).  The dogs are flagged as having a history and even once they have been re-cleared for adoption I believe there are different procedures for adopting.  Although I'm not sure how exactly it works.  I do know that they have a dog right now that did bite someone and are looking for a home for him.