For pity's sake! Life with a neurotic dog

Fosterdog

Tizerbelle what is more important to him his fear of things or food? Especially something smelly like hotdogs or cheese or chicken?

Could you put the kong/squeaky toy next to his bowl at feeding time? (Maybe start at the other side of the room and gradually move it closer each meal time) try to slowly build up a positive experience linked to something he is scared of, eventually his fooday be able to go in the kong.

Froglet

It is so sad to see a dog in such a state.My mum took on a collie /dalmation cross who was in a right state.She was at a rescue centre with a friend who was looking for a dog when she spotted him.Not the best of places,though they did their best.But he was quite thin and just looked so scared.

By the time the week was out he was living with Mum.She has had dogs all her life but never one as neurotic as him.He had to go on a special diet as he couldn't eat meat for a while,it upset his stomach,though eventually that wore off and she got him back on to normal food.

There were loads of things that upset him.She couldn't shine a torch even when not pointing it at him.Couldn't open a carrier bag,just looking at one scared him to death.If you opened a door to go through it he would squeeze past you in such a hurry it was like his tail was on fire.We guessed he must at some time have beeen kept locked up in a dark shed and a torch was shone on him.The thought makes you cry .And he was terrified if a child came up to him so we could never leave him tied up outside a shop.

But a more loving dog you could not imagine,especially with Mum as she was the only one at home,my Dad had just died and she was lonely.We got another dog a year after and they were great friends,mine was the opposite,very confident and independent,which helped as they spent a lot of time together.

As he got older he started having epileptic fits as well ,so upsetting to see.But he lived to 10,for the few months before he died he was on special food for kidney disease.Eventually he collapsed and the vet felt a large mass around his spleen so mum decided she couldn't put him through any more trauma or an operation with no guarantees.The vet said his chances were very slim anyway.

At least he had as good a life as was possible with her,and she still has his ashes in a wooden box in her bedroom.They loved each other that was certain.When dogs are so scared of everything it seems to me that love and reassurance is all you can do.You can't know their past,you can only give them a better future.

OnAndUp

Good luck with him Tizerbelle.

Froglet - Very sad but lovely words from you there.

krlyr

Interestingly, Froglet, epileptic fits have been linked to thyroid conditions
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Lowthyroid.html

thorsoak

Has anyone suggested a DAP diffuser to you? Basically, they are plug-ins which emit the pheronomes of a lactating !!!!! - which calm dogs down (think of mum nursing contented puppies).

I've used them with success, to calm down an agitated "teenage" lab when we had a girl in season and also when we moved house.

See http://www.petsathome.com/shop/adaptil-dog-appeasing-pheromone-diffuser-by-ceva-23153

minimad1970

OnAndUp wrote: »

You can get bands / t-shirts to help dogs with anxiety some people reckon they really help things like these?

https://mekuti.co.uk/tshirts.htm

https://mekuti.co.uk/bodywraps.htm

Has anyone tried the tshirt? I'm might try it for my dog. The only problem is when he wears his christmas outfits, he only has them on for 5 minutes, he loses the ability to walk forwards and just walks backwards very slowly.:D

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

minimad1970 wrote: »

Has anyone tried the tshirt? I'm might try it for my dog. The only problem is when he wears his christmas outfits, he only has them on for 5 minutes, he loses the ability to walk forwards and just walks backwards very slowly.:D

Well, that can be solved by the purchase of a simple item:




He'll either stay welded to it - or he'll discover his legs work again

pawsies

Yep, my corgi runs away when I sneeze, thinks everything is out to get her. Took her for a walk when there were piles of snow around and she barked at most of them.

Hates the car, shivers and refuses to eat inside it and also does the same at the vets!

I thought I'd socialised her ok but these issues are still prevalent but I am working on them. I hate to see her as such a scaredy cat.

She also hates kids. Barks right at them- problem is I don't want her making kids scared of dogs so its catch 22. I can control her when we're on a straight path, distract her and give her treats but when kids come running around the corner it's not something I can predict so training falls apart again.

CFC

tizerbelle wrote: »

So last year I adopted two rescue terriers (little boy dog - JRT and little girl dog - JRT-Corgi X) both 8 years old and long time kennel mates.




Muddy puddles - can't walk through them
Soggy leaf stuck to his foot - he's crippled for life


Little girl dog - complete opposite. No neurosis but then again she is of the nice but totally dim variety. Little boy dog highly intelligent - maybe this is the problem?

Anyone else got a neurotic dog?

My husband once carried our dog home and then on to the vet because poochie said his paw hurt so much after treading on something while doing walkies that he couldn't put his foot to the floor.
Vet looked and said, well if it's a cut its the smallest cut ever seen on the face of the earth. I think he probably trod on a stone.

Dog got put onto floor and walked out of vets completely unaided.

chewynut

It's probably quicker to list what my dog isn't afraid of.

Mostly other dogs, then fluffy white things, then shadows, corners he can't see round, new places, the car. If you change his daily routine it completely throws him out. A dog trainer I talked to thinks it's because he's got terrible eyesight. I'd be scared of things I couldn't see too.

We try not to pander to any of it because he learns from it. I'm sure he's not really afraid of the BBQ in summer, he just knows that if he acts pathetically he'll get some chicken to cheer him up.

He's not afraid of the rain but he gets cold and behaves much better when he's wearing his Equafleece jumper. They aren't MSE but they are absolutely brilliant. He's been out in the pouring rain and blizzards in it. You peel it off once you're inside and he's bone dry and toasty warm underneath!