CBD wasn't affective for Gypsy but Soliquine was.
Mostly what has helped her is me and Phil learning her and working with her.
It takes time and effort, which you are obviously putting into it.
A bark collar of any type (shock, citronella, etc) is considered aversive therapy and is a poor choice for an anxious dog. People have had success with these, but it is either coincidence or they suppressing a behavior at the cost of creating more anxiety. I will defer to Kevin Quast when it comes to purpose training of dogs for hunting, etc., but I would never suggest this type of treatment for a house pet. The goal with any anxious pet is to lessen the anxiety and retrain the brain to deal with anxious situations. But training and behavior modification won’t work without doing something to take the dogs mind off of whatever is making the dog anxious. With some dogs food will work. With some dogs intensive training sessions and/or agility training will work. For many dogs (and cats!) pharmaceutical intervention is required. Different pharmaceuticals work with different patients. Cannabinoids can work, nutroceuticals can work, but the majority of dogs will need drugs. Prozac works in many patients for anxiety and related behaviors. The idea is to show the dog what life can be like when your brain isn’t swamped by serotonins and hopefully wean them off the drug as they adapt. Some dogs (and cats! and people!) will need to stay on the drugs long term or lifetime. But if the drug has minimal to no side effects and you end up with a happy pet, then why not? I know: plenty of folks feel that pharmaceutical intervention is “bad” or admitting defeat. If this is the case, then these folks need retraining as well. As for people who say, “well, it’s just a dog (or cat)” (likely not the case in this discussion!) then I point to the pets and ask if the owners would like to go through life feeling like that. It is a heckuva way to go through life. And cats that pee outside the litter box? I will guarantee you that your using that shock mat will only encourage the cat to find another, safer, and harder to find place to pee. This cat is trying to tell you something, and you are not (or don’t care to) listen.Actually, I've never heard of a bark collar. Neither the trainer or vet mentioned them. I need to follow up on that one as I'd prefer to not give her Prozac. You didn't mis-read the post. The vet prescribed half a pill of Prozac a day to see if it affects her.
Like I said, you're on the right track.We tried Soliquine and it didn't help Mia. You're right, we're putting in the effort with training and being very patient. All things considered we've only had her 6 months and she's doing fabulous. This anxiety barking is really the only thing left to work on.
A bark collar of any type (shock, citronella, etc) is considered aversive therapy and is a poor choice for an anxious dog. People have had success with these, but it is either coincidence or they suppressing a behavior at the cost of creating more anxiety. I will defer to Kevin Quast when it comes to purpose training of dogs for hunting, etc., but I would never suggest this type of treatment for a house pet. The goal with any anxious pet is to lessen the anxiety and retrain the brain to deal with anxious situations. But training and behavior modification won’t work without doing something to take the dogs mind off of whatever is making the dog anxious. With some dogs food will work. With some dogs intensive training sessions and/or agility training will work. For many dogs (and cats!) pharmaceutical intervention is required. Different pharmaceuticals work with different patients. Cannabinoids can work, nutroceuticals can work, but the majority of dogs will need drugs. Prozac works in many patients for anxiety and related behaviors. The idea is to show the dog what life can be like when your brain isn’t swamped by serotonins and hopefully wean them off the drug as they adapt. Some dogs (and cats! and people!) will need to stay on the drugs long term or lifetime. But if the drug has minimal to no side effects and you end up with a happy pet, then why not? I know: plenty of folks feel that pharmaceutical intervention is “bad” or admitting defeat. If this is the case, then these folks need retraining as well. As for people who say, “well, it’s just a dog (or cat)” (likely not the case in this discussion!) then I point to the pets and ask if the owners would like to go through life feeling like that. It is a heckuva way to go through life. And cats that pee outside the litter box? I will guarantee you that your using that shock mat will only encourage the cat to find another, safer, and harder to find place to pee. This cat is trying to tell you something, and you are not (or don’t care to) listen.
as a physician friend of mine says: better life through chemistry.
end rant.
Out of curiosity, and only because I talk to the cat all the time, when you and Mia are in the same room/on the couch, if you spoke to her before you got up or changed what you were doing, would she bark?
Yes.Thanks for the detailed post, bbinder. It makes me feel better about trying Prozac to help her with the anxiety. BTW, you quoted me but I assume you know that I'm not the one with the cat and shock mat?
Whoa. There is a litter box upstairs. There is a litter box downstairs. The cat's water is outside. The cat has a doggy door to go outside which it has used for 19 years of its life. (Door has moved house to house, but same door.) @TheArchitect, would you mind a slight one or two posts feline thread jack to get some advice about "Advice about a Cat" from @bbinder et al?
Please include in your responses the fact that the cat has not peed on the downstairs guest bed since the placement of the shock pad two years ago.
Out of curiosity, and only because I talk to the cat all the time, when you and Mia are in the same room/on the couch, if you spoke to her before you got up or changed what you were doing, would she bark?
You can build team spirit in your pets, especially with dogs by asking for participation, and rewarding successful participation with food and praise.
Pets are funny!This is the essence of proper training and behavior modification.
I wish I was a good enough trainer to get Feebee to fetch my slippers (or a beer, or heck, even a ball)(she is the only retriever that I know that doesn't chase balls). What she is good at is rearranging shoes or just carrying one around. On her own, with no praise or reward needed. She decided years ago that this was the job that she was born to perform. Hide them in a closet? She will just open it and grab a shoe. I know when she is going a little stir crazy when she brings me one of my hiking shoes - I keep those waaayyy in the back of the closet. Visitors will overstay their welcome because they cannot find their shoes.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.Dogs are a little different. They desire to having meaning, to contribute.
Every time I read this, I imagine naive little boys being challenged to pee on the electric fence.the cat has not peed on the downstairs guest bed since the placement of the shock pad two years ago.