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I always laughed at the idea of doggie Prozac but I'm seriously thinking about it. I have a 3-year-old 60 pound terrier/boxer mix who now freaks out everytime in rains hard, thunders, or lightning flashes. She shakes, whines, pants -- I know dogs aren't big fans of thunderstorms and those up in NJ where we used to live can't compare to what we've experienced in Delray, but her anxiety is becoming a problem. We rent a house and we don't want her to sleep in our room because we don't want accidents on the landlord's carpeting (all tile outside the bedrooms) so she sleeps right outside where she was fine... now with any kind of rain, lightning without rain, you name it, she scratches frantically at the door and whines. I get upset because she might wake up our baby with all of that AND damage the landlord's door. We haven't crated her in forever and we don't want to do that now.
She also sticks to my leg like glue if I'm trying to feed my son, clean the house, make myself something to eat, so I hate to say that my dog is beginning to annoy me, seriously. I never thought I'd say that, but my husband travels a lot on business, and so I'm left alone with the baby and the dog, and when the dog acts like this, it makes it just harder for me to attend to my son when the dog is so nervous.
our vet gave us Valium.1/4 tap each.I also open two bathroom doors since the papillion prefers hiding in one or the other bathroom. Doxie goes behing computer and schnauzer goes and comes just to make sure the papillion is ok. Heck I wish I could hide.
In addition to medicine, if you can, find a dark corner that is close to your master bedroom or a crate covered by a blanket and placed next to your master bedroom. Inside the crate or the dark space, leave something that has your smell and some toys. Leave the crate door open all the time and encourage her to go in with a treat with or without the thunderstorms. Gradually, she will learn her safe zone will be her dark crate (not you). None of mines has the problem so I don’t know whether it will work. It sounds reasonable and it will take you a while to teach her to use the crate as the safe zone. Please be patient.
if you fine the cure let me know Please. my terrier also freaks out, and wants to be held.
I just put her in her crate which is in my room. She also is bad since I loss my other dog
when I go out. I have crated her with a chew bone, which she eats, then, and I did record her, she just barks. I have read about a product called comfort zone? however I have no idea if it works. I have read, for this one ,about barking collars, but, have just now wnen I am home to crate her, and leave her, and spray her with water, when she
starts her barking. She also did this when I first got her at age 5 months. Then when she was trusted put her in a room with tile and the other dog, then gave her run of the house. My other dog would go to the spare room and just crawl under the bed. I also have thought about another small dog. One breeder had one and she removed the dogs barker, I said I do not think so.
I also do not enjoy the bad florida storms. when I am home I had me and the 2 dogs hiding in the closet
Last edited by maggiekate; 10-01-2007 at 05:07 PM..
I'm usually not for medicating a dog unless absolutely need to do so.
The massaging, that songinthewind7 suggested is a good alternative.
Did you recently move? If so, the dog may be still adjusting to new surroundings.
I know my dogs at first don't do well with change of any sort...it takes them a bit
to get acclimated.
If you do a search in this forum for thunderstorms there are some really good threads with really good information in them.
Have you tried Rescue Remedy? It's an herbal that our rescue uses quite a lot for nervous dogs, particularly when being transported or just when they are in an unfamiliar situation - available at Petsmart or most any pet store. It won't harm them at all, just eases them a little bit.
Your dog seems to have some separation anxiety even though you're right there - you're spending time with the baby and husband is traveling and I suspect the dog just wants more "quality time" with you. As hard as it may be to squeeze in an extra few minutes, that may be all the dog needs - maybe a brisk walk with baby in the stroller as well. A tired dog is a good dog! I know you really don't want to use the crate, but it really is a safe haven - try the larger wire ones, you can throw a sheet over it, but it will give a little more room and is less confining feeling than the hard-sided carriers.
We had a Rottie that moved furniture during storms. He never did get over it, but Rescue Remedy took a little of the edge off.
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