December 19th, 2008
We are totally snowed in and Max doesn’t seem too happy. He keeps looking at the door as if to say, “Isn’t it time you left already?”
He wants a yummy treat but so far today he’s just had dog food. And, of course, it’s in a squirrel dude dog toy. No more free lunches for this retired service dog. No, poor Max must work for every morsel.
Ok, maybe not every morsel, but a majority of it. My husband has starting feeding the dog scraps in the kitchen. Of course, now superstar, retired service dog Max runs into the kitchen whenever John is there. The dog is not stupid. He knows a softy when he’s found one!
Given the amount of snow outside, I don’t see us leaving home any time soon. Max must suffer with us. I cannot believe I can even say my severe separation anxiety dog wants us to leave. His improvement with departures and being home alone is amazing.
Enjoy this crazy weather that is blanketing the nation.
Posted in Canine Petpourri, Food & Dog Treats, Separation Anxiety, Service Dogs | 1 Comment »
December 3rd, 2008
My husband and I think our famous separation anxiety dog, Max, is gaining weight. Does he need a doggie diet? Actually, weight gain is a really good sign for a dog with serious issues and anxiety when being left alone.
Has our dog finally gotten past the anxiety enough to overeat? When he’s really stressed out he barely eats, so, if he is packing on the pounds, it’s a sign of improvement. I guess I’ll have to take Max to the vet and get him weighed so we know the real answer.
I also need to report that once Max got into a brand new DAP collar for a few days, he seemed much less stressed. He’s practically pushing me out the door in the morning so he can get yummy food. Good dog, Max!
Posted in Canine Petpourri, Food & Dog Treats, Separation Anxiety, Service Dogs | 1 Comment »
November 22nd, 2008
This week Max has been wearing a DAP collar that is beyond its effectiveness. DAP stands for dog appeasing pheromone. In plain English, the pheromone is similar to the smell of a mother dog’s breast milk and has a soothing effect on stressed dogs. It’s said to have a calming effect on dogs and I believe.
I thought I had a spare but I didn’t so while waiting for the shipment to arrive, I can really tell that Max benefits from the DAP collar. He’s been on edge much more this past week. The DAP collar is inarguably a key component of his canine separation anxiety treatment plan. I’m going to make sure he has a new collar every month since it helps him so much.
Posted in Canine Advice, Dog Medicines, Separation Anxiety | No Comments »
November 7th, 2008
Canine Separation anxiety dog, Max, is happy to see me leave
Today I was enjoying a true Michigan rarity, Indian summer in November. Amidst our falling autumn foliage and the crinkling of leaves, I heard my neighbor’s dog barking. It was a reminder that I am not in this canine separation anxiety alone.
Yes, if I were to diagnose, I’d say that my next-door neighbor dog, Carmine, has separation anxiety too. I think Max and I set him off when we were outside enjoying the near-seventy degree day complete with full sunshine. Carmine has a good howl and he made it clear that he was not happy about being home alone.
Max, on the other hand, could not wait to see me leave today. I saw no signs of a dog anxiety attack. He wanted me to head out the door and leave him with some yummy food. I obliged with a stuffed Kong and stuffed Squirrel Dude.
Upon my return, my dog was very excited to see me. He seemed a bit anxious yet there were no signs of “bad dog behavior”. Nothing was wrecked, no spilled garbage, no claw marks any where. Phew!
Posted in Canine Petpourri, Food & Dog Treats, Separation Anxiety | 2 Comments »
October 26th, 2008
Having a dog with problems can be tough. Even when you think your dog behavior issues are improving, expect setbacks.
Max, our retired service dog, had been doing great for months. He’s been doing so well that I actually asked his vet about cutting back on his medications.
She counseled me that I need to make sure it’s a very routine time in the dog’s life. Reducing dog anxiety medications must happen at a time with no unusual departures, breaks in the routine or anything out of the norm.
Here are some things to consider that may really affect dogs with problems:
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Back to school schedule changes, for instance, if you have kids, can really make dog separation issues tough on your family.
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Also, dogs anxiety can worsen if a key person goes out of town.
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Any seemingly minor change to routine can be tough on separation anxiety dogs
I recently left town for a week. Upon my return, my canines anxiety was definitely on an upswing. I don’t know that seperation anxiety dogs ever feel 100% secure.
My son called me one day last week to ask if I’d forgotten the dog’s medicine before I left the dog home alone. I had not; my week away had been rough on Max. What have you experienced?
Posted in Dog Medicines, Separation Anxiety | 11 Comments »
October 22nd, 2008
1. No more spontaneity. You can’t just run out of the house; you need to plan out your activities and errands around their schedule.
2. You can’t leave them home alone without worry.
3. They aren’t welcome in fancy restaurants.
4. You can’t leave them in a car on a hot day.
5. They leave their toys all over the house and out in the yard.
6. When you leave town, you have to leave a long list of instructions with the sitter.
7. You have to pick up their prescriptions on a monthly basis.
8. You have to comparison shop drug stores to see which offers their meds at the best prices.
9. You have to plan their meals.
10. You’re constantly cleaning up their dishes.
Tags: dog behavior, dog seperation anxiety
Posted in Canine Petpourri, Dog Medicines, Food & Dog Treats, Separation Anxiety | 1 Comment »
October 12th, 2008
Max’s magical mix:
· Behavior modification
· DAP collar
· Medications
· DAP infuser
· Activity toys
· Stopped feeding him with a dog dish
Without the behavior modification, understanding of separation anxiety and medication directed by Dr. Theresa DePorter, I don’t think Max would have been successful. In fact, I’m sure there are a lot of misunderstood dogs that end up in shelters because of their misunderstood separation anxiety.
The goal was to have Max be excited about his family’s departure. We wanted him to connect being home alone to having something really yummy to eat. To make this work, table scraps, dinning a la dog dish, etc. cannot occur.
Max is really excited to see me leave these days because he knows he’s getting food and likely it’s something more than dry dog food. When he’s with his family, he gets nothing but dry dog food and not much of it. If we’re planning a departure, some food is held back so he’s good and hungry when we are gone.
You might think he also gets crumbs off the floor but that’s another project. Max, as a leader dog, was taught to ignore food on the floor. With 3 kids, we’re really good at giving him plenty of opportunities to eat food off the floor but it hasn’t come easy to him. Breaking old habits is tough. But, that’s a service dog issue and maybe that’s not an issue for your dog.
If you have a retired service dog, I’d love to hear about it. Did you have to teach your dog to play fetch like we did?
Tags: Dog Medicines, dog seperation anxiety, Dog Toys, holistic dog therapy
Posted in Canine Advice, Dog Toys, Food & Dog Treats, Separation Anxiety, Service Dogs | 1 Comment »
September 30th, 2008
Kong Dog activity toy, photo showing red Kong granade
What’s an activity toy? Basically, it’s something that the dog has to work on. When successful at “working” the toy, a treat comes out. It’s a great concept; the dog works at the toy and gets rewarded with food for his or her hard work. It’s a great way to engage the dog, reduce boredom or anxiety and keep the dog busy so they have less time to get into trouble.
You might think I’m evil, but Max never gets food in a dog dish. He has to work to get all of his food out of something. Ok, maybe “never” is too strong of a word. When I’m out of town, I have no control over how Max is fed. However, 98% of the time, he works for every meal.
Have you seen a Kong like the one in the picture? Imagine it stuffed with frozen food (I often use our leftovers mixed with dog food). Max works very hard on the Kong to get his food out. I also use Squirrel Dudes. These toys are great for dispensing dry dog food. You can also make activity toys. A milk jug punctured with holes makes a great dispenser for small treats. Since the jug is big, it’s best if the dog has a good amount of room in which to work.
I’d love to hear more ideas on how to make feeding time play time.
Tags: Dog Toys, Food & Dog Treats
Posted in Dog Toys, Food & Dog Treats | 1 Comment »
September 18th, 2008
Dogs with separation anxiety can show great improvement
How do you know if your pet’s problem is separation anxiety? Is your dog VERY attached or dependent on family members? Does your pet try to remain extremely close to you and jump to follow you every time you leave the room he or she is in? Does your pet stress out when he or she is separated from you and the people who live with you? Does your pet appear to get anxious or even panic as you show signs that your leaving? Max would get upset every time I went in the laundry room because I kept my shoes there. He knew shoes meant I was going somewhere. Or, if I touched my car keys, he would run crazy circles around me as if to say, “I’m going too, right? Right? Right?” Some dogs learn their “persons” morning routines so well that they start to show anxiety when the shower goes on or the make-up brushes come out.
Tags: dog seperation anxiety
Posted in Separation Anxiety | 1 Comment »
We are totally snowed in and Max doesn’t seem too happy. He keeps looking at the door as if to say, “Isn’t it time you left already?” 
