Can anyone suggest any they like?
My trainer has used and suggested Herbsmith’s Calm Shen. I’m willing to try it but its so much $$ to put out if it doesn’t work.
I tried Canine Tranquility, but it made her very sick - she has a really sensitive stomach.
Thanks for any suggestions!
More detail on the issue. Is it separation anxiety? Some vets will use human antidepressants with good success.
I’ve also found ALOT more exercise to be very useful. Like a free run of 1 hr every day.
Sure! She’s a 1.5 year old Pit Bull/WireFox terrier mix, very high energy outside the house, very good inside (for the most part). She is exercised twice a day, on nice days. Like an hour of hard playing in the am, and then another romp at night, and usually some training here and there.
Seperation anxiety, she has to be crated because she will DESTROY the house otherwise - I mean destroy.
Great in the house, extremely hyperactive outside when she sees people or dogs. Happy but inappropriate. Wants to jump on people, play hard with other dogs, etc.
She’s gone through CGC (passed all but the supervised seperation), and most recently we took a Reactive Dog class, to teach her to focus.
She’s been better in recent months and I know much of this is due to age-related puppydome, but I’d like to get her energy down a little to the point that she can focus and listen.
She looks at me when I ask her to on walks but it seems to get her really ramped up more. All she wants to do is play play play with other dogs.
Ive had good luck with clomicalm…however it doesnt tranq them,it helps adjust their anxiety.
I have also heard good things about “rescue remedy”, never used it but apparently settles dogs that can be in distress situations (ie. collapsing trachea episode). Might be ideal for a training session?
I would avoid real sedatives like ace.
Exercise is #1 with young dogs, especially terriers. Give them a job, and make them work hard. Best option before any drugs 
Some dogs just need MORE exercise than you think. Ive got one like that - and unfortunatley I just dont have 12 hours in the day to exercise her. So, I let her think she is doing something! She comes with me to work,she makes the rounds with me in the morning, kennels upstairs for the morning, goes for a lunchtime walk, then kennels downstairs for the afternoon. At hometime, we go for a short walk, then a car ride home. Often make a stop at the barn where she gets to run around for a bit - then I make her focus and sit/stay for X minutes while I ride or groom. Then a car ride home, a walk, dinner, a run in the yard, then bedtime. This is the same dog who previously chewed her way out of THREE kennels in 1 year, had 7 broken teeth, chewed through a door with no teeth (still unsure how she managed that), jumped a 6 foot fence inthe backyard…and is 11 years old. Just have to keep her working, and makeher think shehas a job.
Unfortunately for her, I work full time, and so her time with me is limited to mornings at the barn, evenings at the barn, and weekends. With some walks in between and some training.
We have done the Relaxation Protocol, which does make a difference, and gets her to think, which tires her out a little. Like I said, she is FINE in the house, so its not really an issue there.
Its really the seperation anxiety and the over-exhuberance to people and other dogs.
Tonight we took her to a park that has a couple of miles of trails, and she was VERY good. I had the halti on her and she only went berserk over a dog once, and didn’t pay the people much mind.
I would just like her down a notch. I would rather do something other than the hardcore drugs at this point.
Try clomicalm but get the vet to write you a prescription for the generic. ValleyVet has it.
what kind of kennel do you have?
I’ve found with my dogs that the dark shipping crates work better than the open wire crates. How do I know this? 
Because my corgi with the german shepard-sized head literally bent and broke enough wires in his crate until he could he could squeeze himself out of the crate.
So I borrowed my friends large plastic sided shipping crate. He loved it. It was his dark cave that he could go and chill out in, or if a storm came, could hide in.
have you taken the RP on the road? Like out in front of your house, to the park, by the car, anywhere else? It needs to be generalized everywhere until it becomes a habit.
Its really the seperation anxiety and the over-exhuberance to people and other dogs.
clomicalm might help with this or she might blow through it without some training help. What have you done when she gets over the top?
Tonight we took her to a park that has a couple of miles of trails, and she was VERY good. I had the halti on her and she only went berserk over a dog once, and didn’t pay the people much mind.
have you ever heard of The Buddy Story? The core of the story is that trainer Bob Bellamy was hired to work with a dog aggressive large breed dog. This dog was so aggressive he would .erupt. at other dogs blocks away and he wasn’t just posturing, he wanted to kill them. Using both classical and operant conditioning, Bob was successful in being able to walk him down the crowded streets of NYC. It was a fascinating read and if he can do that in such a busy place, I would think it would also apply to your dog.
I would just like her down a notch. I would rather do something other than the hardcore drugs at this point.
If you want to take it down a notch, begin counter conditioning and using the RP as you did in the house.
Rescue Remedy.
No personal experience with it but it is very well known. Some handlers take a swig, too!
I’m curious but hesitant to try it myself err my dog! Would it decrease my dog’s anxiety at OB trials? Maybe. But then I’m drugging and not exposing/training:confused: Sorta like the ace debate: can a horse learn under the influence of a sedative?
Big believer in this…honestly, I just can’t see drugging a dog. Never had to and I’ve had high energy dogs for 40 yrs.
But exercise IS key…and lots of it. Granted, I realize this isn’t always possible for all, but one thing I did when I got older and couldn’t walk as far (bad hip)…I trained my dogs to run beside my car and took them up in the mtns on the narrow dirt roads. We encountered very few other cars, and the ones we did were very slow moving. The dogs learned to “come by” when another car came and would sit beside my car (pulled over to the side of the road) till the car passed. If they got too far ahead, I would blow the horn and they would return.
As an example for the amt. of exercise needed, my 3-4 yr old JRT could do EIGHT MILES at 10+mph, take a nap for a few hours and be bouncing around again by evening.
Also working their mind helps…obedience training to help them focus.
Again, not a big fan of drugging animals except as a last resort…but that seems to be the fashion now…reach for the drugs.
She is still very much a puppy…you may just have to spend more time with her, socializing her, exercising her, etc. till she matures more.
If you are interested in trying something other than “the usual” marketed by Big Pharma you might try the following: Rescue Remedy for Animals (it doesn’t have alcohol in it, the people-RR does as that’s how the tincture is made, you can’t get buzzed on it but you still wouldn’t want to put any alcohol in your pet’s system so use the RR formulated for animals); there is a homeopathic formulation by Homeopet for anxiety issues - those are drops administered by mouth; also Animals Apawthecary has a truly vile smelling but amazingly quickly effective liquid, administered by dropper, for pet stress issues. I have tried all three at various times to help a truly wired up JRT with thunderstorm issues, dog aggression issues and vet issues - and found them all to be very effective. And all of them are affordable.
so a question for all you who don’t want to “drug your dog”.
would you tell a human who was experiencing anxiety about something to get more exercise? Or would you refer them to a medical doctor for a workup and possible medication?
This dog become anxious and aroused when confronted with other dogs and people.
I’m all about better living through chemistry…for me and my four legged peeps. There ain’t no shame in some doggie xanax. My vet prefers it to clomicalm.
I’d try the Rescue Remedy and maybe hire a dog walker to play with her in the afternoon to increase the exercise.
Is she an only dog? My shepherd was just pesty and anxious until I got him a collie. (Fortunately, he wasn’t distructive, just unsettled and couldn’t relax) Originally, it was just him and me and apparently 2 do not make a pack in his opinion. It was too much stress to guard the farm by himself. Plus it gave him someone to play with to work off some of that energy. It’s a big commitment, to get another dog, but it worked magic for my guy.
Also, some dogs destroy things because of separation anxiety and some are destructive because it’s fun and they have been left to entertain themselves. 1 1/2 yrs is a little young, especially for a terrier, to be trusted to maintain their house manners without supervision. I don’t thing I trusted my dogs to be uncrated during the day until they were at least 2yrs old.
I have tried Rescue remedy on a few of my dogs and it did nothing. But that is not to say it may not work for yours. I used to use it on myself for PMS and it really worked well, so well, that many times my secretary would remind me to take some (I was getting a bit bitchy)… Good luck.
Also you may try the DAP collar, I have heard great things about it.
The second dog is out, I thought of that, and it would never happen - my husband would FOR REAL divorce me. We are having a doggie house guest next week that is a peach of a dog so I’m anxious to see how she behaves with the second dog.
I would really give her more exercise, if I only had more hours in a day.
The sad fact is, she needs to fit into our parameters of life or else she can’t stay. That’s harsh but true - I can’t squeeze more exercise into this.
I am certainly willing to try things (which is why I’m here) but I’m totally not above giving her a little something to calm her down.
I’m sure living here, with some drugs in her, is a hell of alot better than wasting away in a shelter, or getting the gas.
I’m not trying to be rude, and please don’t think I am not taking everyone’s suggestions into consideration, its just that I have been really trying, and I certainly can do a little more, but I definitely can’t fit a 10 mile run into my life.
I really do appreciate it, I have heard of Rescue Remedy and I need to just go ahead and order some.
Hey, another suggestion, they make dog toys that are acually puzzles and the dog has to work to figure out how to get the treat. It gives them something to do by themselves and occupies their minds. Didn’t work for my dog, but then shepherds are rarely food motivated. I had a cube that you filled with kibble and the dog has to roll it in certain ways to have the treats dribble out. It will give her something to do while she’s crated.
I think you are doing a great job and she’ll be fine once she matures a bit more. Hang in there!
Yep, she gets a peanut butter filled kong and a busy buddy every day. It does help. On the days that I forget the peanut butter she’s worse.
The seperation anxiety is manageable, its the outside stuff with other dogs that I can’t stand.
because I understand totally about having only so many hours in a day, I still suggest a combination of medication and behavior training. I can’t add anything to my day either, so instead of just a walk, I incorporate training into the walk.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
