Sigh...anyone want an elderly german shepherd with separation anxiety? UPDATE post 49

[Rbow]

[QUOTE=To the MAX;6071118]
BUT, I have a HAPPY! update! My mom called earlier and apologized for Saturday night’s phone call. I explained my plan to bring him to the vet and then told her if that didn’t work we could reevaluate our options. She interrupted and said that she would never put him down, that she was just very (very!) upset when she called me.
So I guess this thread has all been for NIL! I am still going to be bringing him to the vet to see if they have a different medication that will work but I can breathe easy knowing that if they don’t it won’t be the end for my guy.[/QUOTE]

Didn’t read the thread, but great to hear this. He’s your Mom’s dog now and she sounds very responsible. I inherited a 10 year old shepherd. I had planned on replacing the carpet but have just put the money aside and will get less upset as he has the typical accidents that come with aging.

I’m not one for prolonging life when there’s no quality left, but as any living thing ages, it will be more prone to some of these things while still having plenty of life left.

You could probably help your Mom by reviewing the veterinarians assessment of the dog’s current health and projections, and maybe “dog proofing” her house for the couple of years of good life left. I’ve got a really nice rug that I keep covered with an indoor/outdoor rug. Dog doors are great when the dog is still mobile but less regular.

Another great thing for puppies and elders are something like the Bissel pet spot cleaner.

With a little creativity and planning, the final years can be much less tramatic for the humans and the dogs. You just can’t expect them to be as trouble free as in their prime.

PS…man, I’ve felt her frustration over the rug thing though.

[Susan_P]

Though I can’t offer training suggestions I have seen it done effectively with Victoria Stillwell on It’s Me or the Dog. I do believe you can teach an old dog but it might take longer. It might be good to use a combination of medication and behavioral therapy at the same time and maybe searching the internet for ideas might be worth a try. I mean anxiety is often dealt with in people and dogs. I trained my hyped up GSD and she had separation anxiety but calmed down as she aged. But she did chew through some woodwork at the door. She’s gone now and I was unprepared for her anxiety but now there are some trainers who can work with these dogs.

What I saw them do on TV was to walk out the door and return immediately and repeat that a lot. Then go out for 5 minutes, and then when they are calm for these shorter periods increase the amount of time. The other thing they did was not make a big deal when they came and left and waited till the dog settled down to give them attention. There were probably also some obedience techniques used inside the house that were valuable overall but especially during the acclimation process of leaving them. Remember don’t make a fuss when you come and go and make the time quick then add very, very gradually. After all this dog has acquired this behavior over a lifetime.

I’m sure that he doesn’t have many more years but a GSD can live for up to 15 years which is old age for them. My dog had a nasty habit of flying off the deck when our neighbor’s dog came over, (a little beagle, her best friend). She was so anxious to play with him that she lept off the deck to play. I’m sure that didn’t help her back over time and she did suffer with it. She was almost 12 when she died naturally. That seems close to average for GSDs. Dogs are very sensitive and pick up on our energy, so we have to relax if we want them to also. I hope that he has a great few years left.

[To_the_MAX]

@Trakehner;6073093

I’ll gladly beat you up a bit, you deserve it.

I suggest getting rid of the fiance.

You’ve had this poor dog for 10 years, got a new bedwarmer so the dog is screwed. Why did you ever move into a rental house that didn’t allow dogs? Was this an excuse to ditch the dog? Sure sounds like it. You know that an old German Shep. isn’t very adoptable. You owe it to the dog to either euthanize him or to arrange your life accordingly. You owe the dog, not the bloody boyfriend.

It’s like people giving away lame old horses now that they’re not useful to the selfish owners. Classic stories of, “I’ve had Bubba for 18 years, he’s lame now and needs to find a nice home to retire”…what a selfish load of uncaring BS. This is no different.

I just read your mom is going to keep the dog…still very sad.

Well bless your heart.