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Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

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Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#11

Post by inconceivable »

paganel wrote: post #4

Treating dogs like humans is very detrimental to the dogs, more than detrimental, actively harmful. I'm ok when seeing adults doing that to their kids (i.e. treating said kids as grown-ups), after all they're their kids and I don't have children of my own, but when I see the same sort of behaviour being transplanted to handling dogs (or pets, more generally), then I get really angry. Again, dogs, and animals, are not…

over the years i've trained some anxiety out of my rescue dog by saying "okay i'll be back" every time i leave home without him. even just to take out the trash or get the mail.

he now knows that it means to not get up and start pacing anxiously to go with me or to try to follow me out the door. usually he just goes in his easychair (it's turned into his doggie daybed, basically) or lays down in the sunlight. my guest bath is also his little cave, since it's usually dark and the floor is cool. i've seen him on camera just hang out in these spots until i get back.

paired with the standard issue "let's go for a walk" or "let's go outside" it seems to really communicate what exactly is going on so he isn't confused. i've also added "peepee?" to ask if he wants to pee without making him think we're going for a long walk. this also works with food related words ... it's still kind of crazy to me he actually knows what i'm saying and will react according to what he actually wants at the moment. i just have to cycle through the words.

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#12

Post by doubled112 »

f6v wrote: post #9
goda90 wrote: post #3

My older dog was a stray as a puppy and we give her fluoxetine(commonly called Prozac) to help with anxiety. Even after years of training we have issues with trying to walk her during daylight because she crumbles in fear. Our other dog being present gives her some confidence but they both also react more to other dogs when they think they have to protect the other, so it's a daily struggle.

Vets give Prozac to dogs?

Puppy Prozac is apparently very common.

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#13

Post by doubled112 »

tartuffe78 wrote: post #10
BigCryo wrote: post #2

With dogs approaching the quasi religious status, quasi sacred status of sacred cow here in America, how long before laws are passed mandating annual checkups for dogs?

Are they not? Dog licenses require rabies shots, and vets require checkups for shots at least around here.

Registration and shots are mandatory everywhere I’ve lived too. Sounds mandated to me.

I’ve always assumed it has nothing to do with me or my dog, but is to protect others from my dog.

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#14

Post by the-printer »

BigCryo wrote: post #2

With dogs approaching the quasi religious status, quasi sacred status of sacred cow here in America, how long before laws are passed mandating annual checkups for dogs?

And health insurance providers package additional coverage for veterinary expenses with certain plans.

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#15

Post by Ensorceled »

Tade0 wrote: post #5

> If evidence suggests that many dogs, like many humans, misbehave because they are struggling with emotions and anxiety, why do so many pet owners and trainers look to punishment as the solution, rather than addressing the emotions directly? Same reason why so many people do the same to children - they're set in their views and are unwilling accept that they might be wrong. Also, it's less work (at lesst in the shor…

> Same reason why so many people do the same to children

I'd extend that to all humans and all animals.

Many people can't even wrap their heads around NOT using punishment to control behaviour and react very negatively to the idea of treatment or interventions that, in their mind, look like "rewarding" the "bad" behaviour.

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#17

Post by inconceivable »

f6v wrote: post #9
goda90 wrote: post #3

My older dog was a stray as a puppy and we give her fluoxetine(commonly called Prozac) to help with anxiety. Even after years of training we have issues with trying to walk her during daylight because she crumbles in fear. Our other dog being present gives her some confidence but they both also react more to other dogs when they think they have to protect the other, so it's a daily struggle.

Vets give Prozac to dogs?

dogs can take all sorts of human prescriptions, including allergy meds and pain meds. also OTC like benadryl. it's kind of mind blowing. of course, some meds will simply kill them, so uh, do your research.

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#18

Post by misja111 »

I love dogs, but aren't there bigger issues in this world that we should focus on first?

Millions of children on this planet are malnourished or suffering because of wars, climate change or just bad government. Is it ethical to pay a fortune for magnetic brain stimulation of your dog, if somewhere else in the world several people's lives could be saved with that money?

Re: Anxious dogs, like anxious people, need help managing and reducing distress

#19

Post by mikepurvis »

Tade0 wrote: post #5

> If evidence suggests that many dogs, like many humans, misbehave because they are struggling with emotions and anxiety, why do so many pet owners and trainers look to punishment as the solution, rather than addressing the emotions directly? Same reason why so many people do the same to children - they're set in their views and are unwilling accept that they might be wrong. Also, it's less work (at lesst in the shor…

As a parent who has had to do a bunch of this work, I think a big missing piece in much of the dialogue around it is understanding how exactly the “gentle” style of engagement isn’t just indulging, tolerating, excusing, and even rewarding bad behaviour.

The official word is that adopting a gentle and emotionally aware stance has to be paired with a strong sense of boundaries, but it’s often very unclear how to differentiate between which part of the response to a given situation should be the boundary (“we don’t speak like that in this family; I won’t be responding until you talk to me in a respectful way”) vs the emotional deep dive (“it sounds like you’re processing some big feelings right now, let’s talk about what’s going on for you”).

Instead of engaging with the truly challenging parts of the approach, a lot of advocates model kind of what’s in the parent post— condescension, dismissal, and an assumption that the other party is simply unable or unwilling to learn how to do something that’s obviously superior.

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