Desperate plea, life at stake

[Deleted]

Hi all,

I have a problem with Oscar, As some of you may know that he got me in to serious trouble last year when he escaped.

I have just got in from the garden and he has attempted it again,
if he gets out and caught he will be put down by the police or whoever they get to do that sort of thing.

I have got to tell OH about this and he will go nuts and I am sure he will say that the dog has got to go.

Question: Who will take a dog with a reputation of being bad around dogs that are bigger than him (loves small dogs)

Also we have had bad storms the past few nights with more promised and then the Bloody Fireworks which send him in to an absolute frenzy of scratching furniture, and shaking hysteric's.

I tried to give him a sedative last year which was not Strong enough so did not help.

Please any advice gratefully received

Sara

[Plocket]

Oh Sara <hug> I really don't know what to suggest I'm afraid but I'm thinking of you.

[Deleted]

Have you tried dog training classes, on maybe an individual basis?

[Deleted]

No not yet Dee,

At my wits end really, just do not know where to turn next.

Sara

[4pygmies]

Poor you and poor Oscar. Can't really think of much to help as I don't know what's happened previously but have you enlisted the help of your vet or the RSPCA? They might have some ideas to help you. Did something happen to him in the past which made him more aggressive with bigger dogs? Maybe you need a professional who deals in dog psychology. Hope you get some assistance from someone.

[chickadeedeedee]

I am so sorry! As Dee suggested, training and some behaviour modification is indeed the best for Oscar and his family. The use of drugs may give a false sense of security and pose a potential danger not only to Oscar but who ever he may encounter while under the influence of medications.

Fire works and storms can be adjusted to with desensitization therapy. Obtaining a tape or CD of thunder and playing it intermittantly will allow Oscar to adjust to not being so frantic. He needs reassurance and a well qualified behaviourist to get you through this tough time. And it will take some time to adjust his behaviour so all will be happy.

Kindest regards,

C3D

[jlottie]

Sara

Like Dee said, get some advice from a dog trainer, contact your local RSPCA who will be able to put you in touch with someone and probally give you some good advice in the meantime.

My daughter has been going to puppy classes run by the RSPCA and the lady also does home visits for problem dogs which I have seriously been considering for our demented nasty 11 year old JR.

Hope Oscar behaves himself in the meantime.

jl

[Deleted]

Thanks to to all for your concern and advice, I will be using it and will let you know how we get on.

Sara

[JennyWrenn]

Poor doggy

I remember reading on the BBC board that someone had actually had their dog put down because of fireworks

I found that very extreme and surely un-necessary

My dog hardly lifts an eyebrow when they all go off so cannot imagine what it must be like having an hysterical dog in the house

If it happened to me I would perhaps have the TV on very loud so the noise is drowned out

You can buy snoods for dogs so maybe a thick one that will perhaps drown out some of the noise may also help

Or take your dog out in the car to an area where there are no houses - into the country - where fireworks can only be heard at a distance

I always worry about wild life and how they cope with Bonfire Night. Kids will be setting fireworks off many days prior to Nov 5th so we have a continuous flow of bangs each evening

I think fireworks that make any noise at all should be banned there are so many that are pretty why do they have to be noisy

My Afghan has problems which I wont go into so I think most dog owners have "something" that they have to cope with

Can be worse than having kids

Good Luck Sara

[rhodadendron]

Did you ever watch "It's me or the dog" another one of those lifestyle shows but quite interesting. A dog trainer/therapist visited people with fairly extreme dog problems and sorted them out. She seemed to have a great success but the families owning the dogs had to put in a lot of commitment and behavioural changes all round. Obviously these were all picked for being extreme but a lot of the training methods could have been applied to any dog/dog owner.

My friend has a mongrel dog (terrier mix) which goes beserk barking and jumping all over you when you get in the door. Then humping your leg (despite being female) and generally being an over enthusiastic nuisance. It is a shame because she is a nice dog and it is my friend's fault that she behaves this way. When the dog starts jumping on you to greet you my friend will start trying to distract the dog by shouting "Show Rhoda your toy, fetch your ball, etc." This makes the dog even more excitable because she gets all the attention and thinks it is a game. I've told my friend that the way to stop her is to take her to a quiet place and then ignore her and only reward her behaviour when she has calmed down but my friend just refuses to take it on board. I rarely visit their house any more as it is really quite traumatic for me to have the dog jumping all over me.
I'm amazed as these are normally very sensible people and yet they just don't seem to be able to admit that the dog is a problem.
So it seems to me that they and the dog would have benefited from seeing a dog trainer or behaviourist.

Not that I should criticise really. I've let my cats totally take over the house!

[Deleted]

Hi Rhoda,

Oscar can get excited when people come, I just put on his muzzle and he stops sulks and lays down.

My mum is the worst as she just shrieks any idaes on traing over excitably Mum's

Sara:)

[piggingardener]

Obtaining a tape or CD of thunder and playing it intermittantly will allow Oscar to adjust to not being so frantic.

If you need a cd of thunderstorms, pm me your address and I'll burn you a copy of a cd. Good luck anyway. PG

[toonia]

Poor Sara. I can't add much to the advice here but you know your dog best and can choose which solutions are right for him.
Why are you so worried to tell your OH? Could you not sit him down, explain your worries and get him onside looking for a solution? It's bloody annoying but dogs often respect blokes more
than us when we do all the feeding, grooming, washing etc.
I know a family where the having the telly on loud to drown out fireworks has worked. They give the dog her favourite toy and play with her, it's all about associating positive things with fireworks instead of fear.
The Pongster used to be afraid of thunderstorms but now he's nearly deaf and doesn't even twitch!
Good luck!

[Deleted]

Hi all,

Just to let you know I have enlisted the help of the local council dog warden.

He is going to help me adress the issues that I HAVE CREATED!

He is also going to help with the ecasping issues and thinks that Oscar is probably bored mentally.

He also told me that certain dog foodsi.e. Bakers Complete are the same as giving a small child a can of Coke.

I am going to look at bach remedies to help with regard to some of the problems.

Thanks again to all

Sara

Who knows now with hindsight that a dog is a dog not a spoilt child/baby.

[beejay]

Sara, well done. I'm not a dog person, but it all sounded very stressful. You are now sounding a bit more positive. Let us know how it all goes.

[lottielady]

Sara, Glad to see that you are a bit happier today <hug> friends of mine have a really cranky CollieX - very timid and nervous and won't go out for a walk, they have enlisted the help of a dog behavourist (sp) they feed her this-

www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/

They also have some doggie aromatherapy things like the plug in air freshners and use the Bach remedies.She has been a lot braver since too.

This is also a good one as it has no additives

www.naturediet.net/index.html

You could also give him 1 omega 3 fish oil capsule a day - will make his coat shiny even if it doesn't calm him a bit.

I give mine one every day - if they were any more laid back they would fall over ;D

LL x

[MamIDdau]

My mum's dog was very jittery when we first got her but she's got so much better in the past few years. She still doesn't like thunder and lightning very much but at least she doesn't "mess" everywhere now...

Then again, during the earthquake we had a year or so ago, she didn't even wake up. I thought animals were meant to be attuned to that kinda thing!!

I'd contact your vet or the pdsa/rspca for advice and look on it as looking after a small child needing reassurance etc.