Rainy's Issues Update #1

Rainy has been having issues for about a year and a half now. She's become increasingly phobic about certain noises and car rides. This is very problematic since we travel so often! I tried ignoring her issues and hoping she would work them out herself. I tried training, feeding high value treats around the popping noises, trying to have fun zippy around games during the noises, sitting in the car and relaxing for hours waiting for her to calm down, leashing her up so she cannot avoid the noises and reading a book for 90 minutes while waiting for her to stop shaking, etc

Then we started medicating her. We started with Amatriptalyn and gave that a solid 4 months. Didn't work and her anxiety increased to the point where she actually was reacting aggressively towards me doing simple things. Like put on her harness. Luckily I was wearing a sweat shirt that took the brunt of that.

We then switched to Prozac. She seemed better for a few days, then took a drastic turn for the worse! We are about 3 weeks in and she would stand in the yard and shake, refuse to come back inside, got increasingly anxious about going up the stairs, and her car issues were the worst I've ever seen!

Called the vet to report in and was advised that maybe it was time for Rainy to go to the University of Penn to see a behaviorist. Initial app there runs $450-$600. All follow ups are billed at $130 an hour. An insane cost to our household! Our wonderful vet suggested that I give her Xanax to see if I can stabilize her and said that I could increase it to three times the normal dosage with no harmful effects.

I got to thinking about Sunshine and how once we found the correct medication it was almost instantly better. Why hasn't that happened with Rainy? Sunshine had 2 years of groundwork and socialization by the time we found the correct meds. I had given up on training/conditioning until we found a med that would work to keep her brain open enough to soak it in. Maybe I have to change my approach.

After a good cry (Really love cubicle walls at work!) I decided to go back to square one and keep it simple. What do you do with a dog that has extreme excess anxiety? More exercise. What do you do with an unsure anxious dog? Training, agility, you take away their responsibility to think and make decisions   and do it for them. What's the goal for situations that make her nervous? Laying down and relaxing. So my crazy out of the box self came up with a training plan that most people will think is insane. But maybe it will work???

Day One

Put Rainy in the car by herself. Leave all other dogs/distractions at home. Have her lay down. She laid down with my physical manipulation help and shook harder than I've ever seen any living thing shake. I figured she wasn't going to calm down then but at least she was laying. Shut the van door, got int he drivers seat, started the van and off we went to a park. Rainy pops back up as soon as I started the car. At every stop light on out 10 minute drive she has to lay down.

Most of the time I am half in the back physically pushing down to ask her to lay. She shakes like a leaf but does what I ask. Once we get to the park she has to lay down before getting out of the car. We wait for at least 5 minutes. Me focusing on slow deep breathing while Rainy lays there panting frantically and shaking like a leaf.

I finally decide she isn't going to relax one tiny bit and we get out to start out jog/walk. No sniffing allowed. This is a working walk, not a fun one. This place has 3ft high retaining walls. Rainy is asked to jump up and down them. We go up and down any stairs we can find. Even found some bushes that she could jump. Rainy did NOT want to jump those bushes. As soon as she took that brave leap she landed and puffed up a good 3 feet. So proud of herself!

Kept her feet moving and her brain going for a solid mile of exercise. Changing direction, heeling, skipping, etc. Trying to keep it fun but make her tired and doing any crazy thing I ask of her. By the time we got back to the car she was exhausted! Hop back in the car. Ask her to lay down, and she was only mildly shaking. I sat there and read some email on my phone while giving her an ear massage. Rainy was still shaking and panting. Shaking was a little less than before the walk. Drove home and at every stop light she has to lay down.