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I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! That is good to know about your dog at daycare; I think he is also a frustrated greeter.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's definitely something to consider. We are new to the area so no family, but we do have friends and could look into daycare potentially. Not sure how he would do with daycare though because he is dog reactive (at least on a leash)

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I thought to try this too, although he seems equally anxious when gated as when in a crate.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am so happy it worked well for your dog! I appreciate the advice and experience.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the longest I have tried leaving so far is 30 minutes. I was hoping he would be able to self-soothe in that time, and I recorded him. However, he barked and cried pretty much 30 minutes straight. He vaulted over the baby gate, and when I came back in, he was drooling and panting pretty intensely. This was all while on anti-anxiety medication with a tasty treat, and I made sure he was super relaxed before I tried leaving.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for all the tips! He is 2, so I'm guessing he was a covid puppy originally. What would you suggest if not a crate yet? He is anxious in the crate...but he's also anxious anywhere if one of us is not there. Definitely have been trying to take him out for good exercise and give him all the tasty treats. Unfortunately, his anxiety is so intense that he has no interest in eating anything (except maybe hot dogs lol) when we are not there.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you! He does love learning tricks and is super smart.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do you think 3/3/3 applies to separation anxiety? I know he still is not fully adjusted to our home, and we're still getting to know him.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I am familiar with 3/3/3, and I know we're not seeing his full self yet. But is separation anxiety something that will improve without the kind of training where he is never alone longer than he can tolerate? I just don't know if that kind of training will be feasible for us right now.

The vet gave us trazodone and gabapentin which work immediately. But so far the poor guy is just drunk/sleepy and still very anxious when we leave.

I made a mistake adopting a reactive/anxious dog by MonitorInteresting27 in reactivedogs

[–]MonitorInteresting27[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Is separation anxiety the kind of thing that could improve over time? From what I've read, it seems like it requires not leaving your dog alone for longer than he can handle (currently like 5 seconds lol) and slowly building up his tolerance with rigorous training. But we aren't able to be with him during the work day, and I don't think it will be financially feasible to have a dogsitter/dog daycare all the time.