We have this situation with my sister & her dog. My sister is actually more of an issue than the dog but that’s another story. None the less, when we all had to go to a wedding (sister’s daughter) we hired a trainer that worked with the dog for a couple of sessions and that went well and then he and his wife boarded the dog overnight. It worked out perfectly. I think your mom is doing her best. I’d try to be encouraging in a tough situation for her and the poor dog.
Is your mom local? If so, I may have a suggestion of someone who might be able to help. She’s one of my shelter friends and has been a behavioral therapist for years.
Your poor mom and this poor dog! Sounds miserable for everyone.
The only thing that solved this for me when I had an anxious mess of a dog was getting a second dog, but that’s not the solution for every dog or every owner, of course.
Unfortunately, no. She’s going to bring the dog up later this month (if she comes up at all), but she doesn’t live here. She mentioned boarding her while she’s here, so if you have a suggestion for that, I’m all ears.
My dog is pretty anxious and has gotten much worse with his separation anxiety during covid. So much so that our vet prescribed an anxiety med for as needed. It seems to be working so far. He also loves his vet so we feel comfortable boarding him there when someone cannot stay with him in our house while we are away. Is there a boarding option?
That is really hard. We boarded ours dogs with the vet because our dogs really loved the vet techs (and vice versa) and got lots of specialized attention when they were there. It was reasonably priced though and I know not all are.
CBD made my anxious dog a complete mess and went from simply anxious to a violent anxious dog. Do not do this without supervision until you know the dog will be ok. I used very high end cbd from a very well respected local company before the whole cbd craze took off. The new stuff sold in stores, who even knows what’s in that (both for humans and animals).
Is your mom local? If so, I may have a suggestion of someone who might be able to help. She’s one of my shelter friends and has been a behavioral therapist for years.
Your poor mom and this poor dog! Sounds miserable for everyone.
The only thing that solved this for me when I had an anxious mess of a dog was getting a second dog, but that’s not the solution for every dog or every owner, of course.
Unfortunately, no. She’s going to bring the dog up later this month (if she comes up at all), but she doesn’t live here. She mentioned boarding her while she’s here, so if you have a suggestion for that, I’m all ears.
I might! I’ll text you later if I get an answer from my friend.
My Dad's dog is very much like this and has been kicked out of TWO different boarding facilities for breaking out of the kennel in the middle of the night! lol He even has to give him a pill beforehand to calm him down and that still doesn't help. My Dad can only leave him at our house-he's comfortable around us and loves our dog or have a pet sitter stay at his house when he travels.
I think your Mom definitely needs to find a back up person for sure since the housekeeper won't always be able to do it. I wouldn't feel guilty about this at all!
Can you talk to your son about how if he can’t get over his dislike of the dog, he can’t go with grandma at all?
I mean, that’s effectively what will happen if my mom can’t/doesn’t want to find a solution to boarding the dog.
But no, I’m not going to tell my 6 year old to get over his dislike of a 70 pound dog that barks loudly inside a camper van. Lol He doesn’t need the blame placed on him if it doesn’t work out.
My friend is “always” unavailable according to her, but she did say that if you can find a boarding/daycare situation where they are with other dogs a lot, it can be really helpful. Many of the dogs that come into the shelter with severe separation anxiety do great with other dogs but wither when they’re alone. I know that’s easier said than done, but may be worth trying/looking for that type of setup. The daycare we used to use was very much set up that way, but at night the dogs were alone. Because Emma was so overwhelmed with anxiety, the owner would take her home at night (lol). So I know it’s a long shot, but it is a possibility.
Another option is look for someone on Rover who is home all the time. I am a house sitter on there and there’s a section where you check off “will stay at owner’s home” and another where you say “will be home all day” so she may be able to find someone that way?
This is hard and I hope y’all get it figured out. ❤️ I feel so badly for all these pandemic dogs (and humans) that got used to being around someone 24/7.
I agree with others that say keep looking for a kennel. The one we send our dog to has trainers and is also a vet office. It'll cost $$$ though. We had our puppy board there for a few nights and the trainer worked with the puppy while we were gone.
We also sent our other dog to a kennel but it was staffed by people with no dog training knowledge. It was ok, but my point is just that there are kennels out there that have highly trained workers that can really help.
Post by mysteriouswife on Jun 3, 2021 10:30:35 GMT -5
I was going to suggest boarding at the vet as well. This will Provide two things. 1) a safe place that is use to high stress animals. 2) witness the behavior and suggest medications and tips. I would also suggest your mom contact them for tips prior to her tripss
I could have written this post about my cat also named Sadie. She is glued to H. She is currently pacing my office crying. She settles about three hours or so after H leaves. The vet offered to give us meds to knock the edge off when he leaves. We declined since it’s only a few days here and there.
We had a cat who was pretty high needs. He did terribly when we would travel. We had to eventually just accept that. In order to keep him we needed to be able to travel from time to time. We had gotten him from someone who could not handle his needs due to travel.
So ultimately we boarded him at our vet. He was in sure very unhappy the whole time. But he was safe, cared for, and we could relax knowing our house was safe (he would absolutely destroy things and himself - pee everywhere, pull out his fur, etc).
Obviously it wasn’t ideal as the cat was unhappy but it let us live our lives in a manageable way and gave him a safe and happy home.
Can you talk to your son about how if he can’t get over his dislike of the dog, he can’t go with grandma at all?
This feels kind of yucky to me. Sounds like this dog is a real PITA - not just your typical cuddly, gentle dog.
OP idk how old your kid is but I feel like he could feel responsible/guilty if the trip doesn’t work out or he feels too nervous to go.
I mean, even if she was a lovely, easygoing dog, I would not tell him to get over it. He’s 6 years old. He’s allowed to feel how he feels about animals. We talk about being respectful and how to approach dogs (and model this a lot since DH stops to pet nearly every dog in our neighborhood), but he takes a long time to warm up to them and I’m just not going to let him feel like he’s to blame.
My mom and I are both looking for boarding options and I’m optimistic we’ll find a good solution. If we don’t, I’ll let the kids know she had to cancel and will see them later this summer. It sucks, but it is what it is and it’s truly not anyone’s fault, just a bummer of a situation.
Post by sapphireblue on Jun 3, 2021 20:36:52 GMT -5
This is tough.
I have moved a lot so I have had to find boarding kennels many times. I wouldn't know anyone locally due to moving that I could trust to ask.
Many veterinarians will board dogs. I only did this when my dog was also ill and/or on medication and I had to travel, because I found that most of the time their boarding sections were pretty grim looking. They were fine overall, but I usually was able to find a boarding kennel that was professional and insured, etc. Usually they had similar kennels, the classic concrete dog runs, but also nice large play areas for the pets, so in general I preferred them.
She should be able to find a boarding facility that her dog will be okay in. It might be a stressful time for the dog but they will keep her safe until your mom comes back.
Often, vet techs will take on side jobs pet sitting or watching an animal for extra money also so she should talk to her vet about that too.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”