[nittanylion]

I have written before aboutmy terrier mix who is full of energy. I believe he has some OCD . He does circles trying to bite the grass, the flor, the carpet. He has ruined our berber carpet by this behavior. He is 1 1/2 and days I work in the office (3x a week) he is crated for around 8 hours. I thought now that the ids are home fromschool I would start trying to let him out of his crate for periods of time to eventually work up to not have to crate him anymore. He was doing well for a few weeks and we had 3 days in a row of 5 hours without incident. Yesterday he ripped the carpet a lot more. We are about to get our house painted so we do not want to put gates up plus he can jump them. What else can we do . He also does this behavior when we are home and can't figure out how to stop it. We have tried distracting him with toys, using commands he know, water guns etc He will do these even in the middle f a game of fetch or running around with another dog. He gets excercise but it never seems to be enough. I ride with him onmy bike, he gets walked and we have a nother dog he plays with all the time.

anyone have any suggestions, I wil not get rid of him. when he relaxed he has a very sweet nature good with kids and loves giving kisses.

 

[Cracker]

Have you had him vetted to make sure he doesn't have an anxiety disorder or seizure disorder? Obsessive disorders do occur in dogs and can be managed through supplements or medication.
What sort of food do you feed him? High protein rations can cause excessive energy in some dogs..if you have him on turbo food you get a turbo dog.
What sort of exercise, both physical and mental do you do with him?

To be honest, your best bet is to speak to a veterinary behaviourist. This doesn't sound like normal chewing..and it could be related to any number of things (as per the list of questions above).

 

[nittanylion]

he is on the generic prozac and I have talked to the vet about it several times and they have no other solutions for me. I have tried 2 different trainers with no luck, the one was as OCD as the dog and wouldn't even talk to me on the phone unless it was complete silence in the background ( i have 2 dogs,a cat, a 6 yr old and 4 yr old) there is no such thing as a quiet house. She suggested I keep the dog away from the kids because they get him too wond up ( not going to happen). I have him eating eagle pac food. I alsohae tried calming sprays ( I did not see a change). He has kongs filled with frozen PB ( his favorite) and other treatsfor when we leae the house. I feed him dinner in a buster cube like thing to keep him occupied instead of inhaling his food. I take him on a 25 min bike ride ( we live in PA so they are hilly) it is a struggle he doesn't like it). I walk him some mornings before work for about 20 min ( I wake up at 4am to do this in order to get to work , I work at 6am) so I can't get up any earlier to give him a longer walk - I am already stretched.

thanks

 

[Cracker]

Okay.
How long has he been on the fluoxetine? Have you adjusted your dosages at all over the time he's been on? Has there been any change since you started the meds compared to where he is now?

Can you tell me the protein content (percentage) of the Eagle Pack you are feeding him?

I found the DAP diffuser to be much more effective than the spray (it's more constant) in dealing with Cracker's SA, something to think about, though it doesn't work for ALL dogs.

What do you do with him for mental stimulation? The biking and walks are okay, but he needs to work that little brain of his. Have you tried clicker training? A flirt pole? Teaching him to track? Built him a sandbox so any digging behaviour can be directed there? Even ten to fifteen minutes a day of mental stimulation in a high energy and intelligent terrier can help to divert some of that mental overexcitement.

Are you familiar with TTouch? The anxiety wrap can help reduce anxious behaviours, it's like "swaddling" with a human infant, gives some compression to the body and hits some of the calming acupressure points.


Just throwing out ideas here. Hope maybe some of them may help.

 

[nittanylion]

Okay.
How long has he been on the fluoxetine? Have you adjusted your dosages at all over the time he's been on? Has there been any change since you started the meds compared to where he is now?




Can you tell me the protein content (percentage) of the Eagle Pack you are feeding him?

I found the DAP diffuser to be much more effective than the spray (it's more constant) in dealing with Cracker's SA, something to think about, though it doesn't work for ALL dogs.

What do you do with him for mental stimulation?
The biking and walks are okay, but he needs to work that little brain of his. Have you tried clicker training? A flirt pole? Teaching him to track? Built him a sandbox so any digging behaviour can be directed there? Even ten to fifteen minutes a day of mental stimulation in a high energy and intelligent terrier can help to divert some of that mental overexcitement.

Are you familiar with TTouch? The anxiety wrap can help reduce anxious behaviours, it's like "swaddling" with a human infant, gives some compression to the body and hits some of the calming acupressure points.
will check it out

Just throwing out ideas here. Hope maybe some of them may help.

He has been on the meds for about 5 months no change in the amount, the vet said for his size he is at the max.

really just the treat balls and such. I play fetch

tried clicker, he was not interested,

yes we had one and he did not play with it for more than 5 minutes and was back to the other, we buried toys in it and everything. my husband will not do againas it made a big mess in our yard


thanks

 

[melgrj7]

You could try different meds. There are others that can be used for dogs besides prozac.

 

[Cracker]

I agree that if the prozac has not changed the behaviour at all after five months that you may want to look at a different medication. Clomicalm comes to mind...that is what Cracker takes.

But, interestingly enough I was just reading Dr. Nicholas Dodman's new book and he spoke about hyperactivity in dogs and that, similar to people with ADHD, some dogs react better to taking a stimulant based drug...sounds counterintuitive but he said he has had some success.

Quote from "The Well Adjusted Dog" by Dr. Nicholas Dodman:

"Many dogs are overactive due to inappropriate management or they are simply reactive by nature. Overactive dogs may be the product of insufficient exercise, an inappropriate diet, lack of clear communication, lack of proper control, and lack of opportunity to engage in species-typical behaviors.
Reactive dogs are hair-trigger when it comes to any perturbation in their immediate environment, such as the sound of an approaching stranger or an icicle falling from the roof, but otherwise conduct themselves peacefully. (Reactivity is a familial trait.)

Hyperactive dogs-dogs with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD- barely settle and are in almost perpetual motion. Hyperactivity or ADHD is relatively uncommon in dogs- so uncommon, in fact, that some veterinary behaviorists are not even sure if it occurs. If it does exist, and I believe it does, the classic presentation is that of a dog on the go, on that is exuberant beyond all reasonable limits and who, quite frankly, is a bit of a pain to be around. Such dogs can be thought of as being "mentally noisy", the exact opposite of cool, calm, and collected. A proper diagnosis of ADHD can be applied, however, only if a dog is tested for it by a veterinarian. The test involves administering a stimulant, any stimulant, but notably Ritalin or amphetamine, and observing the effect. The stimulant is administered in progressively increasing doses until an effect is seen. At an effective dose, normal dogs become stimulated and may run around like t hey have just consumed sixteen cups of coffee. In dogs with ADHD, on the other hand, a paradoxical calming effect is observed; these dogs become more mellow-or in the words of one owner, normal. That is not what you typically see following the administration of a stimulant! Treatment of ADHD, which can be thought of as a chemical imbalance in the brain, is by ongoing administration of a stimulant drug. The results of treatment can be quite dramatic in terms of the relief it seems to provide for the dog...and the owner. " (Bold added by Cracker)

Proper diagnosis is important. But it's worth looking at.

 

[Elana55]

If crating him worked, why would you wean him off the crate? Why do all of that? He is not in a crate that much and if it results in a dog not damaging your house (or himslef, ingesting carpet fibers) why change what works?

 

[FilleBelle]

How did the clicker training not work? What obedience commands does the dog know?

 

[nittanylion]

He runs circles barking in the crate and I feel bad leaving him in there...

The clicker was not good for me because I did not always have it with me and the kids kept on clicking when they were not supposed to so I had a hard time managing it.

we figured out how to put a gate at the bottom of the steps and he did good for the past 2 days but still barks and does circles at his crate when we leave

 

[Elana55]

He runs circles barking in the crate and I feel bad leaving him in there...

I assume he does this when he is in it and you are in the room. Does he settle down when left ENTIRELY alone in the crate (separate room and no one else in the room.. Can you hear him still scuffle or does he settle?).

When you come up to the crate, if he does not settle, unlatch the door but hold it shut and stand with your back to him. MOST dogs will eventually sit when you do this. the INSTANT he sits, open the door. This rewards him for calmly sitting in the crate.

T

he clicker was not good for me because I did not always have it with me and the kids kept on clicking when they were not supposed to so I had a hard time managing it.

Train the kids OR keep the clicker on you with a neck clip.

Kid training with respect to dogs and dog equipment is every bit as necessary as training dogs when it comes to kids and kid equipment. BOTH require 100%consistancy and removal of what the dog or kid wants when they exhibit and undesirable behavior (such as clicking the clicker for the heck of it... each click could = no TV or no Video game or something like that for 30 mionutes for ALL the kids.. they will start to police each other that way).

Kids and dogs are a lot of training work!

we figured out how to put a gate at the bottom of the steps and he did good for the past 2 days but still barks and does circles at his crate when we leave

Again, the question is what does he do after you leave? Continue to go nuts or settle down after a bit? Have you tried any crate training (door open, tossing in treats and feeding him in the crate etc.).