Good vibes for Kenya

Best wishes for Kenya!!

Feel better soon pretty girl Kenya!

We were blaming Molson for chewing up leather/fur things (like my $200 boots only worn twice, urgh) for a long time. Why? Well, Apollo has never, ever chewed anything up ever (he doesn't even destroy stuffed toys), and Patty never showed any intrest in anything really besides sucking on her fleece toys. Molson has always been the destroyer in the house (ripping apart toys, getting into trash, ripping up magazines, etc). When I was cleaning up the pieces of my boots Molson was trying to get at the pieces! Well, I started crating him when nobody was home to keep him out of trouble and I came home to my slippers (Ugg ones) ripped apart. WTH!?!? I had Apollo with me all day so I knew it wasn't him....the criminal was Patty! My sweet little girl! She only destoys MY things- never DH's. Oy!

 awww poor kenya! hope she starts getting back to normal soon

What Callie said is right on target, too. Shimmer is in love with her kennel. More so than any of the other dogs....when she is upset over something, sometimes she will go into there on her own. It's almost like she learned that she can self-calm in there. When she gets freedom on her own without humans, she can't handle the social pressure of dealing with it, and in turn it turns into chewing inappropriate objects. Based on observations, she seems to relax more knowing momma's got in under control and she's not forced to make personal decisions....

 Something may have caused this sudden stress release....what I do if Shimmer has shown that her stress threshold has been triggered is to spend some more one one one time with her, teach a new fun behaviour that's easy, or to just work on some old ones with lots of rewards!! Up the exercise again for a while, even if it's just a quick one-on-on walk around the block or up the road and back......puzzle toys, if you have them...things to keep her mind off stresses and also to give her an appropriate outlet for them. If she feels the need to chew things, perhaps giving her some stuffed Kongs or puzzle toys for a little bit will help take the edge off.

 I hope she's feeling better this morning!!

Get well soon, Kenya!

This is not just for Kenya - but for anyone whose dog exhibits a similar constellation of behaviors, either minimally or in a troubling way.

Spinning & pica (ingesting non-food items) are both stereotypical behaviors that sometimes point to underlying anxiety at best, and obsessive compulsive disorder at worst.  It's more common in some breeds than others, and IME GSD's are one breed that seems to have its share of dogs that exhibit this behavior.  Crates are usually contraindicated, as confinement and kenneling can make matters worse, increasing anxiety, therefore increasing the likelihood the dog will exhibit stereotypical behaviors to relieve the anxiety - you may want to think about other environmental solutions, such as lock box for medications, a dog proof larger room, etc.  Punishment should be avoided in these dogs as well, and a relaxation protocol (Overall's is a good one) is one way to condition the dog to be less stressed.   Train the dog to do a task that is incompatible with spinning, or other compulsive behavior, such as lying down with his head on the floor.

I'm sure Kenya will be fine, as your vet suggested, but it might be an idea to consult a veterinarian behaviorist for a workup, especially if she is at the age of social maturity when these things start to pop up or worsen.

She is fine all night and was fine this morning.  She's here under my desk at work.  No dogs allowed, but we work in the back corner of the basement of the library, and she is small (well 50lbs) and quiet so even the people in the next cubicle don't know she's here.

Confinement will not be an issue for her, she has always loved crates.  When we travel, she always gets her crate and prefers to stay in there unless she's on my lap.  I've just always figured that since she's good in the house, she's earned the privilege.  I don't want to "punish" the "easy" dog, if it makes sense (crate her just because she is easy to crate).  But, I'll go back to crating her, it's not a problem.  I have three dogs and six kennels. 

She's already seen a vet several times about her neurotic/OCD behaviors so they are well aware of this.  We have been trying a few different meds and so far nothing has really worked.  Luckily she is not on any at the moment.  We've been having better luck with management rather than using drugs or trying to "train away" her behaviors (if I learn what triggers them, we can avoid that).

I hope you're feeling better, sweet Kenya.

I'm glad that she's feeling better.  How scary!

 Man, Liesje, you really have been having a cruddy time lately!! I'm so glad Kenya's recovering okay. Hope she continues getting better ASAP!

Anne, I was surprised to hear you suggest against crating. If the dog is properly introduced to the crate, shouldn't being crated be anxiety-reducing instead of anxiety-producing? That's how it is with Rascal, at least. If we're traveling and he's overwhelmed by a new environment, he will often ask to go in his crate by pawing the door, even if it's latched.

Rascal's another stress ball, and I don't trust him home alone. He gets crated when we're gone and supervised when we're around. He's usually perfectly fine, but he has chewed through electric cords as a puppy, and I don't want to risk him going back for seconds on a live wire.

Poor girl.  I'm glad she is able to be right there with you; for her sake and yours.  I second the Milk Thistle...will help wash out the toxins in her system.  I'm sure you know....you can get it at the grocery store and drug stores these days. 

Feel better soon Kenya.  More good vibes coming your way!

Heidi recently ate an entire bottle of Buddy's thyroid supplement....that was scary.  Vet instructed me to give her 3tbl of hydrogen peroxide to produce vomiting to get it out.  Thankfully, that was a success and we saw the supplement hadn't digested completely.  I had her on the Milk Thistle for several days after that though.

Cita, Kenya is the same way.  However her anxiety is more neurologically rooted, it's not really the same as separation anxiety (she does not howl or get destructive when I leave).  So I can see where in some cases, the crate can be worse, but in other cases better.