Problems with my dog - can anyone help?

Julygirl

Hoping someone can help me

We have a lab / collie X female who is 14 months old

She was diagnosed about 6 months ago with hip dysplasia and are following a plan to manage her condition to avoid deterioration (occasional Metacam, daily salmon oil & glucosamine, diet/weight control and have been told to avoid excessive exercise to reduce wear on joints) She is being monitored by the vets and we seem to have it under control although we have been told it is about as bad as it could be in a dog her age.

Luckily, we took out pet insurance when we adopted her at 8 weeks old so so far we have been lucky not to have to have the financial burden of getting her relevant tests and treatments

I am at home all day with my baby (an actual baby, not the dog ) so we take her for a walk twice a day (about an 45mins - hour each time at a leisurely pace with about 10-15 mins off the lead for the dog before we turn back)

She has an enclosed back garden with toys and shelter which she is in by herself for approx 2-3 hours a day (unless the weather is very bad).

The rest of the day, she is in the house pottering around after us and she sleeps indoors at night.

I spend approx an hour of every day when the baby is having a nap on basic training & obedience and try to add new tricks/commands frequently to keep it interesting for both of us. She is quite obedient though (unless there is something more interesting) so this is mostly to give her some undivided attention.

My issue is, she is clearly bored silly, she demands nearly constant attention and is turning destructive if left alone for more than 5 mins. In the last month, her destructiveness has reached whole new levels and I have had to start restricting her access to certain rooms as she cannot be trusted unless you are there supervising her

If I close a door or go upstairs (say to change the baby), she whines at the door or the bottom of the stairs (she isn't allowed upstairs) until we come back.

I have invested a small fortune in a variety of toys (both ones for filling with food and non-food kinds) for her but nothing seems to keep her amused. I even got one of those giant kongs and tried feeding her meals from it but she will only show interest if I am right there - if I leave the room or move away, she follows me to see where I am gone and will only go back to her toys if I am right there.

I feel so sorry for her because she is only young and has such energy, I feel like I am being cruel keeping her cooped up when all she wants is to be running around.

My husband is of the opinion that she should be out in the garden more but I feel that this will only lead to a vicious cycle (she is out and alone more, so she is more hyper and destructive when she is indoors, so she is put outside more etc.)

Does anyone have any suggestions of anything else I could do to try to help her?

I am also very open to constructive criticism (be gentle with me) if there is something that I should or shouldn't be doing

Just looking for some honest advice please

RubyGirl

You could invest in a crate. I have one in the hall and have two young labs in it after their morning walk. They are in it from about 10am until about 3 every day. Otherwish they would be doing the same following me around, chewing on anything or digging the back lawn.

I'm at home all day aswell and they sleep all day. They get walked in the evening and for the rest of the evening they would lounge around the house or back if the weather is fine.

Have you any kong's? They are great.

Julygirl

Thanks rubygirl!

We have a variety of kongs from the very big one (can't remember the name but it is weighted at the bottom and they have to push it around to get the food out) to the small ones that you stuff with food

She loves them but only if I am right there - if I move away, she leaves it and follows.

I am not sure about the crate as I would hate for her to be crying and pining in it.... would it be too late to get her used to one to you think?

lisaj

Aw, puppy jail.

toadfly

You need a crate. my staff loves her one. i always put her in it when we are having dinner so she's not stealing food etc. she never cries when in it just goes to sleep but you have to train her properly in it. do a search on here for advice. her and one of the yorkies sleep there every night as well.

Taltos

Our two dogs were also diagnosed with this early on - a few months old.

Walk - max 30 min; 1ce or 2ce a day - depends on them really and the weather.
Hydrotherapy - once a week with Sharpwells - they don't enjoy getting in but have found this has made a huge difference. Have had no more hip dislocations since starting there. Also they get on great with Gareth.
Food - again trying to keep the weight off but can be difficult.
Supplements - we give them an oil from MaxiZoo and Luposan from Zooplus - in each and every meal.
Outside - when at home they have free run of outside and enjoy running around and chasing each other.

When not at home I have them in day care with DTI - great for socialisation as our walks are too short for proper socialisation. They just love it there and after a day there they just are not up for walks. Can hardly get them to come home some days.

In terms of boredom - have found that training is a lot better for exhausting them than exercise - just a combination of sit (limited due to their hips); Stay; Come Here; Touch etc all works well. My OH is doing shaping with the energetic one getting her to knock over cups...

Growth spurts - our vet has us supplied with an anti-imflammatory for the bad days...

Destruction - selection of chewable / rippable toys for them - yes our furniture is in bits - but you know they are happy and furniture is just that - a collection of wood so at this stage no biggie. Also holes in the plaster can at some point be replastered.

My primary concern is that they are pain free and happy.
(should note that this has not helped their socialisation with people - we rarely if ever have visitors anymore - and they have to be tightly controlled on walks...)

best of luck OP - maybe talk to a dog trainer or your vet for some tips - DTI (Dog Training Ireland) also do training sessions but there are loads out there - I can only talk to where I have experience of, and between DTI and Sharpwells and my local Vet my wife and I feel like we are in good, safe and caring hands.

fenris

I had a similar situation regarding hip dysplasia, it is all about management. the hip scores can be quite bad without it impacting the dog depending on how it is distributed so a high score doesn't necessarily equal constant pain.

You need to let your dog be a dog and not a patient, keep her lean, keep her exercised, keep the muscle mass on her back legs, manage pain when it is there.

Swimming is good, don't be afraid to let her run, minimise jumping, she will slow down or stop if she is not comfortable with an activity, she may want to turn around a bit early on a walk or do some extra sniffing to give herself a break, she may even get the hang of faking it!

Your dog wants to be with you, doing stuff with you a lot more than she wants to sit around just in case she gets sore in the future, spend a good bit of time on building up a strong recall to give you flexibility when you are out walking with the buggy, when you have time sign up to some obedience classes, then you will have a good basis to start learning some tricks that will keep both yourself and the dog happy, selective retrieves e.g. finding the remote AND giving it back, bring you your shoes etc. Doggie time doesn't have to be about running in a field, you have a collie cross that means that there is a lot of potential in that canine brain so you need to find an outlet that works for you, otherwise she will make up her own "jobs" to do.

Check out clicker training, very easy and rewarding and perfect for when you are spending a good bit of time in each others company allowing for frequent short (2-5 minute) sessions, you will be very surprised at how far you will get in a short period of time.

It is a bit of a shocker to find out that your lively young dog has a condition like HD, my GSD went to be hip scored at 12 months and they were not able to give a score as his hips were so bad - i.e. it was pointless to attempt to accurately count the flaws and there was already thickening of the heads of the femurs. He lived to the age of 10 and while walks became short an frequent sniffing trips to the woods rather than long expeditions across the mountains in the last year his quality of life was excellent, we spent a lot of time learning tricks that he could do to keep his mind active and the time spent training was great fun for both of us.
Another benefit of having a dog that can do some tricks is that it makes it very obvious that the dog is under control and helps defuse worries that non doggie people have when meeting your dog.

There is a vet in Cork called Shane Guieran that is a specialist in hip surgery that may be a future option for you, it worked very well for us and takes about 6 weeks for recovery.

So in summary, treat you dog like a young dog, enjoy her, give her the opportunity to enjoy you, use a bit of cop on regarding activities and teach her loads of tricks and don't let the pet insurance lapse!

Kash

How old is your baby? Could her behaviour be related to your new arrival instead? It could be a form of seperation anxiety, even though you are there, she might find sharing you with the baby quite strange and difficult to deal with. It seems like plenty of exercise/entertainment to me, so I would be drawn to another root cause.

She sounds like she is very attached to you, so it might be worth your while trying to spread that attachment between you and your hubby whilst working on correcting the destructiveness.

I've no experience with crate training, so can't comment there, but it seems to be a worthwhile solution for a whole host of doggy behavioural problems. It just wasn't for me and mine

tk123

lisaj wrote: »

Aw, puppy jail.

The crate is a den/safe place - they go into it to sleep and chill out. It's not a jail or punishment.

Anyhoos OP you should imo most definitely get a crate and get her used to it. You're unfortunately more than likely going to have to crate rest her at some stage if she has HD - especially if she ends up needing surgery? Also as the baby gets more mobile the crate will be a place for the dog to get away from little grabbing hands!

My dog had operations on his legs and spent 6 weeks on crate rest both times so in the crate 24x7 except for 3 toilet breaks (on lead) a day. I trained him by feeding his meals in kongs in the crate. The first few days he was in the crate with the door open then I gradually built up the time that the door was closed. Also I moved his bed into the crate so he knew that's where he was supposed to sleep. Nylabones, stagbars etc are also very good to keep them occupied and the chewing relaxes them.

For using up energy I did loads of training with my guy too - he was restricted a lot of the time before his legs were sorted to minimise damage and after the operations he wasn't allowed off lead for 12 weeks so again loads of energy to use up.
Have you done any clicker training? Shaping/free shaping are great ways to get the dog thinking and use up energy. You'll find better explanations/examples online but it's basically building a behaviour in small steps where you don't give the dog verbal cues - you let them figure out what you want to do by rewarding each step. Eg putting their toys away, touching something with their nose, rolling a ball along the ground etc etc.

Julygirl

Aw thanks everyone for your replies!

Some good things I think I will have to sort out in the very near future:

1/ Crate
I think a crate is definitely the way to go for a start anyway - those of you using them, how big should it be in relation to the dog (ie they should be able to stand up & turn around I presume?)

2/ Training
I think you are all right too about getting a trainer involved & varying the training - So far all our training has been verbal or hand signs (she responds just as well to sign as she does to verbal) - I will look up the clicker & shaping / free shaping too and have a bash!

@Taltos - thanks so much for sharing your experiences - i think you are right on the money re: them being pain free and happy - I think I have the pain free bit OK, I just can't seem to get the happy bit

@Fenris - The walk we take everyday is down to the local beach and the 15mins off the leash is mostly spent in the water
When it is very bad weather, there is a river about the same distance which is more sheltered for us - you are right, there is a definite improvement with swimming!

"So in summary, treat you dog like a young dog, enjoy her, give her the opportunity to enjoy you, use a bit of cop on regarding activities and teach her loads of tricks and don't let the pet insurance lapse!"
Excellent advice!!!

@Kash - Baby is nearly 7 months old, Dog hasn't been too bothered one way or the other until recently when both baby and dog have decided they are the best of friends and if the dog even looks at her, fits of giggles ensue.

Unfortunately, husband isn't remotely interested in the dog. He is kind to her and doesn't treat her badly but is totally disinterested. He is of the opinion that dogs should sit quietly in the back garden alone until summoned for an orderly walk once or twice a week. Seriously, don't get me started on it.
So unfortunately, I am on my lonesome with this one!

@TK123 - as silly as it sounds, I hadn't even thought that far ahead to her having surgery - it makes so much sense to start the crate training now so that it is comforting, familiar and safe to her!

Cherry Blossom

Hi OP,

Not the best of breeds for scent/tracking games but it's something I would try out to see if she has any interest at all, you can make a trail with some sort of smelly stock with a nice treat at the end or just hide lots of super smelly little treats around the house and/or garden. Seeking them all out is quite hard work but doesn't require too much physical effort.

pokertalk

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Hi OP,

Not the best of breeds for scent/tracking games but it's something I would try out to see if she has any interest at all, you can make a trail with some sort of smelly stock with a nice treat at the end or just hide lots of super smelly little treats around the house and/or garden. Seeking them all out is quite hard work but doesn't require too much physical effort.

I would defo go down this route, mental exhaustion works just as good for behaviour problems. My two love hide the kong games and it takes them a while to find them but they never give up because of the treat at the end.They always have a kip after hide the kong;)

JustAThought

If it's a collie mix with lab you should be onto a great thing with training/ thinking/ tracking stuff!!! aJ's remark on hiding & tracking is right on ( let's hope the lab brain dominates!!) & a game I play with mine is to hide small ( halfpenny size) bits of things / treats ( about 20 or 30) & make her sniff them out. Mine LOVES this & the food comes out of her daily allowance so it's not " extra" weight. I have managed to progress to making her sniff & find only 1 of 2 types of hidden treats which really exhausts her ( & me) but it's great to see her so excited: and fit when she's wrapped up in bandages ( cut foot/leg/ear whatever!) it really works!!

I also do combined command sequences with her : heal ( different sides) stop, restart, change sides, heel, walk tight, shapes like circle or sharp triangle : wait/release/come herl again etc and all the thinking & listening tires her & excited her!! Lotsa love & petting & she hoovers it up!!! Plus you can do it in your sitting room ( well: mostly!!) or garden; which is great if you have two babies to look after!!( not counting your husband of course!!)

I like the surgery suggestion; really worth looking into ESP if she is so bad so young & you have insurance.

I read on the little print on the back of my insurance ( Alliance) that you can get training aids e50 allowance ; might be worth looking into ; esp if the vet is on your side; maybe s/he could suggest training aids ( ie toys!!)

Here's a mad thing ; I had two goldfish in a long tank & my dog just LOVED sitting watching them & poking her nose in to see what they were up to! Often we'd be on the couch & she would jump up to go over & investigate a new move they'd made or something they were looking at!!! Low impact but might be worth a consideration?

Julygirl

Thanks everyone for such great advice!

Have tried some scent games with limited success - she is tending to rely more on her sight than nose and can't quite figure out the point (resulting in her getting the scent and then running about like a lunatic looking for the item before she runs over to me and lies down waiting for me to give her what she smells)

I will keep at it though as it was fun setting it up and I am sure it is only a matter of practice before she learns to use her noggin and nose!

It has been suggested that getting a second dog for company, especially an older rescue might help calm her down

I am not sure though as I would rather have her behavior much more under control before I add an sidekick into the mix...

Anyone have any experience of this?