Fear & anxiety can improve – but happily ever after?

dog

Last in a series

Jerry was already getting help with his own struggles when I met him, Charlene, and their dogs Izzy and wee Rosie and Willa. Everybody, pupsters included, knew there’d be no quick fix for the anxiety, aggression, and fear. Even moderate improvement would be cause for dancing in the streets. Ignoring and banishing Izzy to time-out, followed by reinforcing calmer behavior, would be their new routine. No more scolding.

Wait a minute. Wouldn’t that only work when the dogs were supervised? Izzy’s fluctuating anxiety could spike dangerously anytime. Her cowering compact canine cohabitants were all too familiar with her short fuse. They were already looking over their little shoulders.

Izzy wore more stripes on her sleeve than Rosie and Willa but she wasn’t a stable leader. I prescribed fluoxetine, a safe and effective antianxiety medication that can also reduce impulsivity and aggression. (The canine-approved brand Reconcile is often better absorbed than the cheaper generic.) After a few weeks this big girl was calmer but still prone to intense agitation if Willa or Rosie came too close. Adding guanfacine to diminish her release of noradrenalin made life less explosive. All creatures could now exhale.

I laid down the law: Keep Izzy separated from the smaller dogs whenever they weren’t under a watchful human eye, most importantly when Charlene and Jerry were away. And nothing is permanent. Everybody’s brain, and their behavior, are likely to change over time, for better or for worse.

A lot of us pet parents carry old wounds. The Clines had considered having children early in their long marriage but Jerry absolutely abhorred bullying. He was terrified that his family’s violent history would repeat. He didn’t want to pop off anymore. As Izzy got better, so did everybody else. But they would always be in recovery.

The Cline family moved to a smaller house a couple of years later. It was a difficult change for anxious Izzy, triggering a bounce in Willa’s and Rosie’s vigilance. I advised my clients on adjustments in management and dosages. Everybody made it through without a single brawl.

·

For help with behavior problems, you can sign-up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.

Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist. He provides consultations in-person and in groups by Zoom (drjeffnichol.com). Each week he shares a blog and a video to help bring out the best in pets and their people. Sign up at no charge at drjeffnichol.com. Post pet questions through my website, drjeffnichol.com/contact/ or by US Post to 4000 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuq, NM 87109.