My Anxious Shelties - Toby and Ginny - Updates on their Progress

Toby and Ginny are continuing to do really well.

For the first time in his life, Toby is realizing that the world isn't such a scary place after all. Slowly he's becoming less and less nervous as he realizes that often, noises are just noises and not green eyed monsters waiting to come get him. Most significantly, he's finally accepted that the ice cream cart going by our house is not a yellow monster from hell stalking him. :smile2:

I had him at my parent's house yesterday and for the first time, nothing set him off. He was just happy go lucky Toby, playing and acting like his usual goofy self. Not only is he significantly calmer, but he is also MUCH happier. My only regret is waiting so long before going the medication route with him.

I'm still working with him and some of his triggers, but overall his barking hasn't been a problem. I doubt that I'll ever have to use the spray bottle on him, since he responds so well to positive reinforcement. Its really not that hard to interrupt his barking.

Ginny is now on a new natural supplement called Zylkene/Lactium. She's doing much better on it than the Xanax. The Xanax made her feel groggy and only seemed to take the edge off of her nerves. The Zylkene/Lactium seems to give her much more relief without giving her the grogs. She acts much more like herself and has been doing very well outside and on walks. She's coming out of her shell a bit more but is still uncomfortable with playing with Sadie and Toby. I'm hoping she comes around soon, as annoying as her yappy barking and fun police behaviour with the other dogs can be, I miss the old Ginny and hate that her confidence is gone.

Since Ginny has done so well on the Zylkene/Lactium, my hope is that some day I'll be able to wean Toby off of the Reconcile and instead use Zylkene/Lactium.

I've enrolled Ginny in an advanced obedience class, which starts tonight. Hopefully this helps her come around a bit more. When I've completed the class with her I plan on attending it again with Toby.

We're taking a doggie dream vacation at the end of Sept./early Oct. and I'd really like it if Toby and Ginny could both enjoy it. I'd love it if they could both run around with reckless abandon instead of feeling nervous and worried.
 
I am really happy to hear that things are going well for you.

It sounds like things are on a positive upswing.

Thanks for the update.
 
danisgoat said:
I am really happy to hear that things are going well for you.

It sounds like things are on a positive upswing.

Thanks for the update.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm happy too!

I was beginning to think the nightmare would never end. I was also afraid I would have to give up Toby. I definitely didn't want to, but I wanted to do what was best for him, even if it meant finding a home for him in a rural area. Thank goodness it didn't come to that, that would have been heart breaking and so hard on him.
 
So glad that Ginny and Toby are coming around to being them selves. The vacation sounds great, by then they should be really doing well.
 
I am so glad your fur babies are doing so much better. You are doing something right. I applaud your dedication in seeing they get better. You are the best mom they could have.
 
Thanks for the compliments everyone. I'm just glad Toby and Ginny are feeling relief and that I don't feel like I'm being sucked down into some black hole any more.

Ginny did very well at her obedience class last night. She handled everything really well. Her loose leash heel was far from the greatest but a big part of that had to do with her anxiety, so this was no big surprised. Ginny rocked her stays, attention skills and impulse control.

I'm trying really hard to be patient with her, but I cna't wait till she gets her confidence back. I miss her being spunky and playful.
 
The Return of Miss Bossy Boots

Things for Ginny seem to be slowly turning around. I took the pups on an off leash hike yesterday, something Ginny used to LOVE. As I'd hoped, Ginny just couldn't resist the joy of running off leash and acted like her normal self, racing around at top speed barking and trying to herd the other dogs. What a relief!

I also noticed yesterday before the walk that she's starting to play a bit in the house with Toby and Sadie, something she hasn't done on her own in ages.

She's definitely doing a bit better but it was quite evident that she still has anxiety at home, in houses in general and in yards/on grass.

I'm happy with any small progress she makes but I'm puzzled and a bit sad and frustrated that she feels anxiety in the places where she should feel the safest. :(

At the same time, I'm really relieved that she's able to run and have fun on hikes. We're going away for 5 days with our dog loving friends and they're dogs at the end of Sept. It will be a sort of doggy wonderland, we've rented lake front cottages and will be hiking in Algonquin. Ginny was too anxious to enjoy my family's cottage last month but it looks like she'll be able to enjoy this one at least. :smile2:
 
Your up coming vacation sounds like such fun. So wonderful to hear that Ginny had fun on your hike and enjoyed her self at class. She is doing so much better.
 
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