lovemyshelties
Forums Enthusiast
Okay, let me begin by saying that I'm aware all dogs are different and Shelties are different. My husband and I purchased a blue merle Sheltie pup two years ago and christened her Zoey. Our mistake was buying her from a breeder we had little info on. I know, I know. We should know better. With that said, Zoey has wiggled her way into our hearts and we're in this for the long haul.
Zoey's over reactive barking and general anxiety led us to consult with a certified behaviorist who gave us a ton of stuff to read and a list of instructions that made our heads spin. After her evaluation, she agreed we should try anxiety medication so with the help of our vet we got Zoey started on Clomicalm (with little effectiveness). After about six months (again with the vet's approval) we stopped the meds, let her body detox, and then started her on Prozac.
She's been on Prozac now for about 6 weeks. This med is helping her sleep peacefully through the night, something she's never been able to do, yet her daytime anxiety continues. Zoey really stresses out when I get ready for work in the mornings...poor thing. I don't play into it, but at the behaviorist's request toss her tasty treats to distract her. Works momentarily. We also purchased an x-pen because Zoey freaked out when it came time to go into her crate. Our other two have no issues with being crated. They run in and lay down as if to say "see ya later mom."
I'd love to hear from others on this forum who have blue merles to see if anyone thinks there is a link between this color combination and nuttiness in general. And, is there anything you've done to help your dog lower his or her stress level? There are some days I feel like we're way in over our heads. We've had six Shelties and only one blue merle and only one that acts like her.
Zoey's over reactive barking and general anxiety led us to consult with a certified behaviorist who gave us a ton of stuff to read and a list of instructions that made our heads spin. After her evaluation, she agreed we should try anxiety medication so with the help of our vet we got Zoey started on Clomicalm (with little effectiveness). After about six months (again with the vet's approval) we stopped the meds, let her body detox, and then started her on Prozac.
She's been on Prozac now for about 6 weeks. This med is helping her sleep peacefully through the night, something she's never been able to do, yet her daytime anxiety continues. Zoey really stresses out when I get ready for work in the mornings...poor thing. I don't play into it, but at the behaviorist's request toss her tasty treats to distract her. Works momentarily. We also purchased an x-pen because Zoey freaked out when it came time to go into her crate. Our other two have no issues with being crated. They run in and lay down as if to say "see ya later mom."
I'd love to hear from others on this forum who have blue merles to see if anyone thinks there is a link between this color combination and nuttiness in general. And, is there anything you've done to help your dog lower his or her stress level? There are some days I feel like we're way in over our heads. We've had six Shelties and only one blue merle and only one that acts like her.
