Quote:
Originally Posted by QuickSilver  I've got to stop reading this thread, ha ha.
Just want to say one thing about VS recommending meds for that dog. First, while I like VS very much, I don't worship her or think she is flawless. Maybe it was wrong to give the dog meds, I can't say. However, I do want to point out that I believe this is the first time on the show she has ever recommended meds for a dog, and I was happy to see her do it, because many dogs can benefit from medication, just like people do. I think more people should be aware of this option for seriously damaged dogs.
It's a very interesting area, and it gives us insight about how these drugs work on us, since they are probably affecting the same brain areas. A common model of the brain is the oldest part of the brain, our reptile brain, which is really basic stuff like fear; then on top of that is the mammal brain, which has things like social function; then we have our big crinkly cerebellum that gives us things like abstract thought. Obviously grossly simplified, but that indicates that meds that work in dogs and humans are working under the cerebellum.
Anyway, VS also brought in an experienced veterinarian to assess the dog as well, she didn't just say, this dog seems upset, let's give it some drugs. |
Sometimes I think you want to either fully endorse someone or hate them, I don't think this is really necessary, since as many have said earlier, not everything is known yet. You give great tips on the training forum and I love reading your replies, but I don't care where you've learned them, if they sound like something that would work for Joey, I will try it, (as long as I don't think it's abusive).
I do want to make it clear that I'm not against meds; I thought she should have tried training first, but all she did was remove the other dog, and notice that the dog was anxious. When the vet came he noted it too, and believed the dog could be helped with the drugs. Then after the dog was on drugs, she tried the experiment of removing the anxious dog first, and taking it out of the house, and then removing the dog's pal. Since the dog could not see the removal of his pal, when he returned, he suffered from no anxiety. It was not the fact that the dog wasn't there; it was seeing the dog removed that made him anxious. She later said that the drugs take several weeks to work, yet her experiment worked immediately. I'm saying that the experiment should have been performed before the drugs, perhaps they weren't necessary.
I've seen Cesar do the same thing, and he gets the dogs into a relaxed state, and moves the other dog further from first dog, in small steps, if the first dog shows any anxiety, Cesar backs up, and calms the dog down, and continually reinforces with this calming type of behavior, the second dog eventually goes to the next room, and finally the door is closed, the steps are tiny, and where most trainer would do this with a food reward, Cesar is using this calming stance with them as the reward. Someone else could probably explain this calming thing better than me, but I really love the idea of training without all the food rewards, or meds. However, nearly all my training with Joey has involved food rewards. They are still useful for potty training, trick training, and getting Joey use to new people.