Originally Posted by pstinard (Post 4742223)

One more excellent article on treatment of general anxiety disorder in dogs. They recommend SSRI's for chronic treatment, and benzodiazepines only in acute situations on a limited basis.

http://www.deerrunanimalhospital.com...20Disorder.pdf

Originally Posted by pstinard (Post 4742261)

I've read these types of training guidelines before, and I try to practice them with Bella as much as possible. (Sometimes her cuteness causes me to relent, though.) Still, it's good to see these guidelines again as a reminder.

Originally Posted by Lolasmom1211 (Post 4742229)

We went to Dr Lore Haug with our little guy, Nash, for years to try to get him more comfortable with his anxiety. There are very few board certified Veterinary Behaviorists around; only 5 in Texas, and 1 in the Houston area. She tried Nash on several different drugs, different drug combinations and different strengths of drugs. She always instructed us to use the medications in conjunction with the PACE protocol, obedience training and a 95% Rule. The 95% rule is to never ask your dog to do something or put your dog in a situation unless you are at least 95% sure he will react in a desirable manner! She never used Xanax. The combination of drugs that worked best for Nash were Fluoxetine & Trazodone. Nash continues to have issues with storms and loud noises and Dr Haug believes these will never resolve. They may lessen as he ages and his hearing gets worse. His separation anxiety has gotten better, but I believe that has been a trust issue. He knows that I will come back and he is comfortable at home with my 2 other pups. He still has body handling issues, but even these are better. I believe if I worked with him more consistently, this may also get better. We don't know what happened to Nash - whether it was abuse, neglect or he had just gotten lost and hurt' no one is sure. He came to us with his front leg so mangled it had to be amputated. The first few months with me, he was timid and shy. As he became more comfortable, he began to "guard" and had the most severe separation anxiety I've ever encountered. Nash is better today, but will never be "well". Nash has been with me now for 5 1/2 years and is no longer on any medications. We have learned to look for his "cues" when something makes him uncomfortable or scared, and we all have a healthy respect for this and give him his space. I've learned that I can't fix Nash - only make him more comfortable when possible, and accept and love him - good & bad!

Originally Posted by sandy simpson (Post 4744368)

People should study the breed of dog before they get one. Yorkies tend to be active and they bark .both of mine are barkers. When someone comes they go crazy. That's a yorkie. A great watchdog. I would not medicate my dogs unless it got pretty bad. I hope you can train your dog's and accept some barking. That's what they do.

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88 (Post 4744444)

This post seems a little rude. There are dogs that have anxiety which can cause barking issues. No matter what type of dog you have if it’s not anxiety related you can train them to bark less. I never see super barkie in the profiles about Yorkies in fact I have known many who aren’t. My older girl is not a barker and very rarely to never barks. My youngest only barks if she sees something and sometimes when her brother does it. My little boy is the most barky of the group but even then he knows leave it and will stop. Anxiety is absolutely terrible and I would not hesitate to medicate for it.

Originally Posted by pstinard (Post 4744527)

I wouldn't say the post was rude so much as it was ignorant, particularly this quote: "I hope you can train your dog's and accept some barking. That's what they do."

For the record, OF COURSE I accept some barking. I've had other dogs before. Barking is one way that dogs communicate. It is NOT normal for a dog to bark continually and work itself into a state of frenzied panic that lasts for four hours while a worker is trying to install cable TV. Although I explained the situation at the beginning of my thread, perhaps the person replying didn't read it or didn't understand the situation. Like I said, ignorance.

The good news is that the Prozac resulted in some improvement. Instead of being inconsolable while our furnace was being inspected, Bella was consolable. It's not just for me, it's for her well-being as well.

After the second two-month prescription runs out, the vet wants to see Bella again to re-evaluate. I'll question the vet more pointedly and report back on what she says.

Originally Posted by pstinard (Post 4744527)

I wouldn't say the post was rude so much as it was ignorant, particularly this quote: "I hope you can train your dog's and accept some barking. That's what they do."

For the record, OF COURSE I accept some barking. I've had other dogs before. Barking is one way that dogs communicate. It is NOT normal for a dog to bark continually and work itself into a state of frenzied panic that lasts for four hours while a worker is trying to install cable TV. Although I explained the situation at the beginning of my thread, perhaps the person replying didn't read it or didn't understand the situation. Like I said, ignorance.

The good news is that the Prozac resulted in some improvement. Instead of being inconsolable while our furnace was being inspected, Bella was consolable. It's not just for me, it's for her well-being as well.

After the second two-month prescription runs out, the vet wants to see Bella again to re-evaluate. I'll question the vet more pointedly and report back on what she says.