Possibly this has been discussed already, but I was wondering about people's views on sedatives. Sophie gets very anxious and makes a Lot of noise in the car when we are going places other than my work and when it's other than just me in the car. We are driving to the Loire valley this Saturday, using the channel tunnel and we know this will be a big deal fif her. The noise she makes can often last an hour and a half, so for our sanity and her wellbeing, we are considering something to calm her down. Seeing as whiskey or valium is not an option, for me driving or Soph, and I am not a fan of man made medicines, are there any recommendations for something herbal/natural ? Appreciate any ideas
I would normally recommend desensitisation and counter conditioning over a period of weeks which would most likely, if approached correctly, eliminate your problem. You could try Adaptil which may help your girl and there is also Zylkene which needs to be administered for at least a week before a known stressful event. Personally I found Zylkene a waste of time and money and have seen the benefits of Adaptil but all dogs are different. Ultimately you need to speak to your vet for their recommendation to help your girl.
Ok, thanks. Adaptil, strangely enough, had the reverse effect, it actually made her anxiety worst. Are vets more inclined to advocate natural products over man made? I don't really want to have to go down this route, but we are near the end of our options. Cages didn't work, as I said, neither did Adaptil, treats and having my girlfriend sit beside her or letting Soph sit in the front, change nothing. It has been suggested to try a squirt of water when she is bad, but I don't know.
It takes time to get them used to being in the car. You say she is fine when going to your work. Maybe she’s sees this as a fun place so can relate to where she is going. Lots of short trips over the next week with something at the end of them such as a game of ball or a tasty treat. I used adaptil which helped us, but I knew I couldn’t rely on it. Squirting water will do nothing apart from making her scared of you.
I can't imagine a squirt of water would work if she's really anxious, I suppose the argument is that it would startle her and then she'd stop but even if it did startle her I imagine she'd start again. We had a lab when I was a kid who was anxious on long journeys and she was prescribed, by the vet, a tranquiliser which just took the edge off her anxiety and she'd settle and sleep, no side effects or lasting doziness. We probably only used the tranquiliser once a year for our annual road trip on holiday. However, this was in the 70s! I think your vet is the best bet for advice.
I've used Bach's REscue Remedy on a cat successfully. She got quite deaf in old age and was lonely in the night and with a bit of dementia going on as well sometimes woke at night frightened, I guess, and would cry out. No way you can desensitize for that, RR helped calm her and allowed us to sleep. We had to work in the morning. If it's only the occasional car trip this might be worth a try. Probably not a concern for cats but possiblly for dogs, watch out, RR makes a candy version and it has xylitol in it.
No I wouldn't recommend this at all, Soph is not being bad she is anxious so this won't help her but could make it worse and it's just not nice. You don't have enough time to do much desentising so my suggestion would be for you and your girlfriend to do as many car trips to as many different places as possible between now and Saturday. Start off going to work and treat her for being 'quiet' even though she is OK with this journey then continue doing the same for various trips. Make sure it's cooked chicken or some other high value treat or try giving her a frozen kong with something really special in it for the journey to see if she is calmer. In the long term you could try clicker training her or continue as above as it's always good to have a dog that likes to travel in the car. Good luck x
You could ask the vet for an ACP tablet (you have to adjust the dose very carefully) just for the long journey, it is what vets give for a sedative before an op. I don't don't really advocate it, but it is worth asking your vet's opinion. I tried Valium once years ago for my CollieX and despite having a dose which would cause a human to be washed out, she remained as hyper as ever, so don't try that!
I have no experience with this but I know there are shirts against this. It isn’t cheap though.... https://www.medpets.nl/thundershirt-hond/?lpc=478-464-352
Many vets will recommend a natural remedy, but you have to speak to your vet for advice on suitable medication for your dog. As a positive reinforcement trainer I would strongly advise against squirting water which is regarded as an aversive. It may shock your girl into silence initially but the repercussions of not being able to express her discomfort without being punished could make her behaviour worse.
I didn't like the idea and feel nicer methods must be available, it's just finding the right one. I don't even like the thought of sedatives really. On a position note though, we have be doing really well with lead training and I'm learning a lot . Soph is perfect in our driveway or other training areas, but it's on the pavement or quiet roads near the workshop where she starts to pull away again. I've been doing short trips down our street with chicken or cocktail sausage treats and we are getting further each time. It's just me struggling slightly with greasy treats and lead and the signal to walk in the correct position. Like I said I'm learning, Soph is a good teacher.
