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08-06-2020: Hi Jackie,
Thanks so much for getting back to us with this information. We will take a look at the list of trainer information and try to get something set up. We had already purchased the Zylkene so we’ve started that today. From what I’ve read it takes 2-3 days to start working and we purchased a 2 week supply. We can definitely give Particular Paws a try as well (thinking when the Zylkene runs out).
We’ve been taking her out to go potty much more frequently. She is going out the front door a bit easier, walking slightly better on the leash but still has high anxiety the entire time we are outside. Opening garage doors, light poles, cars driving by will all throw her into a panic. She will usually do a short pee, poos are harder to come by. We will keep working on this. She has improved some in the house too, a bit braver and more relaxed (when there are no fast movements or loud noises!)
We will continue to keep you posted. Thank you for your support.
Melissa
On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 11:51 AM Jackie Cash < airedalemail@comcast.net> wrote:
I read about Zylkene and it is quite expensive. Its main ingredient is a milk protein. It is highly rated and is listed as “Amazon’s Choice.” The product my friend, Cyn Mobley, who has been in rescue 30 years and operates a Waystation for rescue dogs being transported from the South to the North and Northeast US, recommends Particular Paws. It is much cheaper and she says it’s great for calming anxious dogs. Here’s the link on Amazon. I’ve ordered a bottle to be sent to you.
I’ve also looked through trainers listed on the ccpdt.org page and these 2 specifically are behavior-trained. That does not mean they are Veterinary Behaviorists.
Here is a link to behaviorists in Raleigh listed through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.
https://www.dacvb.org/search/newsearch.aspI saw your video and one thing that has occurred to me for the short term is keeping Grace tethered to you in the house and outside. She learns that where you go, she can go. You can also be watchful for her to try to eliminate in the house and immediately get her outside. I know this is not possible every minute, but it can do a lot to let her know that she is safe.
ARG will commit to helping with the cost of training Grace so that she can overcome her anxiety. We know it will be a process and it will not be easy, but she is worth it. Please contact one of the trainers first for a consultation. It will require that they come to your home and meet Grace. ARG will pay for this consultation. They would routinely issue a consultation report that should outline what they plan to do to help her. We will evaluate and go from there. If neither of these trainers believes they can help Grace, we can consider one of the DACVB behaviorists.
Thank you for contacting me about Grace and her anxiety. It is heartbreaking to think of her fears and anxieties of everyday situations and objects. We will help.
JackieMelissa & Jeramiah called me on the 3rd to talk to me about Grace. She is extremely anxious, timid, fearful of everything, afraid of them and every object she encounters outside. They said it’s gotten worse from the first couple of days.
Susanne had sedated Grace with Acepromazine for the trip, telling me that she sometimes gets anxious in the car. The Jordans said she was fine in the car and seemed a little sedated, but was ok Friday night (the 31st) and Saturday. She’s afraid when they take her outside, she’s afraid when she comes back inside; she’s afraid of light poles, she’s afraid of cars parked on the street. Jeramiah said they were walking her Monday and a woman came out to the street to put something in her garbage cart and the noise scared Grace and she literally flattened herself down on the sidewalk and peed all over herself. She was terrified. When she’s in the house – most of the time, of course – she will be fine beside them on the couch or on the floor, but if either of them move, she is startled and runs. They sent me 3 videos of her: First, she’s standing in an open hallway, tail tucked, reacting to kitchen noises. In the second, Jeramiah walks past her to pick up a cardboard box and she runs in the opposite direction to the staircase landing and watches cautiously as he puts the box down in a different spot. As he walks back toward the kitchen, she runs in the same direction but looking back at him the entire time. In the last, Rory has gone to the front door to look out and barks. She has gone back to the landing but Jeramiah again comes into view and she runs.
Obviously, Susanne Ridgeway did not divulge to us her level of anxiety, fear, skittishness. It’s almost debilitating according to the Jordans. She gets along great with Rory and is happy playing with him in the yard. But she is afraid of everything.
I have looked for force-free, non-aversive, positive-reinforcement trainers in their area and sent them a couple to check out. I also sent them a link to Animal Behaviorists in Raleigh area. We talked about some things to try. Their vet suggested a ProPlan probiotic/calming treat. A vet friend of theirs in FL suggested Zylkene and they ordered some and will try it for 2 weeks. I read about Zylkene and it looks promising, but I had seen Cyn Mobley recommend Particular Paws Calming Treats so I bought a small supply and sent it to them via Amazon.
08-06-2020 From Cindy:
Barbara, Jackie
After seeing his issue first hand and having had some time to think about it my thoughts are:
I suspect Teddy’s fear/guarding evolved and escalated as is does in many dogs because he lived in a small world To begin with and when this behavior began to manifest the owners just kept making his world smaller. I see this fairly often and will probably see even more when this “Covid stuff” ends.
I would definitely say he is not suited to be in a home with kids and a lot of unpredictable activity.
After seeing Teddys behavior I feel sure this was a “get away from me now” response and not an aggressive “I am going to do damage to you behavior” .
After reading the info on Teddy I was of the mindset that his issue was chasing after loud or fast moving things/people. And owners stated that this has only occurred with kids. Suspect there were some other clues .
But thinking of his transport day, he was handed off to multiple people and was perfectly fine. In my case I had car trouble that day and my husband had to come get me to meet the transport. I was late and the poor women meeting me needed to run in to a restroom immediately. She quickly handed Teddy to me and I promptly put him in the back seat of the truck with Bruce at the wheel. Teddy showed no concern at all. And I note the other drivers stated the same.
Thinking of the incident today, this bearded man in a hat stepped out suddenly in front of us. This was foolish on my part and I feel badly. Teddy was in a down at my feet such that I had no visual of his face to read any concern. If I had been walking my Airedale Grace from ARG I would not have even considered letting this man approach . I know Grace is fearful of men. She would have growled and stepped back behind me. Grace has never even attempted a bite but she is shy and fearful. Teddy is fairly bold such that his fear response is to move in. I feel sure this can be worked through with a lot of slow positive exposure to the world such that he does not have be shut in. But then he would still need to be with an owner that is mindful of his issues and willing to possibly use a muzzle when in a situation where they have any doubt.Jackie,
To answer your question. I can work with Teddy on these issues or he can go to someone that specializes in this sort of thing. However the bigger challenge is the training is generally only successful when the owner has gone through the training 1:1 as well. I would love to see this for Teddy . He really is a good dog. Best scenario is to have someone willing to consider this challenge and locate a trainer in close proximity to that potential owner.Cindy
Sent from my iPad
Cindy GOn Aug 6, 2020, at 1:16 PM, Barbara Reese Yager
Thank you Cindy.
I wonder if this guarding would be ‘easier’ to managed with a stay at home
family than a walking active one?Bay
—–Original Message—–
From: cgreendr [mailto:cgreendr@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2020 11:45 AM
To: Jackie Cash
Cc: Barbara Reese Yager
Subject: Teddy incidentJackie,
I had a concerning incident with Teddy this morning. I took him to FMU
campus for his morning walk . Lots of activity today on the grounds as they
prepare for classes to resume. He was perfectly behaved and non-reactive to
anything going on.
As I was returning to my vehicle, one of the grounds crew members spoke to
me and I stopped to talk. The man was on a walkway on the other side of
some bushes. He was wanting some help with walking a dog and I offered him
my business card. I stepped back and placed Teddy in a down at my side. I
reached out to hand the man the card and as the man stepped through the
shrubs, Teddy grabbed at his pant leg. I immediately pulled him back and
placed him in a sit and he settled and did not attempt any additional
forward moment .
Very fortunately he just got the mans pant leg. I put Teddy in my truck and
went back to speak to the man and make absolutely sure Teddy did not get
skin.
I am sure this was fear-based guarding. I should have been more aware of the
circumstance where a person is stepping through shrubs and into me. This
unfortunately is a concerning red flag for this dog. This could absolutely
be addressed but would require some serious commitment from an owner.
Do you think ARG would have someone willing to take on this challenge. This
would require an owner working 1:1 with a trainer that is experienced with
guarding behavior. This also requires ongoing commitment to manage.
Teddy has so many great qualities and is a perfectly behaved dog when he
trusting but clearly has a mindset to guard when he feels uncomfortable.Cindy
08-06-2020: I have asked Marcela to take Izzy to the vet to be tested for heartworms because she has not been on HW preventative.
Marcela is to meet the Mayalls from Floyd, VA in Gaffney, SC to deliver Izzy on Sunday, August 9th, at noon.
08-06-2020: The Mayalls are adopting Izzy and will meet Marcela on Sunday, August 9th, at noon in Gaffney, SC.
08-04-2020: Marcela has sent me photos of Izzy’s new rabies tag for 2021 and photos of the other vax records. She has not been on HW preventative since Marcela got her. Marcela instead uses HWF by Ambernaturalz.com. Nowhere in the description of this product does it say that it prevents heartworms. It supposedly strengthens the heart.
08-04-2020: Cathy Biersack referred these folks bc they are interested in Izzy. My comments on interviewing them are included in the body of the application.
They have sent photos of their home and yard. They have 5 acres fenced in the middle of nowhere, Floyd, VA, near Roanoke. They are prepared to drive to GA to pick up Izzy.
Their only concern is their 2 kittens, ages 5 months and 3 months. Izzy supposedly hates cats, but they think they can keep them safe.
From Cindy 08-04-2020
Good evening Jackie,
Today was two weeks with Teddy. I continue to see good things with this guy.
We have worked through the Crate issue/guarding such that he is fine with other dogs approaching his crate. I normally don’t allow dogs to approach another dogs crate as that is safe zone. But it seemed he had some previous association with the crate such that he felt he needed to guard that zone.
He continues to be great on walks . But things are much quieter these days in public places such that there are not a lot of regular challenges for practicing.
I did have one challenge this week when I was out on the front of our property with Teddy on leash. I saw a neighbor coming down the road on a ATV with his dog running along side. I released Teddys leash and he immediately ran to the gate barking. I am sure if the gate had been open he would have chased. I think from his reaction that this was a combination of excitement (some prey drive) and fear of an unknown I quickly got control of the leash and he settled. Shortly after this incident, two neighbors walked by quietly and he did not seem to even notice.
I am going to solicit some help to set up some fast , exciting movement and work with him to relax and ignore.
Still feel Teddy is not an aggressive dog, he just needs some help with controlling the chase instincts . Not at all unusual for an Airedale.
There has clearly been some attempts to correct some unwanted behaviors but he does not understand or know what he should do.
He will need an owner that understands these prey tendencies and is serious about prevention and guidance.Cindy
08-03-2020: Candace has sent photos and medical records on Zeus. She and I spoke about a year ago but they weren’t ready to let him go yet. They did NOT get him neutered; they did NOT get any training for him.
He actually sounds like a good dog and doesn’t sound aggressive. I see that the vet recommended you get him neutered bc of dominance issues…. Did not do that. He is still intact.
He is not aggressive. He does not seem to do as well with men as with women. Her 3-year-old and 7-year-old girls are fine with him. He’s not as good with her 10- & 13-year-old boys. He’s definitely a more dominant dog.
The 5-year-old male Airedale, Hans, is neutered. They get along together. They go out together and are out in the house together. But Zeus and her family clash. There have been no incidents to make him not like the boys.
Candace is home with the children full time. Husband works 8 to 5. She is the focus of Zeus. When they’re boarded they’re good and Zeus did fine with other dogs. When he sees other dogs, he barks and wants to get to them. But he’s never aggressive. He is trained to the invisible fence and has never breached it. If he starts to go after a squirrel or something, she tells him no and he stops. He will go down the driveway if she’s with him or leaves him out. If she’s not around and just the kids are out, he’ll go roam. He comes back. They go on walks and he goes with her and he stays with her and will run circles around her on their long walks. When is he crated? When they leave the house; sometimes he’s crated when she’s busy in the house. He is fine being crated 8 hours a day! He did break out of the crate once — just pushed the wires outward and got out.
Hans was trained at an obedience class and Zeus takes cues from him and she taught Zeus on those things.
She keeps his coat short to help with the shedding. He’s Oorang wire hired and he does shed. ?? Breeders were Becky & Tony Hogg in Monticello FL. As soon as they got him, they called the breeder back and asked why he sheds and the breeder told them because he has Oorang Airedale in him. ?? I’ve never heard that.
I asked her to explain the incident of him biting her son while the son was riding the ATV.
Her son had a small ATV, low to the ground, not really a go-cart and safer than a go-cart. The kids would just ride around the house in circles and she doesn’t know why but Zeus likes to run whenever alongside you when you’re on the golf cart or the ATV. He would nip at Candace’s legs while running alongside. Then, he started running alongside her 10-y-o son and both were moving that probably made the bite worse. The cart was going and Zeus was running. Now it seems it will automatically become an incident between the boys and Zeus.
The 13-y-o Son was running with her and had run back to the pivot point and Zeus chased and got to him, he jumped up on him. Her son just held him until she got there. Then Zeus just dropped. No more incidents.
He has just started growling at her husband. When her husband comes in and walks from the living room to the mudroom where the dogs’ crates are, Zeus has started growling at him. Sometimes it’s the husband and the older boy.
They take him to inlaws place who have a lake house. They can’t be off-leash there because of gators, so she keeps them leashed. He pulls on the leash so she uses choke collar.
08-03-2020: I interviewed Diane O’Cain and will update with my notes later. Theirs will not be a good home for Izzy.
But they’d already figured that out because MARCELA called them.08-03-2020 Jill sent an email that she’s interested in the Airedale in GA.
jill.heske@gmail.com
cell 770-329-2587She works at home. Mobile app provider.
Summer came from a breeder – Frankenfaust.He’s 19 and loves Airedales. Husband works outside the home.
She doesn’t think she can train Izzy to not be reactive to other dogs and they go to the dog park all the time – the the small dog side, because Summer got attacked by another dog and small terrier mix. Summer is only 43 or 48 lbs.
Jill has a couple of crates that she would donate to us. They’re too small for a normal full-grown Airedale but would be fine for a smaller one – less than 40 lbs.
08-03-2020 Jill sent an email that she’s interested in the Airedale in GA.
jill.heske@gmail.comMore on 08-02-2020
Never even touched him, Jackie – he sensed or saw my hand moving and instinctively snapped. No growl or anything. I think he realized instantly that he’d made a mistake.This is likely some combination of learned behavior and a genetic inclination to “protect”. It’ll take some work to break the habit. He’s made huge progress insofar as food, toys, etc. go, but this was an anomaly.
08-01-2020
On 08/01/2020 6:43 PM Chris PattersonThe only real news is that I got bitten this morning. His resource guarding has dramatically diminished, but he still forages on countertops and other elevated surfaces for treasures.
He was lying at my feet, when it dawned on me that he was chewing on something. I reached down to stroke his head, thinking he’d drop whatever it was. Instead, without a growl or anything, he reflexively bit my hand.
Once more, he didn’t close his jaws completely, nor try to “rip” the way they do with prey, or when defending themselves, but I did end up with five little punctures, of varying depths. Only two required band-aids, and are now scarred over.
I’d gotten complacent, because the resource-guarding has virtually disappeared over the two weeks we’ve had him. I can take a toy he’s playing with in my hand, and initiate tug, without any adverse reaction. He has no issue with our hand descending towards his food bowl. But, something triggered him this time. It was a cellophane pack of facial tissue, that he’d extracted from a basket by the door in the laundry room. I keep a supply of them for the Dawn Patrol. Not a high-value item – no taste, the texture isn’t pleasing, and the other two couldn’t have cared less about it.
We’ll work on him, this week, but his new stewards need to be aware that this remains a problem. I have 3 days of “Teams” conferences the first part of the week, so we can’t devote the time we ought to, to dealing with this behavior, and, of course, he’s got a few rough days of his own coming up, with the neutering.
He’s a sweetheart; is more affectionate towards us than the two incumbents, and is constantly underfoot, or lying with his chin on one of our feet. He’s become confident that his meals will be delivered on a schedule, toys will be restored if removed, and there will be no random acts of
