Pffffffffffft....zomg....

Mikey

ARgggg


So figured out more things Mikey needs work on, while we were on vacation!

Suprises...people coming up behind him provoked huge bark attacks...

Travelling...the meds were night and day(difference between sleepily passing out on the floor and diving into my lap whether I was passenger or driver....) but we have LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way to go...yup that LOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNG LOONNNG way to go........

Protecting!! Strangely enough...he was very quick to bark when we were in the hotel room...but when we (deviously) snuck up and knocked on the door -no bark. Many tests, he only barked when we were there...So need him to calm a bit on that front.

And just in general relaxing....ZOMG ...I have an anxiety thing...course my dog has one too!


Phew do I have my work cut out for me or what?? I'm seeing longs days in the driveway and car doing work....

All and all I'd rate him, since he started off with a negative gazillion, he's at least a twelve...lol He did do fantastic in so many ways....I took him in the campground bathroom with me (When it was single stall) and he tied outside of it when it was multiple, he loved loved loved meeting guests at the hotel, played with other dogs, did great. So proud. So much work to do though!
And so determined to do the CGC test and therapy test this year!!! I've been putting it off since I have to phone rather then email....Need to do it...

fawkese1

isn't it fun... great tho, when you can figure it out...
this is pretty common... and he was in an unfamiliar place, sounds like general insecurity in that situation...

have you tried crating him? it may be all the difference to him if you create a "safe" place for him and keep him in it while you travel...

it is possible that he just goes into a "shut down" mode when left... clover does it totally... and when i return, he is even more "wound up" especially if, as you described, the car ride is so traumatic for him... one of the things that i have read is that sedatives don't help with anxiety/fear, it is like you are sleepy and afraid, and unable to physically react, but it does nothing for the actual anxiety/fear...
bio feedback... in "control unleashed" leslie mcdevitt will mark a dog for doing physical things that can be associated with being calm/relaxed, or calming yourself... so blinking, lowering the head, "shaking it off" etc... when you do something potentially stressful with mikey, look for calming signals and click-treat...
one thing for you to think about, if he is having a hard time with traveling, he is going to have a hard time relaxing when you get to your destination, simply because the stress hormone takes hours/days to leave his system... if his car rides are that stressful to him, then that is HUGE! and all the other things he seemed to have issues with may not have been issues had he not already been stressed by the drive there...