Thanks so much, Kathryn. I will check out the Ignatia amara. I haven't heard of it, but I've tried everything else and surely something will work on this pup. Actually, if it doesn't work for Ava, maybe it will work for me. My nerves are pretty frazzled, too.
Martingales are now the ONLY thing I use, 1: because i feel secure walking Oakley with minimal risk of escaping and 2: because as a puppy with confinement issues (less with things like collars and clothing) this collar only confines against a negative reaction…I think it's a good choice for Ava...and Pamela , you may be the only one at the "playground" wondering what's wrong with your kid...it's not because you are alone but that the other moms were too afraid to take their kids outside!!!!
Did you have any trouble getting Oakley to accept a collar, Chealsie? With his crate issues, did he balk at walking on a leash? I know that both can feel confining to an anxious dog… but maybe Oakley's issue was more SA? Ava has both, but the confinement seems worse than the SA. When you combine the two...
Actually, if it doesn't work for Ava, maybe it will work for me. My nerves are pretty frazzled, too.
I am really sorry to read this. So sad to have these ongoing issues, especially in your circumstances. I had a thought. If you are distressed, of course she will feel it and likely misinterpret it. Could add to your problems. With anxious animals, the more matter of fact you can be the better. Easier said than done, I know! Try to be as cheery as possible, especially when she is being difficult. And don't make the mistake of spending too much time trying to reassure and comfort her…...usually backfires, then they think there really is something to be worried about! I know you are an experienced Basenji owner and that I am perhaps pointing out the obvious, but I also know I often can't see the forest for the trees. Hang in there. This too shall pass!
Unfortunately, I realize that I could be becoming part of the problem. I'm trying to remain calm and positive, and I hope I do an okay job of pretending… but I know dogs are sensitive. And I am distraught.
I am an experienced B owner, and I love the breed, but I have never seen a dog like Ava. She isn't improving at all; in fact, she's regressing in some distressing ways. I thought maybe she had abandoned her housetraining because of a UTI, but I had a urinalysis done and that's not the case. She went ballistic and soiled the crate at the vet's office, so it isn't just at home with me. My vet wants to refer us to an animal behaviorist at UT-- maybe even a neurologist-- and a highly recommended trainer spent an hour with us and told me that Ava needed more help than she could provide. So this probably isn't going to work itself out in a few weeks, like I had hoped.
O.K. one other thought. How is she with other dogs? Would she still freak with another, calm, older dog confined with her? Any idea? Can you borrow one? Perhaps there is a foster out there that would serve to calm her while she (hopefully) outgrows this phase, or matures enough that she can be trusted uncrated…..
Have you contacted your breeder?
Pamela,
Oakley resisted his collar (we've had martingales from day 1) but other than typical scratching and being annoyed at having the collar on, it didn't bother him until I clipped it to his leash and corrected his movement, he would buck the leash when I applied pressure)…however, the leash and collar were not "confinement triggers" as I call them. His triggers involve physical barriers rather than restricted motion...him and I have just started to mesh more on leash, but to my dismay he will never be the running partner I hoped. It would be awesome if you lived closer to your breeder, I would almost ask that if they were you gave Ava to them for a period of time to "reset" her clock if you will...a different plae,person (like your breeder) is great for resolving repetitive issues that don't get better over time within the home. If it gets to be that desperate then perhaps it's a consideration. I really did go through what you are going through with Ava...unfortunately, I decided to deal with it and hope it got better with time ( not the right thing I know, I just felt that I had no other choice but to just live through it)...and lucky for me the hospital visit was three days and they have him continuous anxiety medication with a slight sedative...and although he chewed through quite a few IV sets...he came home cured. There's no other word for it except CURED
I have thought about a second dog, and perhaps that would help, though having other dogs around at the vet's didn't have an effect. I left her there for almost a day to see if they could calm her down. She actually upset the other dogs. And she held her urine for more than six hours… when she goes at least once an hour on the carpet at home! She had diarrhea in the crate right away... and then again throughout the day.
The breeder says that some dogs are a bit slower than others and some owners think they will never survive it. He suggested that I contact a recommended trainer. I did that, and now I will contact another trainer or a behaviorist and get a second opinion, since my vet has ruled out medical causes. My vet thinks Ava is too young for meds, though another half a day screaming at the vet's office might change her mind PDQ.
My vet thinks Ava is too young for meds, though another half a day screaming at the vet's office might change her mind PDQ.
How old is Ava? And how old was she when you brought her home? Fear period??
Chealsie– Ava sounds so much like Oakley, and you give me hope that, with time and love, she might get past this. Our Martingale s/b here any day now, so perhaps that will help with the walking. I've taken the other collars off her for now, since those are stressors that I can remove.
Spencer wasn't the running buddy I had hoped, either. We enjoyed our walks, but he never really heeled well and those jogs on the beach that I imagined never came to pass. Spencer did go to puppy boot camp-- though he was pretty well trained before going there-- so I might do that for Ava, if she will settle down. I wouldn't want to do more harm than good. Though in your case, separation was a good thing-- actually, the thing that finally broke through.
How old is Ava? And how old was she when you brought her home? Fear period??
Ava is 16 weeks. I brought her home at 12 weeks. Isn't the fear period from 8-12 wks? With a second one at 5 or 6 months? I may be completely wrong on that.
She exhibited this crate phobia immediately in the car. She panicked and had diarrhea right after we pulled out of the breeder's driveway. In hindsight, perhaps I should have turned around so we could try and calm her there, but we thought she would settle down in the car. She screamed all the way home and still does it. So it was a bad experience for her, but she doesn't seem to mind the crate at all until the door closes. The little girl has a great set of lungs, I'll give her that.
Ava is 16 weeks. I brought her home at 12 weeks. Isn't the fear period from 8-12 wks?
Supposed to be 8 - 11 weeks, so theoretically you should be O.K. at 12 weeks, but maybe Ava didn't read the book. 
She exhibited this crate phobia immediately in the car, though. She panicked and had diarrhea right after we pulled out of the breeder's driveway. In hindsight, perhaps I should have taken her back so we could try and calm her there, but we thought she would settle down in the car. She screamed all the way home and still does it. So it was a bad experience, but she doesn't seem to mind the crate at all until the door closes. The little girl has a great set of lungs, I'll give her that.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Don't beat yourself up over it, but yes, it would be better if it hadn't happened. I have always thought it is too much for a puppy to be taken away from Mom and siblings and have no physical contact while being transported. I realize it is "less safe", in case of a car accident, but we brought our pups home sitting on my husband's lap. He got peed on a few times with each pup, but in both cases they were warm, secure, and slept most of the way when they weren't waking up and peeing on him.
I agree with you. It makes sense to do it that way, and I had thought to have her both in and out of the crate on the trip. But the breeder advised me to keep her in the crate for her safety, so that's what I did. We talked to her, played soft music and petted her through the crate, but it still backfired. Though one of her littermates flew out of the country in a crate, without being removed once, and is perfectly fine. Sadly, Ava is just a different dog. I wish I knew how to help her.
One more thought– I am thinking to try Reiki on Ava. I have found a local practitioner through a holistic vet. Has anyone ever tried that with a B?
Not Reiki, but I had acupuncture done on one of mine. It didn't cure the condition we were trying to fix, but I was amazed at how calm it made her. She was her normal "uptight at the vet" self until the needles went in, then she gradually relaxed and finally went right to sleep on the table. It was amazing! Always good to think outside the box. You'll find a solution.
I truly believe and know you will get past this. With Oakley his "wisdom" came with age and at some point they kind of wake up to the way of the world. The ones that don't are usually a product of sad circumstance…which isn't your case.
Thanks for the encouragement. I had hoped we could move beyond this and she could have a normal, happy puppyhood, but that is seeming increasingly unlikely. Day after day with no improvement is so draining. We'll try the behaviorist referral and see if there's anything more to be done. I'm not crazy about the idea of more meds, but at some point, I suppose that has to be considered. Actually, if she were a child, she'd already be on Ritalin, among other things, and probably in therapy, too. But, then, I guess seeing a behaviorist is therapy.
I am trying to get a picture in my mind of what her behaviour is like, I mean when you are not trying to crate her. What does she do that is abnormal for a puppy, except go berserk in the crate? I know you said her housebreaking was going backwards, but again, does she just "go" everywhere with no notice, or does she do the usual puppy thing of playing, then sniffing around and relieving herself?
Are all your issues tied to not being able to confine her? Or is something else going on…..
Yes, there's the normal bouncing off the walls puppy stuff, but it's more than that. She goes crazy in the crate every time– still diarrhea everywhere. She refuses to go potty outside. You can stay out there with her for 20 minutes, then she'll go within minutes of getting inside. She goes a lot-- several times an hour, all day long. No sniffing, no tells, so it's difficult to hustle her out in time. She goes several times during the night-- doesn't ask to go out and is content to wallow in it. No UTI, she held it for more than six hours at the vet, and she knows the "go potty" command. She was almost house trained-- very few accidents-- before she regressed. She can't stand closed doors-- she becomes very destructive trying to get out. She won't walk at all on a leash. She digs in and refuses to budge. I work on these things every day, but there is no improvement. The trainer said Ava is very dominant, has separation anxiety, is confinement-phobic and has compulsive behaviors (claws the walls, chews the carpet, bangs against the door). She does not like to be corrected and the trainer feels this will escalate. There are other things, but this gives you a picture.
I realize this may sound manageable, but I have no way to confine her, I can't walk her without dragging her and she won't house train. She's doing a lot of damage in my house. I have to work, and I have to leave the house sometimes. She can't always go with me and I'm running out of dog sitters.
Oh boy. I think you need to change the channel, the sooner the better. This is just not working out for you. Would it be possible to place her with a trainer for a time? Obviously you need someone with a good reputation that you can trust, but maybe the only fix is to completely change her environment, basically start with a clean slate. Without seeing the pup and watching you interact it is very hard to give any advice, but what you have tried so far is not working. Certainly the frequency of her "bathroom breaks" is not normal. What is her feeding schedule? The picture you paint is of an animal in constant emotional distress…..
Unfortunately you can never be sure of the right decision until you see the results.
