Pokey is Barking Again

[Pokeys Mom]

I am :sosad:, frustrated, stumped, angry and :sad1:.

(This will make a lot more sense to those who have been tracking my puppers progress with separation anxiety and our city's ordinance on barking.)

So Pokey had calmed down and has been trustworthy alone since October. That's when Marta came over. She would howl and whine, but Pokey would keep playing with his toys, take a nap, wake up, play with toys, sleep wake up and sit calmly. Marta had finally settled down and things were looking good. I had two to three reliable hours of freedom.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have been nightmares. Marta has been a calm lounging/sleeping quiet angel. Pokey is now playing with his toys for 30-45 minutes then BARKING non-stop for the duration of any leave.

We are not doing anything differently. No new noises. Marta and Pokey did have a cage-free overnight on Friday, but they have done that 4-5 times already.

At first we thought he had a bad day, but three times in a row??? On Thursday I tried everything to tire him out: two reluctant walks around the block, distracting him from napping and two hours at the dog park. He was completely worn out.

Wednesday I just broke down. It's been 4 1/2 months since our move. I have no life, no job and just brief glimpses of freedom.

Dog day care & overnights are very expensive for two pups. We have called every pet-sitter in town, and they only come over to "walk-and-play," then leave. I have not found a baby-sitter that will sit for dogs. I'm sure for a price we could find someone.

I am very upset. :sad1: He's acting normal and healthy. I really don't know what else our vet can do. I will call. Right now I can't. I feel like such a failure and loser. Now I'm stuck with puppers that I can only leave as long as their treats occupy them. When will I get my sweet and calm puppers back?!? :conf1:

[Lisa]

OMG Renee! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT feel like a failure!! You are the BEST mommy your babies could ever ask for!!

I am sure that Mary will have lots of tips for you. :bighug: I'm not sure, but when you say no job...do you mean you?? Maybe you should open up your home to other small dogs come over and hang out, and you can charge THEIR guardians...nothing huge, just 3 or 4 small breed dogs that might also have some SA issues and their guardians are looking for someone who can look after them.

[duchiesmom]

and you could call it "Dysfunctional Doggie Daycare"...

seriously, Renee, you have done EVERYTHING. I wish I knew the answers. You poor dear- just when you through you were getting your life back.
As much as I hate to say m-o-v-e since you just got your stuff unpacked, is that still a possibility? Maybe there are just too many noises in the complex?

Big yard? Big fence? sound like heaven?

Hang in there sweetie. You are a fabulous hoomomma and I am sure your kids will chill out soon. (and in the meantime remember you are in WINE COUNTRY...)

[Goob]

Renee I'm so sorry to hear this! This may sound silly but could it be the holidays and differentness that goes along with holiday activities? Good luck and I'm sure Mary will have some good tips. :bighug:

[Jen]

I think starting a doggie daycare is an excellent idea. Maybe it could fund a move to a house with a yard??

Wine country. Ahhhh.

[Pokeys Mom]

Thank you everyone. I need all the help and motivation I can get. :scratch:

I can't tell if he is barking out of frustration, boredom, being ticked off with us for leaving, etc. It doesn't seem like fear.

For this space, bringing in more dogs would be a nightmare. We can't have our friend and dachshund over because her dog barks at everything. Plus, I feel like I have my hands full with two. Just taking them outside to do business is complicated (hallway, slow elevator, outdoor hallway, keyed door, keyed gate, etc.)

(The city law, which is not listed in their "moving, relocating or welcome to... "guides, states no barking for over 5 minutes during one hour in any 24 hour period. Punishment is 6 monhts in jail and a $1,000 fine.) There are dogs everywhere here. Sometimes one can hear a "barkument" or brief yapping, but not much beyond that.

I just feel stuck. My husband has a steady paycheck coming in, but our household needs income from me as well. We do doggie daycare on special days (interviews, doctor appointments, etc.), and take them for overnights if we want to go out for dinner. When they socialize with other dogs there it is fantastic -but they both suffer SA setbacks afterwards. Plus, it is truly expensive out here for everything. I don't want to dip into the proceeds from the sale of our house for everyday expenses.

We did talk about moving. It's something that won't happen very soon. We haven't found a neighborhood that we would be happy in. Our reason for being in this unit was to rent for a year to get to know distances and neighborhoods. It's just a lot of unkept sprawl and rusty chain link fences. A small house (600-800 sq feet) that was built in 1940-1951, not updated since (think electrical wiring and plumbing), can cost $700,00 and up. They are usually an hour drive for most distances. So we talked about living in such a house just for the dogs, and instantly having 1-2 hour commutes. Then safety is an issue. I finally went to Target (9 miles = 45 minutes). It was in a nice looking, yet urban area. There were 6 police cars blocking off a part of the parking lot, and I over heard an eyewintess describing the "shootings." This was 10:00am on a Sunday.

So $3,000 - $5,000 for moving costs, $18,000 at risk for breaking our lease...

I know we will be talking in depth about housing options this weekend.

We had to move out here for his job. I feel like we are inbetween a rock and a hard place with the dogs. The only thing that makes it easier is if we just have Pokey to deal with.

There are still options out there. You guys are the best bunch of brainstomers, so thank you!!! :banana: I hate to think about it, but we haven't tried a citronella collar yet. He doesn't seem to be barking out of SA right now. (It's not a desperate "left-behind" sound.)

And a BIG thank you for making me not feel like a failure. :)

[Courtney]

Renee you are just the furthest thing from a failure. I think it's so awesome that you are trying so hard. My solution when my fosters have separation anxiety and bark and fuss in the crate is to leave the house!! haha! But we are lucky enough to live in a house with no neighbor on the side of the house the dog room is on.

Now I can't remember but has someone threatened you with that ordinance? Is it strictly enforced? I would think it would be one of those things that wasn't. Like how you can't put up garage sale signs.

I really really hope you can figure something out. I know you are doing all you can. :bighug:

[lotsadox]

I'm so sorry about Pokey's setback, Renee, but don't feel like a failure. I think you're a miracle worker with what you've done with Pokey and Marta. I know what you mean about housing prices. My cousin lives in OC and has a small (maybe 1400 sq ft) house built in the 40's in a bad part of Anaheim and told me that it's worth $700,000 on the housing market. :eek: I told her to sell and move to Texas. She could buy a house a lot better than hers in a better part of town for about $100,000! I don't really have any advice, but maybe when Mary gets on she'll have some insight.

[Pokeys Mom]

Now I can't remember but has someone threatened you with that ordinance? Is it strictly enforced? I would think it would be one of those things that wasn't. Like how you can't put up garage sale signs.Thankfully, we haven't been threatened but neighbors on both sides have talked to me about the noise. We are in a 3 story building. There is a 5 foot space (evesment?) then a similar low-rise building on each side. The windows are just so thin since it is so mild.

Dh reminds me there are multiple steps: first the people complaining have to know our address. People may know our building, but they will have to go an extra step for our unit #. The police will come out and hear our side of the story. I think we are allowed three police visits. After that we get a chance to go to court to defend our side of the story. All of that makes me feel better. :)

After I wiped the tears from my eyes on Wednesday, I took Marta out and ran into a good neighbor. I apologized for the barking, and he said he really didn't hear -and if he did he would consider it ambient noise. I told him to please let me know if he hears anything. He was sweet, and said to disreagard the retired lady in his building. (She isn't stable and complains and fights over any little thing.) She had a huge heated exchange with another neighbor's dog a few buildings down.

A man on the other side, Bob, has complained once. He staked out in front of our building on a Saturday morning just to find out who owned the new dogs, because they were barking Friday night. (Dh said forget about the barking, let's go to a movie. Then I had the walk of shame on Saturday AM.) Bob is high strung and has falsey accused me of our dogs making noise. My blood pressure shoots up if I see him even when my dogs are angels. I just put the pups in a sit-stay, turn my back on Bob until he leaves the area or I think of alternate route to avoid him. So far he has given me my space.

So- some neighbors hear, some don't. We gave our friendly wall-sharing neighbors our cell phone # one night, and said to call us immediately if they heard anything that night.

I guess I have far too much anxiety, but I want to prevent a "situation" which would lead to a police visit. I do think it is a more relaxed law.

[Courtney]

I think that is great that your neighbors seem to be understanding. I wonder if Dallas has any sort of law like that. I live in a nice neighborhood in Uptown and it is not cheap to own a home there (we rent!). You would think people would be responsible dog owners, but not really. If we go on walks we always get barked at by outside dogs. Several houses back up perpendicular to ours and at least two of them always have dogs out, and they bark when they hear us in the yard. Not to mention the number of times I have seen loose dogs that have escaped from yards and even rounded them up to call the owners. Sigh.

[lotsadox]

A nice neighborhood doesn't guarantee responsible pet owners unfortunately. I live in an upscale suburban neighborhood. It's a golf course subdivision with a lot of very expensive houses. There's a house across the fairway from me that probably cost $500,000 to build 10 years ago before real estate went through the roof. They have 2 dogs that live under a tent like cover in the back yard. I can't tell you how many people there are that let their dogs run on the golf course on a regular basis. It makes me so mad! :mad:

I'm good friends with all my neighbors and they all like dogs so it works out well, but I have asked that if my dogs are barking please call me and let me know.

I hope Pokey and Marta settle down for you, Renee. It's so upsetting when you have to deal with a major back slide in behaviour.

[Nancy]

I'm sorry to hear about your set back as well Renee.

Hopefully, you'll be able to resolve the problem before the neighbor(s) complain.

[Patt]

Renee, I am so sorry that Pokey had a replaspe. Is he deaf or possibly going deaf maybe blind? This may have something to do with it as they are insecure and bark for no reason. Could he have dementia this also can cause barking. Perhaps he's developing another medical problem that your not aware of yet. Have you discussed this with your vet or behaviorist? Is Pokey on Anipryl? Possibly that would help. I know lots of questions, but these are just thoughts I have, maybe something new or maybe not....

Sending positive thoughts that things will settle down soon. :crossfin: :crossfin: :pray:

[Sophie and Lili's Mom]

Renee, I am so sorry that Pokey had a replaspe. Is he deaf or possibly going deaf maybe blind? This may have something to do with it as they are insecure and bark for no reason. Could he have dementia this also can cause barking. Perhaps he's developing another medical problem that your not aware of yet. Have you discussed this with your vet or behaviorist? Is Pokey on Anipryl? Possibly that would help. I know lots of questions, but these are just thoughts I have, maybe something new or maybe not....

Sending positive thoughts that things will settle down soon. :crossfin: :crossfin: :pray:


Patt has some interesting suggestions... My vet just told me that dogs can start going deaf as early as 8 years. Also, we had an experience with sudden rapid blindness with Mischief. She whined and cried the whole time. This is a dog who never...never makes a sound. I can count the times she has barked in her whole life on one hand... Our event was super weird... it still has the vets puzzled as it went away in 24 hours and she has the vision of a 1 year old dog not an 11 year old dog.

I am so sorry Pokey is having issues again. Tell the Grand Ol' Man we all love him and there is no need to stress. I have to believe there is some specific reason for his change. Do you leave the Radio or TV on? Has the station changed DJ's or programming? Something as simple as that could be pissing him off...

You are not a failure in any way. You have gone so much farther than a 100 others would for him!

[Pokeys Mom]

Again, thank you each and every one of you. :gphug:

Patt and Zandra, very important and interesting insight. At first I was going to rush him in to the vet on Friday, but he seemed so spunky and "normal" all week and today (-except for the barking during brief leaves.)

We are going to his vet on Monday. She's not in Friday - Sunday, and Dh and I feel that his regular vet should see him. If need be, there is a full hospital open 24hrs.

He does seem to respond to sound less. Just something we have been wondering about for a few weeks, but he will perk up at the rattling of a potato chip bag. :) I think his hearing may be dulling in some capacity. Plus, there is a small spot on the center surface of his right eye. :( It was there during his last vet visit, but it didn't cause alarm. I'll make sure it get looks at on Monday again.

I am beginning to wonder if there has been an ultrasonic noise going off. We did an hour leave today, and it was very quiet when we got home. I haven't viewed the tape yet, but it feels like a small victory.

He is such a sweet boy and earnest kisser! Thankfully he has been fiesty and playful with his treat-toys lately. (no treat? not a toy!)

Thank you everyone. I don't mean to solicit cheers at all. There was an old email dated 9-17-05 from his foster angel that suggested a citronella collar right away. I feel better investing the time and training so far. We will wait and see what the future holds. Hopefully the past few months did not fly out the window.

I love this little guy so much!! :hearts:

[Patt]

I think the possibilty of an ultrasonic noise going off is a good one, just at the right pitch only he can hear. I thought about the Citronella collar but I think that would be the last resort. My fingers are crossed that this is just a little bump in the road. Sending positive thoughts and :pray:ers to Pokey and a :bighug: for you.

[Tanya]

I'm sorry to hear you are having a set back Renee. I know you will get it figured out and have your good Pokey back soon. Sorry I'm not much help. I know you have been so frustrated, so a big :hug99: for you.

[lotsadox]

Hopefully everything is back on track for Pokey. You've worked so hard with this little guy. Sending "no bark" rayz. :rayz: :rayz: :rayz: :rayz:

[oceangirls]

I am sorry to hear about the barking :( I wish I had some helpful suggestions, but have not had a dog while in an apartment or close setting. Although there is a dalmatian next door who barks CONSTANTLY... we have wondered if maybe it had some hearing loss (as they are prone to deafness) and was scared by things it couldn't identify.

Your neighbor Bob sounds like a real winner. Sending you lots of rayz that things will improve soon. :rayz: :rayz: :rayz: :rayz: :rayz: :rayz: . Feel free to vent here anytime!!

[twodogslong]

My sister had a very simular problem with PJ. I have posted bits and pieces on PJ, my sisters dachshund. Well I totally do not agree with the things my sister does concerning PJ, but......I was totally bull when she got an elect. shock collar for him, because of the constant barking, I happened to be over one day when she first put it on him, and it was heartbreaking to see what happened to him when he barked. However it did not take long and he learned (about two barks later). He is the best little guy and he never even barks when people come to the door now.

Also if you just show it to him or say PJ do you want me to put this collar on, He stops any naughty behavior, not just his barking.

I guess if my life was really suffering because of this behavior, or we risked being evicted from our home I might consider it. It did work and it worked fast. Also they claim it is safe and much like a shock you get from walking across a carpet then touching a door knob.

Anyway's it is just a suggestion.

[isobelsmom]

Patti,

As for the shock amount....yes and no. On the lowest setting it is like static cling...move it up to 7-ish and, well, you get enough shock to feel like 50 people touched you at once. A lot of these collars can be dialed up and down and also set for short bursts or lengthy zapping. Once you see a dog trying to get away from itself (from the collar, but they don't realize it) you may be prone to putting the collar and controller away until it rots. JMHO.

The citronella delivers no shock and is "voice" activated and just puffs a burst of that smell to them...they don't like it, so they don't bark. MUCH more humane and easier to ween from, too. The most electical I would go is the "scat mat" on the floor for dogs who are misdirected aggression suffers'. They can still look out the window and you still have furniture, windows, ledges..etc.

I have used the cironella and it took everything I had to finally purchace one (very long story) and am glad I did. I also have a rotting electronic one as I refuse to ever use it...was a gift. Hello, I'm a trainer!!!! Will find another way and not this painful shortcut.

I know a woman who had ALL 10 of her dogs debarked in order to stay in her home....That is the ultimate ya gotta do, what ya gotta do. I still cannot hold a rational conversation about that one.

Anyway...I agree with the citronella. Disagree with the shock collar. Agree for a while with the Scat Mat if used correctly. And disagree to debarking.
But.....this opinion is only my own and anyone is happy to disagree with me whenever you wish to.

[Pokeys Mom]

Pokey had a complete check from his vet today. He is very fit and healthy for his age. :hearts:

He responded fairly well to hearing tests (snapping, clapping, and a surprise floor slap), but not fantastically. Dh and I think he hears slightly less than last year. Just little things, for instance he didn't hear me drop a chip on the kitchen floor today and he has been sleeping extrememly "soundly" the past few months.

His vision is good for his age. Small concern on the right eye, but nothing to worry about.

Our little guy is spunky and fiesty. :banana: I think this past week was hopefully just an odd-ball fluke. There was just something extra around to set him off. :scratch: We talked about switching him from Clomicalm to Prozac, but that would be a long and not so pleasant transition according to his vet. With his heart murmur we don't want to play around too much.

His vet was just stumped at Pokey (and Marta's) behavior. She gave me a number of a very good trainer, but cautioned about the trainer's high pricing.

Both dogs have settled down a bit, but not back to great. Saturday we left for a little bit for training and sanity. Pokey was a lot more alert (watchful) and spunky than the past few months, but only barked a few times. Watching the tapes, it just seems like he needs a "no barking" cue to snap him out of it.

I had a very good talk with his vet about possibly using a citronella collar for training. I'm just so torn about it. Right now it feels like a choice to have Pokey be miserable, or have me be miserable and broke. If he flares up again, I might consider trying one for very brief leaves.

The good news is that we found a doggie day care and boarding facility that is open longer and has full weekend service.

Sorry if this is long and rambling! I'm just a bit tired.

Oh, if you have tears welling up in your eyes out of frustration your vet just might give you a big discount! ;)

[Patt]

I'm happy to hear Pokey is in good health and not any new problems. Bless his little :heart1: Sleeping extremely soundly is part of being deaf. Hooray :banana: for finding a doggie day care, that will be a big help.

I've seen the Citronella collar in action and it is really not that bad, he's probably a quick learner and it would only take a couple of barks. But I know what you mean not wanting to use it.

Have you considered The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan? I really like his training, you might keep him in mind. Good Luck and please keep us updated.

[Sophie and Lili's Mom]

I'm happy to hear Pokey is in good health and not any new problems. Bless his little :heart1: Sleeping extremely soundly is part of being deaf. Hooray :banana: for finding a doggie day care, that will be a big help.

I've seen the Citronella collar in action and it is really not that bad, he's probably a quick learner and it would only take a couple of barks. But I know what you mean not wanting to use it.

Have you considered The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan? I really like his training, you might keep him in mind. Good Luck and please keep us updated.


Does Pokey's murmer cause him to cough at all? If so, the citronella collar may not work. I did try it once with one of my poms years ago. He had a murmer that caused coughing. Everytime he coughed he got sprayed. Totally unfair so he did not have it on very long. I did try it a couple times to see if it was a fluke but it was not so it quickly went in the trash.

[Pokeys Mom]

Does Pokey's murmer cause him to cough at all? If so, the citronella collar may not work. I did try it once with one of my poms years ago. He had a murmer that caused coughing. Everytime he coughed he got sprayed. Totally unfair so he did not have it on very long. I did try it a couple times to see if it was a fluke but it was not so it quickly went in the trash.Zandra, I remember your awful experience with the citronella collar. (iChat or e-mail?) It is why I have held out so long, and was embarrassed to post about looking into it for the future. :conf4:

I haven't ordered one yet. These guys deserve another chance. Something had to be off that week. I did several "fake leaves" so I could stay around and see if anything noticably different was going on and came up with nothing.

Thankfully, Pokey doesn't cough due to his heart murmur. Sometimes he will do little coughs in the morning after a full night's rest. He will also cough after inhaling 25-32 laps of water. I'm so glad you recommended video taping. So far, he isn't coughing after naps or drinking water on the tapes.

We are going to try the new day care today. It's quieter, has more perks for the price, has rubber floors instead of concrete and has a frequent hose-down cleaning schedule.

Thank you everyone. I know to expect set-backs, but was not prepared for such a BIG one. Thanks for putting up with my :hissy: :mad1: :sad1: !! All of you have been comforting and helpful. :thumbup:

[Patt]

Does Pokey's murmer cause him to cough at all? If so, the citronella collar may not work. I did try it once with one of my poms years ago. He had a murmer that caused coughing. Everytime he coughed he got sprayed. Totally unfair so he did not have it on very long. I did try it a couple times to see if it was a fluke but it was not so it quickly went in the trash. I don't know about heart murmer's causing coughs but other heart problems do. Agree, that would be totally unfair. Wish you didn't live hundreds of miles away I would love to 'baby sit' Pokey and Marta. :hearts: :hearts:

[Patt]

Renee,
I noticed in your post to Zandra that you mentioned his cough in the a.m. Has he been tested with EKG etc and x-rays for his heart. The reason why I'm asking is because when my Bichon developed heart trouble this is exactly what she did, little coughs when getting up in the morning, and coughs after drinking water. I never tire of hearing about Pokey and Marta so please don't hesistate to post, this way we all learn about our puppers health and what to look for. :hearts: :hearts:

[Pokeys Mom]

Agree, that would be totally unfair. Wish you didn't live hundreds of miles away I would love to 'baby sit' Pokey and Marta. :hearts: :hearts: That's it! I am moving up north right now. :hula1: Dh, will be surprised when his bags are packed for him when he gets home. :D

[duchiesmom]

Renee, we have 180 acres and everyone has dogs here. You are considered "sumptin wrong with you " if you are dogless. As a matter of fact DH just turned up last week with 2 more (border collies this time) so ya'll come on... and bring some wine.

Have you said out loud that you may need to think about letting Marta visit a foster ON A TEMP BASIS until you can get a handle on the situation? Sir Pokes A Lot was doing pretty well until Miss Hissy Pants come....

AND- I think shock collars are the work of the devil. Citronella is different but I agree you might double check the heart murmur and citronella connection.

Hang in there sweetie. ITA that you are super mom for all the things you have tried. It is evident that you dearly love both of your problem children.

[Sophie and Lili's Mom]

I don't know about heart murmer's causing coughs but other heart problems do. Agree, that would be totally unfair. Wish you didn't live hundreds of miles away I would love to 'baby sit' Pokey and Marta. :hearts: :hearts:


Hehe...I think if I lived closer...Renee would have to come visit Pokey at my house :grin:

[Pokeys Mom]

Renee,
I noticed in your post to Zandra that you mentioned his cough in the a.m. Has he been tested with EKG etc and x-rays for his heart. The reason why I'm asking is because when my Bichon developed heart trouble this is exactly what she did, little coughs when getting up in the morning, and coughs after drinking water. I never tire of hearing about Pokey and Marta so please don't hesistate to post, this way we all learn about our puppers health and what to look for. :hearts: :hearts: Pokey had a full body x-ray with his adoption (well right before, but it came to us), three years later he had an ultrasound done by a canine cardiologist along with a chest x-ray, then the following year (this March) he had a follow up chest x-ray.

His morning coughs are three little, "eh, eh eh's." When he drinks a lot of water at once it sounds like a few big coughs, "Cough! pause Cough-Hack!" I was wondering if he was getting "water down the wrong pipe," so to speak. Before his x-ray in March I was so worried about his coughing. I'm still concerned, but not full of fear.

The cardiologist showed us that his heart looks better than it sounds. In his one year follow up there was no increase in heart size. Yippeee! Then, his vet was very happy and pleased. He actually took us into his office so he could show us digital x-rays on his computer! I was so worried that his heart had enlarged, but it was the same size as before.

When we adopted him, he had a slightly enlarged heart ("one size too big" :hearts: -for the Grinch fans) and a slight murmur. His heart has stayed the same size so far, but the murmur jumped right before we had the ultrasound.

He is the light of my life and my truly special guy. Sorry if this isn't well composed. It's another tired typist entry!

[Patt]

You have left no stone unturned for Mr. Pokey and I thank you for giving him such wonderful care and attention. :appl: :appl: I know what you mean about him being the "light of your life". :hearts: :hearts: Seniors are the VERY BEST and so loving.

[Pokeys Mom]

Pokey isn't excessively barking anymore!!!! Both Pokey and Marta have returned to their calm and quiet selves.

:penguins:

We have done several leaves over the past few weeks, and Pokey has settled down completely!! It was a big setback, but he bounced back. I really think something was just off that week, something literally in the air or airwaves.

Thank you everyone. I thought I was going to lose what is left of my mental health. :lol: Both Pokey and Marta have really come a long way. :boogie: I am very proud of them and grateful for all of the support from my DLC friends.
:ring:

[Patt]

I'm very happy to hear that update. :appl: :appl: I guess the move was more disturbing to Pokey & Marta than anyone could have imagined. Poor babies but I think it's great they have finally excepted their new home and can live happily ever after. :hearts: :hearts: Of course that's all due to your very loving care, kudos to you Renee for hanging in there and never giving up. :love:

[Pokeys Mom]

I'm very happy to hear that update. :appl: :appl: I guess the move was more disturbing to Pokey & Marta than anyone could have imagined. Poor babies but I think it's great they have finally excepted their new home and can live happily ever after. :hearts: :hearts: Of course that's all due to your very loving care, kudos to you Renee for hanging in there and never giving up. :love:Patt, thank you. Plus they had to adjust to Dh going to the office everyday instead of working from his home office 75% of the time. We think Pokey is just very accepting of new and strange noises (yippeee) and not loosing as much of his hearing as we thought. (He definately lost some.)

Anyway- thank you for the encouragement!! :boogie: :banana: :boogie:

[Pokeys Mom]

:hissy: :hissy: :hissy: Ergh!!!

I just don't get it. We left for a little bit tonight, and he barked for 45 minutes non-stop out of an hour. Plus (-he never ever ever never does this-) he pooped just a little in the house 5 minutes before we came home.

:confused: He doesn't look like he is barking out of SA anymore. I took him out to do his business for a long time, and followed his lead to come back inside.

Dh is in charge this week. I'm baffled and need a mental health break.

[Patt]

I'm sorry Renee, having senior dogs is not easy they just have their own way of doing or not doing things. Pooping after being out side and barking for no reason is a sign of Dementia or Alzheimer Disease, at least that's what I discovered in my seniors. They would be outside and do some of their business and then come in and do more on the floor, BTW they were never punished for this. Personally I would try Anipryl and see if it helps him. I also think the move took it's toll. Another question is, how do you act around Pokey are you upset/uptight and punish him when you are? If at all possible don't blow your cool around him as this is very upsetting and I doubt that he understands what he did wrong. This is an extremely difficult time for both of you and lots of patience and calmness is needed.

I may be repeating myself but check out these links, Pokey of course doesn't fit most of the criteria but does match one or two.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25417.asp
http://www.bassethoundrescue.org/dementia.htm

Sending you feel better :rayz: :rayz: :rayz: that this works out soon.

[Pokeys Mom]

Thank you! I got your PM too. We don't punish for barking when we aren't here. He may be barking when we come up the elevator and come through the door, but then we follow the ignoring procedure for SA. We call him to come 20 minutes later and just are ourselves. When we review the video tapes we don't talk or interact with the dogs. Dh is very scientific, so there is more of a calm analytical feel to viewing the tapes. Maybe downhearted sighs, though.

I talked to my vet about CDS. She brought it up as being a far stretch, but a possibility. Thanks for the links! I was able to read more of the symptoms and get a better feel for what to watch for. Fortunately he doesn't fit most of the symptoms right now, just minor hearing loss, barking and the very rare pooping incident last night. If Pokey ever has an accident in the house, we clean up quietly. We would never scold him. He feels bad enough as it is, you can just tell he never wants to make a mistake.

He is very playful more frequently and even a little fiesty sometimes.

When we were in our house, he would start a barking fit if he heard certain noises (mail carrier, especially). Lately on the tapes when he is barking, it is like that. He ate so much of Marta's Kong, then barked so much that maybe he couldn't hold "it."

We'll see how the rest of the week goes!

[Alex's Mom]

Oh Renée, I can SO identify with what you're going through...don't have any answers, but maybe it'll help to know that you're not the only one tied to the house because of their furkids!!!

My Alex also suffers HUGELY from SA, in her case it's not barking, but she howls...sounds like a little wolf (with a large voice!). I live in half a duplex, and the neighbours so far have been very nice about it, but I can tell it's starting to wear thin. I can't leave her alone for more than 4 hours at a time; fortunately between finishing off my degree, and working as a research assistant, I can do most of my work from home for the next few months, but what'll happen after that I don't know. Unfortunately she's also extremely dog aggressive so even if I could afford it, I can't leave her in doggie daycare. I've been trying to find someone to come and sit with her, but no luck either. (I though maybe there might be a senior somewhere who'd be happy to pick up a few extra bucks, but no) and in Alex's case, it wouldn't make any difference. If her mom's not there, she howls... even if I'm just outside shovelling snow or in the yard. I had to go to a conference last year in Ontario, so I drove, and took her with me, and left her with her grandpa for 4 days (and we lived with dad for 2 years while I was going to school, so I thought she'd be OK, but no :mad: ). The poor man (he's in his 80s) didn't sleep for the 4 days I was gone because she'd start to "moan" as he called it around 10 pm, and wouldn't stop until he fed her at 6 am. Then she'd sleep for a couple of hours and then start all over again. It's a real concern for me because I'm going to have to travel with work this year and what I'm going to do with her I do not know!!!

I can't believe the housing prices in California...how on earth do regular garden variety humans afford it???? Good luck with it all, though...I so feel for you!!!

Paula and her moaning highness Alex

[Pokeys Mom]

I just have to accept the fact that there are going to be random triggers beyond my control.

-People talking in the hallway
-People walking in the hallway
-Construction
-Other dogs barking
-Smells of other people coming in
-Smells of cats and other dogs coming in
-Trucks, cars and repairmen in the ally
-Intercom door buzzer being pressed accidently
-People pounding on our door when we are gone

So far, they don't respond to these noises while we are here. It took a lot of effort and time to train them, but there is only so much I can do.

I really need to look into other housing options. Rae- you are right on, and know the situation on my end the best.

The vet gave us a name of a trainer, which I am putting Dh in charge of contacting. In the meantime, I flooded Mary with information (sorry & thank you!)

Thank you DLC for ongoing support and advice.

[Patt]

I found the following links (one for each state) in one of my books on aging dogs, you might want to consider this. I think after the initial exam you use e-mail for consults and updates.

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/
http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/home/beh/dogs/agingdogs/index.html

Dementia in dogs is very much the same as it is in people, unfortunately it sneaks up on you and you must learn to live with it. If I were you, I would talk to your vet (or behaviorist) about Pokey's latest behavior and see if she has any other suggestions to help him.