Help for an anxious adoptee?

[angierose]

We brought Sam (1.5-2.5 yrs old) home about a month ago, and he's made great strides already. He was at the local humane society; near as they could tell us, he was a frequent escapee from his owner's yard, and eventually the owners just never came to pick him up. He was labelled dog aggressive because "he rushes at the cage and barks when we walk a dog by," which I put down to barrier frustration. Also he got a 3 out of 5 on general aggression, from the pinch test.

He's a love bug, honestly. But in actions with other dogs, he seems to start out with something to prove. With no preliminary sniffing, he'll put his head over their back and sometimes mount. He had poor dog language skills when he came, which our resident pup Kaylee has been helping to teach him. He responds well when I verbally correct these behaviors. He also has some separation anxiety, setting up a horrific howling and bashing at his crate when we leave. We're working on that, and it's getting better.

The part I don't know what to do about is his general behavior in the house. It is almost as if he doesn't know how to relax. He pants a lot, for no apparent reason. He whines and whimpers. He licks his paws constantly. (He's been checked by the vet and is in good health except some lingering flea problems.) He mumbles and whimpers when carrying toys around.

Is there something I can do to help him? We exercise and train him a lot and have a good daily routine to minimize change in his life. He might not have ever lived much in a house before, although he's perfectly potty trained. Do you think he needs more time to adjust, or is there a way we can help to calm him?

[Stosh]

I'm certainly no expert but it sounds as though he's a little stressed. I would think that will improve with time. Maybe give him one of those toys that releases food as he plays with it to keep his mind busy.

[sagelfn]

Originally Posted by angierose

The part I don't know what to do about is his general behavior in the house. It is almost as if he doesn't know how to relax. He pants a lot, for no apparent reason.
If you think he is panting from stress/anxiety have you tried any herbal remedies or maybe the thundershirt. He may need more time to adjust.

He whines and whimpers.
GSDs are VERY vocal.
He licks his paws constantly. (He's been checked by the vet and is in good health except some lingering flea problems.)
Does he have allergies? What are you feeding him?
He mumbles and whimpers when carrying toys around.
again, very vocal breed.
Is there something I can do to help him? We exercise and train him a lot and have a good daily routine to minimize change in his life. He might not have ever lived much in a house before, although he's perfectly potty trained. Do you think he needs more time to adjust, or is there a way we can help to calm him?

Does he have a crate? His own space to be alone when he needs to relax?

My GSD is 2. I have had him since he was a baby. Until recently he could not settle down in the house no matter how much mental stimulation and exercise he got (no off switch). If we spent all day at the beach he could come home and sleep for an hour and then be ready to repeat the day as soon as he woke up. He is a dog that needs to be doing something almost constantly.

[angierose]

Stosh, the poor beast has only just figured out how to work the kibble toys. He does seem to enjoy it though, I'll make sure he gets that or a bone on a more regular basis.

Sagefln, he does have a crate which he goes to happily enough when we're around. I give him a break there around lunchtime, and I don't let our other dog get in it when he's around.

We are feeding Nature's Domain Turkey and Sweet Potato from Costco. At the shelter he was on Purina One. The vet did say his skin might take some time to settle down from all he'd been through-- he was truly filthy when we got him, infested with fleas, and pretty underweight.

Our other GSD isn't quite as vocal as he is, but certainly does make plenty of noise. I guess I can just hear a level of stress in his whining that seems unusual. He is a bit possessive. I've only just gotten him to let me pet Kaylee without him trying to push her away. They even play tug now without incidents.

The more I write, the more I think he's still confused about his place here. We do practice NILIF (he was very, very pushy when he first came home). Are there any specific herbal products you could recommend? There are a lot of them and I am not sure which are just marketing and which people have success with.

[sagelfn]

I have not used any. I would start a thread asking for some recommendations. I know several people here have or are currently using them with success.

[anngie]

We are having a lot of the same problems with Abigail. We adopted her 4 wks ago yesterday. She has really bad separation anxiety and we don't leave her much. Last 3 times we left her she escaped her crate, bent the bottom and slid the tray out.
Does a thundershirt really work?

[gsdraven]

I've heard people have good success with thundershirts. It's not a cure but can lessen the anxiety quite a bit. I think I've heard up tp 60%. You can also try rescue remedy or DAP plug ins which are general calming aids.

Kaiser was also very anxious when I brought him home at first. He seemed to whine constantly but it did get better. A month isn't a very long time for them to settle in, they are usually just starting to relax around them. Hang in there!

[BowWowMeow]

There is a little booklet called, "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell which gives you a protocol to follow for treating SA. That really does work but can take some time.

The thundershirt seems to work really well to calm dogs but it usually doesn't work by itself.

[anngie]

I wanted to add that Abigail destroyed the blind, got into a bunch of stuff, nosed her way into the closet and got my shoes out. She was only left for a couple of hours.

[angierose]

Thanks, everyone. I'll give him some more time and continue working on the separation issues. I know they have the DAP plug-ins at a local pet store, so Ill pick some up on one our socialization outings.