Two weeks on zoloft so far and there’s no difference. But there is not supposed to be for 2-3 more weeks. I am glad so far because the fact that Sage is the same means he isn’t made sick by the meds or hasn’t become dopey and checked out. It still may be that the meds do not have an effect on his behavior, but maybe they will. He is at the lowest possible dose for his weight- I have to cut a tablet into 3/4 of a pill- so there is room if we need to raise him later.
His visit with Dr Moon at Tufts went fine- he exhibited enough general anxiety anyway, she didn’t need to see a demo of his reaction to other dogs. She’s seen it before, of course. After hearing the tale of Seiji, she is not surprised he is anxious, and she added upon observation of him that his awareness is much more 3-D than is typical with domestic canines. (Dr Moon’s work has been about coyote-beagle crosses and her companion is a NewGuniea Singing Dog- Dr Moon GETS wild dogs.) He worries about UP more. I explained about the hawks- that I don’t know why he is so concerned with soaring birds like hawks and vultures. I can make up a story for it in which he and his grouchy brother and sick mother are at the puppy mill and birds of prey are coming down on other sick dogs, but it might not even be that dramatic. It may be just part of being a more primitive dog on the continuum.
Along with Dr Moon, Sage was observed by Dr Ogata from Osaka, Japan. I wondered if Seiji’s Kai-ness would stand up to an actual Japanese veterinarian, and she did not seem surprised with him, saying that except for the half-drop ears and the wry face, he had a shape and coat common to Kai dogs. Dr Ogata explained that Kais are wary watchdogs and can not be expected to easily tolerate many situations we take for granted with common american pet and sporting dogs.
Considering his early life experiences that we DO know, his breed, and the behaviors he is exhibiting with the training and management I have put in place for him, the Drs recommended we try a prescription to take the edge off his panic feelings so that the training I have been guided to by the Dognoscenti will have a better chance to work. Timing is crucial, consistency is imperative, and management to limit exposure to levels he can work with is the key.
If the meds have no effect on his ability to keep calm and learn, he will get no worse I dont think. I know what I have now, and after Emma’s class I know exactly how I need to be when I work with him, and what is too much for him. I will need to do a post about Books that Changed Our Life, but count Scholz and von Reinhardt’s Stress in Dogs as one of them- I saw Sage in that book and learned to believe him. It contains a survey of 224 dogs and the conclusions are illuminating, especially in light of the message of “you can’t do too much Exercise and Socialization” that is driven home so hard these days. What was fine for Reilly was way too much for Seiji- he is a different person in there.
So while we wait to see the results of his meds to manifest, we are keeping on the same way- we clicker train on leash walks in the neighborhood 3x a week (more or less, as good walking opportunities are available) the way we practiced in Reactive Dog class. All other days we play in the yard only- Sage’s favorite 3Fs: Fetch, Frisbee and Find It. My sand for the Dig Pit is coming soon, so that will bring a whole new game to the yard.
This month’s DogWatch from Cornell features a behavior column that asks the question about half way through- essentially, can a dog that is reactive to other dogs be happy living at home and not going to the park or having dog friends? The answer is, of course, maybe, by degrees. I wrestle with the question a lot and it helped me to remember that if he is freaking out about the Field of Dogs, then he is NOT having fun and I am only helping him by taking that pressure off of him and limiting him to exposures he can cope with. I am not depriving him by not asking him to tolerate the social intensity there.
DogWatch’s Dr Hetts points out that owners will have to take up the slack and provide the interaction and exercise that such a dog needs, and that to just toss him in the yard alone and bored will surely impact his quality of life. So we enrich- toys and play together. It takes extra time when you have a reactive dog- and now that I have been “home-schooling” Sage for three months, I find that it is not that he needs 45 minutes of Ball (he is not that obsessive anyway..) as much as he needs 45 minutes of my time and attention. A little Ball, a little hanging out, a little grooming, talking, 10 minutes of moving stones in the stonewall around together and investigating renews our connection each day. He needs that more than straight exercise.
Sage always has Reilly, and he has several dogs he is comfortable with- our Neighbor Timber, my sister’s labrador Cleo (Best Dog in the World!), and his friends in the Wild Rovers. He may not make many new friends from here on out , but remember what the Dognoscenti teach us: and I am quoting Sarah Wilson and Vicki Croke this time, “Greeting and playing nicely with unknown dogs is an unnatural behavior in canids. They generally form family groups and “aggress” toward or avoid all outsiders. While many modern dogs enjoy the dog park a great deal, some dogs neither enjoy nor benefit from it.”
And I have it on good authority now that Seiji is NOT a Modern Dog.
