Quote:
Originally Posted by DarinBongo  I wouldn't worry about damp's comment Anne. This is the same dip***t that said his dogs weren't pets, just dogs, in the other thread where someone was merely asking if they've ever seen a dog born without a tail. Damp seemed to think it was completely absurd for someone to love and cherish their pet if they weren't perfect show quality. |
hey now... i know that i've not always agreed with damp, and that we're posted some seriously differing views on things, but really, no need to go about calling him names. for all our differing opinions on things, the man really does know his stuff.
and, from personal experience working with dogs that have OCD, mostly what you're managing to do is change the focus of the obsessive behavior to something less disruptive. a dog with a focus on working
is less annoying than one with a fixation on light and shadows. but you've got to watch for recurrance of their obsession with the original focus. an OCD dog is never truly
cured, and you have to keep working with them the rest of their lives.
and, for all that i hate the thought of any animal being put down, damp has a point. no matter what the focus of their obsession, the dog will always be stressed. and it will always need lots of work and attention to keep them from becoming a serious problem. once the animal reaches a point where just existing is torment, then yes, being PTS is likely the choice left.
i'd
assume that damp's advice came from the fact that virtually nobody out there has the time nor temperment to truly work with a damaged dog. (i say assume, because i don't pretend to know what damp thinks - just giving him the benefit of the doubt) make no mistake - working with an OCD dog is a lifelong task, and is not easy.
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now, to stop describing things and actually offer advice, since this is what you came for.
take the lights away from your children. emphasise that continuing to do this to the animal will result in it's
DEATH. there is no excuse for animal abuse, not age, nor ignorance.. there is simply none.
now, in terms of changing this behaviour, you're in for a fun fight. the dog won't be focused on you, at all. gaining this focus should be your first job. this is easier with a
slightly hungry dog. meaning, keep their food level the same, but make the morning meal lighter, and the evening one heavier. that way the bulk of the day, you, with your treat of choice (chopped up hotdogs, cheese, training snacks, whatever works best) are more interesting than whatever it's focusing on.
when the dog IS focused on shadows/lights, take the dog somewhere else, and work with them. give them something to do - retrieval, obedience, whatever. doesn't matter much, so long as you can keep the dog interested. note - we're not talking 5-6 minutes of training, i'm talking about 30 minutes of doing something else. you're trying to both stimulate the dogs mind, and tire out it's body.
now, this is the hard part - you've got to keep your eyes on the dog pretty much the whole time it's loose in the house. as soon as it focuses on something, distract it with your chosen task, and reward it. this reinforces the thought that focusing on the wall (floor, window, etc) doesn't get it rewarded, but coming with you and breaking the focus does.
unfortunately, you have to do this for the entirety of the dog's life, and there are no guarantees that it will work. but a tired dog (both physically and mentally) is easier to deal with than a dog full of piss and vinegar, and ready to blow all that energy on it's OCD focus.
finally, on a rather depressing note - it is entirely possible that there is no hope for an animal suffering OCD. i hate this thought, but it's true - sometimes you have no choice but to let the dog go, so they don't live in torment anymore.
IF it comes to this, and your dog has to be put down (and you have a good long time to work before it comes to this point, i hope). I would point out to your children EXACTLY why the animal was ill, and what their hand in it was.
actually, i would point this out now. explain to them that they are diving the animal insane, and it IS
CRUEL. the fact that you haven't done this yet seriously upsets me. i'm trying to give the benefit of the doubt, but if you're ignoring this abuse of the animal, what else might they be putting up with that they shouldn't have to?
i'm not attacking you here, just asking you to step back, ignore the fact that they're your children, and try to see them as strangers treating your dog in (x) manner. if the treatment would be inappropriate from a stranger, then it's signifigantly worse from a member of the dog's family. if you can't get your children to treat the dog properly, i urge you to rehome the animal to somewhere less abusive to the animal's mental state - and again, explain exactly why to your children. the hope here is that they learn
NOT to torment animals. most certainly not animals that are putatively in their care.
good luck, and please, please keep us updated with your progress. i know i sound harsh sometimes (though i promise, i'm all sweetness and light compared to some of our members.) but i really do want what's best for both you and your dog. an unhappy, stressed animal is not a safe animal. neither for itself nor the people around it. adding children to the mix is frightening, since what amounts to a minor bite to me would be a serious incident with a child. it would be tragic to see the animal PTS, and the children scarred, because they didn't understand how wrong what they've done to the animal is.