[nagdu] stress and nervousness

Fri May 6 18:12:18 UTC 2011

Marsha,

Yikes!  Poor Emma!  Poor you!

Okay, here is what I have learned from my poodle and my partner's hound
about stress management with dogs.

1.  An herbal anti-anxiety formula like Rescue Remedy or Happy Traveler is
your best friend.  Or, if you prefer to work with your vet on a prescription
medication, an equivalent to Xanax for humans is a good first step.  The
thing you're doing with that is cutting down or even eliminate the
neurochemical flight/fight reactions behind the behavioral problems they
create.  Blocking that chemical reaction allows the dog (or human in the
case of PTSD and/or an anxiety disorder) to face the trigger rationally and
physically relaxed.  So it's a good place to start when dealing with the
kind of anxiety you're describing in Emma.

2.  Lots of physical love.  Cuddles, snuggles, happy warm loving talk,
calming strokes, praise, play, all the good happy things a dog needs to feel
comforted and reassured.  Any play and exercise you can give your dog,
especially if you work in interactions from you and that provide an
opportunity to praise and laugh and smile and ooh and aah over every little
thing...  Giving your dog all the comfort and reassurance and joy and
playful exercise you can fit into your busy schedule will go a long, long
way.  Again, you're working on a neurochemical response in the dog's brain
to counteract the unhealthy chemicals from the stress.  You're giving your
dog endorphins.  Also, you're rebuilding the trust between both of you and
reaffirming your teamwork and interactions through play.

3.  When you're at rest your dog, work in calming touch and a calming voice
through grooming and stroking.  Simple things to do would include light
massage at the base of the ears, stroking of the ears, running two fingers
lightly from the brow back along the spine to the tail, stuff like that.
This will also give you a chance to learn what calms your dog and what her
body and energy feel like when she is calm.  Putting your hand over her ribs
to get a feel for her resting heart rate is good, too, so that you can tell
when the heart speeds up at the onset of an anxiety attack.  When you pick
up the changes in body stress while Emma is in harness, you can stop and
praise and use your calming voice and touch while leaning over her to feel
her heart rate while you work to slow it down by the techniques you've been
using by being lovey and all that.  /smile/  With a dog, your leaning over
her in a gentle but firm way also communicates that you are in charge, the
pack leader, the dog doesn't have to worry because you have it under
control, etc.  You're not trying to dominate the dog in an aggressive way,
just being gently firm enough to communicate that you have it under control
and that you are in charge in the teamwork.  While feeling the heart rate to
better understand how to help your dog return to calm confidence.

4.  Pull back as much as you can from the work stress.  Praise your dog like
the wind for little successes you would normally take for granted.  Low cal
tasty treats as a reward, especially in conjunction with a clicker if you
have one and are comfortable with that style of positive reinforcement can
go a long, long way.  You're creating a more positive psychology to overcome
the strees trigger while also giving your dog a nice shot of endorphins to
overcome the stress chemicals.  So you're moving things along in the right
direction on several levels without having to put in a lot of energy or
creating a lot of fuss in your working environments.  To everyone else
around you, it just looks like you're taking a pause to be nice to your dog.
Their smiles and other indications of approval of this will also have a nice
impact on the dog.  It's all good, everybody's happy, the dog is filled with
the warmth of approval.  Doesn't hurt the handler, either, I've discovered.
/smile/  All the love and joy in the air makes it much easier to retain your
own zen and calm in the face of being really stressed out yourself because
your dog is being a nut and misbehaving and you're not feeling safe at all.
Sharing the love is a better alternative than transferring your own stress
and anxiety to your stressed out, anxious dog.

5.  All of this will also help you to better know what the starting trigger
is for Emma.  You will then be able to approach that trigger in a teaching
way to help her work through her problems with it.  You will know the point
at which to begin encouraging her and setting her up for success before she
gets scared.  You can approach that gradually in small steps until she is
once again ready to walk into that office with the service dog just like the
wonderful, brave, confident, competent guide dog she really is!

6.  One thing that has helped with Mitzi, especially in her excitable youth,
is to carry a pocket or purse cane.  I could set her up for success in
stressful situations, using the clicker and praise to encourage her natural
self-confidence up to the point she started to show signs of being
overwhelmed.  I could then Halt, praise her for halting on command, thus
ending the training/work on a positive note.  At that point, out comes the
cane, and we are working on heel, again with praise for obedience at that
without the added stress of responsibility for navigating and guiding.
Mitzi could have a good experience in a tricky environment, get praise for
doing something difficult (for her; poodles are not heelers, as she reminds
me to this day), and observe what was going on around her and what things
were while getting used to the stsimulating sounds and smells.  She also had
a good chance to learn how I moved through whatever it was with a cane,
which gave her an idea of what she would need to do when she was ready to
work it.

Have I overcomplicated things enough for you yet?  /grin/  It may sound like
a lot of extra time and work, but I've found that understanding what is
happening in the dog's brain and what she needs to have good things happen
instead makes is very easy to just dovetail all of that into everyday life
with the dog.  For myself, I find it enjoyable enough that I'm using the
dog's stress management time as my own, so we're both getting some of the
same things out of it.  Which is convenient, since, you know, having a nutty
stressed out guide dog is scarier than heck.  Me, I find that sort of thing
pretty stressful.  /grin/

Good luck to you and Emma however you work things out to get her back to
being the great dog she is.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Marsha Drenth
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 3:01 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: [nagdu] stress and nervousness

All,

Wondering if you all can provide some advice or suggestions. As of lately
Emma has just been this ball of stress and nervousness. It started off when
we were at school, another service dog barked at her. Now she is so stressed
and nervous at school, her behavior is almost unbearable. She has the left
hand side tendency thing. She does not guide well, and when I go into that
particular office, she will literally pull me over to get out of that
office. But now it really does not matter what or where we are going. She is
always nervous, always stressed. I went on a women's retreat this last
weekend, and now I wish I had not taken her. She will not eat her food. I
have to beg her to eat, because if I didn't beg or coax her some how to eat,
she never would eat. She already needs to put on some weight. We are seeming
to have more bad days than good days. I honestly do not know what to do. She
wants to work, as she is excited t go into the harness, but it's the rest
that is driving me up the wall. I am not stressed, I am not nervous. 

Ok guys, give me some good suggestions and advice here. 

Marsha and Emma

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