[NAGDU] Anxiety Issues

[Becky Frankeberger]

Forgive me for being behind, but Joe has a problem I am very well acquainted
with. Joe my husband has a dog very uncomfortable on busses and trains. We
put a rubber batch mat under him and he curls up and sleeps. Your dog my
husband's dog do not like feeling unsafe or sliding in any form. So try the
rubber batch mat and see how that goes for the fine pointy eared fellow,
soft smile. I got ours at Wal-Mart, but I am sure any store that carries
small rugs or bath mats will suffice.

The hesitation on floors has me a bit concerned. So get him the balloon type
boots or Mushers secret and consult the vet. Have people describe how he is
walking on the floors without any intervention,  so the vet gets the picture
of what is going on. My second had this problem, but in his case it was just
lack of experience, so I took everything slow. He built up his confidence
and he was fine.  

I am here if I can or my husband help.

b.butterfly at comcast.net

Becky and TSE dog Jake 
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joe Orozco via
NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2017 7:52 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Joe Orozco <jsoro620 at gmail.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Anxiety Issues

Hello,

I have a couple issues going on with my shepherd I hope you guys can provide
feedback, both demonstrations of anxiety:

First, on my commute to and from work, Matthew becomes restless. It's grown
in intensity to the point now where he sits up, lays down, and trembles for
the 1.5 hour-long bus ride. I've tried massaging his back and shoulders,
rubbing his ears, speaking softly, etc. I have not yet tried treats, but I
may consider this if that is what it takes. The bus can become crowded.
There is not a whole lot of foot space, and I feel as though part of the
issue could be his feeling stifled. Every so often, once we hit open road, I
allow him to stretch out into the aisle, but even then he will want to sit
up, throw a paw over my knee and start panting, whining very low in his
throat.

The second issue is tile floors. Though not consistent, there are often
times walking through lobbies and cafeterias where he will either walk
extremely slow and gingerly, or he will freeze for a moment before lunging
forward and skitter across the tile. I have to let him carefully work it
out. I understand lifting him off the ground wont' solve anything, though I
feel bad watching him spin his wheels so to speak. His nails are not long. I
have tried outfitting his nails with tile grips, though he tends to lose
these. I'm next going to try to become more serious and consistent about
clicker training, but if anyone has other ideas on how to reduce this
psychological block with smooth floors, I would be very appreciative. He is
three years old and, to my knowledge, does not exhibit any physical medical
problems that could stimulate this behavior.

His guide work in general is adequate. Outside I have issues with him not
always walking as fast as I would like, but on carpet and concrete, he is
generally a good guide dog. He is a very quiet shepherd, very sweet and
loyal. Yet I confess these increasing bouts of anxiety are becoming an
issue.

Thanks in advance for any tips and/or suggestions.

Kind regards,

Joe

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