# OT--Dog trembling?



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thought someone might have an idea here....my mom's golden retriever is nine, and he has began shivering/trembling the last few days. A few things are going on here; my mom is retired and has began working a few hours a day since last Thursday, and her dog is extremely attached to her and used to her being home. So I'm thinking, separation anxiety? (He howls sometimes when she's gone but she's usually home with him all of the time. The other thing, is we have had some earthquakes the last week, in the upper 3s on the richtor scale, and maybe that is upsetting him. He didn't eat last night and only would eat some chicken soup on his food this morning (spoiled, of course.  ) There is no way he has gotten into anything poisonous, of course, and he hasn't eaten anything he shouldn't (and her other dog is fine). Any ideas?? Thanks!


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

If he hasn't behaved like this in the past then I would take him to the vet.

I have had rescue dogs that suffered from separation anxiety and they tended to pace up and down and whine.

Cynthia


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Yes, called the vet earlier and they are familiar with his history (his mom died when he was a few days old and he was given to us as we had a breeder dog at the time for Canine Companions, and we kept him, but he has always been very, very neurotic and extremely attached to my mom). They said if he is still feeling odd later then to bring him in, but that they think it is due to my mom being gone a lot. Apparently he has been howling too while she has been gone during the day, the poor guy. He is walking around and whining but he has always done that, he tends to be Eyore-ish and feels sorry for himself a lot.  And I told Nona in a pm, he is my mom's most favorite person in the world and worth more to her than just about anything, so we are of course keeping a very close eye on him and if the vet thinks we should bring him in, we're ready to roll. The other thing we noticed is that he seems to be scared of the central heater in the house, which we haven't used until we had it repaired this weekend. (Been using the wood stove). When we turned off the heater, he stopped trembling and wanted some of my lunch, so who knows. I just thought I'd post and see if there was anything I or the vet hadn't thought of.


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Has the Vet ever suggested some type of "tranquilizer" for him?


----------



## Keys & Eyegone (May 9, 2004)

MJ
Working at an animal shelter I get the same questions.
I think it is seperation anxiety. Tell your mom that when she leaving in the morning "I have to go to work now." DO NOT cuddle or kiss or mush him up then leave just say that and leave. When she gets home he'll probrably be excited to see her but IGNORE him till he calms down, when he does: get him to sit THEN praise. If you give him attentchion in this state of excitement it's as if she's saying to the dog "you should be glad I'm home." 
The dog it's eating because he's jelouse more than likely. DO NOT pamper him because once again your renforcing the behavior.
It's going to be really, really tough doing it at first but it's going to be good for the dog's anxiety problem.
Let me know if it works out.
Hilary Dawn

Mr.S~Tranqs at that age is risky.


----------



## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Keys & Eyegone said:


> ...Tell your mom that when she leaving in the morning "I have to go to work now." DO NOT cuddle or kiss or mush him up then leave just say that and leave. When she gets home he'll probrably be excited to see her but IGNORE him till he calms down, when he does: get him to sit THEN praise. If you give him attentchion in this state of excitement it's as if she's saying to the dog "you should be glad I'm home."...
> Hilary Dawn
> Mr.S~Tranqs at that age is risky.


This made a big difference with two of my dogs that had separation anxiety. It's surprising how quickly they can adjust to the new attitude. Another help is to have the dog pleasantly tired from a walk before you leave. Good luck.


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thank you everyone, he seems just fine today. We are making a list of things to do to help him adjust to being left home for a few hours.  I really appreciate everyone's advice.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi maryjane,

I'm glad to hear he is better today, I have been following this thread and appreciated all the wonderful advice given.


----------



## Cricket (Sep 1, 2005)

So glad he is feeling better! If you or you mom can watch The Dog Whisperer on Nat'l Geographic Channel, you'd all benefit! If you do not get that station, go to the website and consider one of his books! He is amazing and teaches people about dog psychology and gives us obvious instructions on how to properly communicate with our dog friends. We, as people, tend to nurture others when they are feeling sad, anxious, upset in any way. We talk gently and try to soothe eachother with a pat on the back, a hug, etc. When we do this with a dog who is displaying symptoms of nervousness or anxiety or even aggression, we are basically telling the dog that he/she is correct in feeling that way and rewarding the behaviour. Dogs are not human and it is very hard for us humans to keep that in mind when we love our babies like they are part of the family!!! It is alright to love your dog, but appropriately! Only when the dog is in a calm, submissive state of mind! Otherwise, we quickly create the problems we are encountering and look everywhere else besides our own selves for the reasons why! It is only hard the first few times to ignore the unwanted behaviour, but when you see how quickly a dog can come out of it, it is worth it! I am a dog groomer by trade, and whenever I have a reluctant client drop their baby off to get groomed, I witness the transfer of nerves to the animal. As soon as Mom or Dad goes, the dog is completely fine. I don't coddle that kind of behaviour. It is the key to most problems. I often find myself switching the dogs attention to something else before a nuerotic episode even gets a chance to get started... Change the subject. That's all. Hilary is right on! I happen to know that she also enjoys Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. hee hee.


----------



## Keys & Eyegone (May 9, 2004)

MJ~ I'm very glad to hear that your mom's dog is doing well.


Cricket said:


> Hilary is right on! I happen to know that she also enjoys Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. hee hee.


I watch alittle bit of him when I can catch it in English. But most of my knowledge comes from my boss, Robert/Bob Medlzer, who is a registered dog trainer here in Canada and the USA. Cesar is a fabulous dog trainer none the less tho. lol
Don't be afraid to send me any training questions regarding dogs, or even cats, because I have a lot of resources! 
Hilary Dawn


----------

