Owen's Odyssey

Hearing from adopters isn't always cause for celebration. While we evaluate and gather as much information as possible on the dogs we adopt out prior to an adoption, sometimes adopters may still experience issues with their newly adopted GSP and need advice with what to do. Such is the case with Owen who had been adopted by former adopters Andrew and Sabrina. The following is their update on how they dealt with some of the separation anxiety issues they encountered after they adopted Owen:After losing Rudi, our first GSP, earlier this year, we knew we wanted to adopt another one and after several months contacted the GSP rescue and gave them our wish list. Just before 4th of July we got the call that a dog had just been dropped off they thought would be perfect for us. We came down that Saturday and met Owen -- very sweet, very big, out of shape, HUGE paws, and a big nose. He came home with us!The first week we learned a couple things about him that had not been shared or noticed by the previous owner, and the rescue had not seen in the few days he was there with the other dogs. Greg asked us to share our experience and lessons learned in case anyone else may find themselves in the same boat.Owen drooled like crazy. He never made a sound with us -- but the neighbors got to know his James Earl Jones voice when we left the house with him in the yard -- he didn't stop barking. He chased light reflections in the house -- or just sat and stared at them for a long time during dawn and dusk hours. We could not re-direct his attention but for a couple seconds. He was hesitant to go into the yard -- we had to coax him out. He would run in circles staring at the sky. When he escaped from the back yard a few days after we brought him home -- we knew we needed professional help. So we contacted our 3 experts: a local behavior specialist we'd worked with before, Dr Deena Case-Paul, Greg Williams from the GSP rescue, and our vet. We learned from Deena that Owen had separation anxiety and compulsion issues, which apparently is not unusual for hunting and herding dogs who don't have enough to do (Owen was given up as the previous owner had to work long hours and he spent his day in the backyard). To address both issues, which are apparently inter-related, Deena shared with us over a couple one-on-one meetings the standard methods to use, and showed us how to do the different actions. She shared the if you follow the methodology, the documented success rate is 85%. We agreed we were all in -- he was worth it and one of us was home full time to be able to give him the support needed. So our initial steps which she guided us through were as follows:

• plenty of exercise
• daily dose of Prozac (Fluoxetine) -- likely for a year
• have him wear a Thundershirt (the science shows it calms animals, like a swaddled baby)
• lots of slow, long-stroke petting on his body (not just his head) and massage
• do "down, stay" game multiple times during the day: put him in a down stay, slowly move away from him while praising, stop moving if any sign of stress. She taught us what to look for. Release him with praise, then ignore him. Eventually move out of his eyesight and extend amount of time.
• only supervised short visits to backyard
• make all entries and exits to the house calm. Upon return don't interact with him for 15 minutes - no look, no talk, no touch.
• use DAP spray in his crate and put an Adaptil dog collar on him. Deena recommended to only use products made by CEVA as there are knock-offs. This product mimics the properties of the natural pheromones of lactating females that give their puppies a sense of well-being and reassurance.

Deena also suggested we hold off on meeting any other dogs or going to doggie classes until he settled into a routine, and avoid meeting too many new people. Any introductions to people should follow the same 15 minute no look, no touch, no talk approach. She also suggested that running or biking with him at a trot can help get all the good endorphins flowing. Our vet, who partners with Deena on these cases, suggested that in addition to all of the above, dog toys with soft nubbly plastic can help.Wow -- that's a lot to do.So we rolled up our sleeves and got to know each other. He already knew his basic commands and he listened well so that helped a lot. We also had to crate train him and teach him to stay off the furniture with a scat mat (it works!). Both were new for him. After a few days on the Fluoxetine we thought he was too sluggish, so we talked to the vet and reduced his dosage by 1/3. He was perkier then. It took us 3 weeks to understand how much exercise was really enough for him (absolute minimum of a daily 30 minute hard hike in the morning). Greg suggested using a harness for him and, he told us how to use it to safely have Owen tow us up the hills when we hike to help burn off his energy. My wife started running again -- he's good on the leash as he tolerates a gentle leader. Not so good yet with a choke chain.After the first month he had really bonded with both of us and was more comfortable in the back yard. He wore the Thundershirt most of that month -- just during the day. It helped -- we noted a difference when he was not wearing it. He lost 5 pounds and started to put on some muscle. We got up to 3 minutes in down stay game out of his sight. End of week 5 we tried removing the Thundershirt -- he did fine. He also started normal pointer hunting of the lizards in the backyard, but also 'hunting' the shadows/scattered light from several plants in the yard. We talked to the vet and upped his dosage of Fluoxetine to original dosage. He tolerated it and seemed to benefit more by it (eg, the amount of time and intensity with which he stared at lights in the house was improving). By week 7, after several weeks of being introduced, he went into his doghouse in the yard on his own and stayed outside by himself on his bed when we came indoors. Those were huge steps -- he was less stressed/fearful! He no longer ran circles in the yard. We did backslide a bit on the down-stay game -- he was getting up without being released. Deena suggested we start again using small time increments and working our way back up. Week 8 we started a basic training class with Deena, in part to get him around other dogs. Week 9, I started leaving him alone for short periods in the back yard when I left the house. First time I drove down the block and walked back to check on him -- he was not barking and just running around being a normal dog. Yay!So in summary -- he is doing so much better. He's not normal yet, and we know he may never be completely normal. A key goal for us is to get him comfortable being in the backyard by himself while we are gone at work. We've learned it's really important to use all your resources to help a dog with these issues. Greg has been really helpful and supportive, and working with a behavioral expert was key for us (we live far from the rescue). She's teaching us lots of little things that are helping. The internet has provided lots of good information. We all have more work and learning to do.Owen is incredibly sweet and gentle -- he's absolutely worth it!!A big thanks to Andrew and Sabrina for their commitment and seeing Owen got everything he needed. Not every adoption is easy but for those adopters committed like Andrew and Sabrina, the reward is exponential in knowing they didn't give up and were able to help a dog beyond the adoption.