My pet is made it worse not better

[Kahlilli]

About five years ago my mother had this wonderful idea that a pet would help me with my condition. She nagged at me until I bought a dog. Looking back I should have just told her no and leave me alone. Ever since I got that dog the stress in my life has rocketed. I worry constantly that it has enough water, that it has had enough to eat, that it has had enough exercise. On top of this it barks every evening whenever it hears a sound. I will be reading a book or on the computer and hear bark bark bark bark all the time, which our neighbours already says annoys them. I tell it off and then a few minutes later it just starts up again. My blood pressure has gone though the roof and now I need to take tablets for that as well. Yesterday was particularly bad, in the morning I got up and looked at my herbs in my pot and thought to myself, even though the dog has ripped them up 4 times so far they have bounced back and are doing ok, then the dog ripped them up again that evening and I just lost it. I threw something in the kitchen sink and made a dent and the sink costs around $400. I'm so tired of catering to a dumb animal, that's how I see this dog: a burden that I hate and can't get rid of until it dies. When I take it for walks it runs off after kangaroos and I've nearly lost it three times. All this stress I just don't need. Also it barks sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes up to four times and I am a light sleeper and have insomnia. Sometimes I just sit and cry thinking about how much harder life is now that I have a dog and how one stupid mistake cost me so much. So dogs might be good for some people or for mentally ill people that don't have to look after them but for me it made my life a living hell.

[Terry73]

Hi Kahlilli

Sounds like you are having a hard time with a pet. Yes they can be a handful, and its always hard to cope sometimes with an annoyance.

Before you give up completely, there are a few things you could try, maybe look at some training classes for the dog, will help bond you guys together more. Not only will it teach the dog to behave and listen to your commands, but also teach you how to effectively communicate with the dog and handle the situations better so it doesnt stress you out so much.

Other things to consider, when the dog is being good, make sure you reward it for its efforts, many people only scold the pet for when its doing bad, and forget that they need to be encouraged to do the right thing.

There are a few other things that could help, but I am sure a dog trainer could specify which ones be best for you, so I would start with contacting either a vet, or a dog handler/trainer, and put your concerns to them. Get their advice and things may work out, if they dont, then those professionals should also know how to proceed, and at worst help you find another good home for the pet, should it come to that.

I hope this helps

Terry

[Ruby__2]

Hi Kahlilli,

Animals can be a huge responsibility. I had to put down my buddy of 19yrs and then after much cajoling and pressure my family decided that I needed a new dog.

Getting up each day to look after another being has been a blessing. However,I did take my pup to puppy school and that taught me ways to deal with her( or mine lol) behavior.

Dogs can be destructive or disruptive due to boredom. I believe if you can get into a dog training class,not only will it help with your dog's behavior but it can be a great way to bond with your dog.Daily grooming and exercise (on a leash) are other things you can do to help.As Terry73 says rewards work well,especially food rewards.

It is never too late to change a dog's behaviour.A good trainer would help.Maybe check out your local vet.They are always willing to help and most have trainers associated with them.

I hope this helps.

Ruby 2

[patonback]

Hi Kahlilli

My heart goes out to you. I had a dog thinking it would help but it didn't. Looking back it was because I've generally felt "not good enough" I always put my dogs needs before my own. Of course I didn't realise it at the time. I was becoming very stressed with increasingly high blood pressure. One day I realised I simply couldn't handle it any more. I've since moved interstate and while I've been tempted to have another dog I won't as I remind myself I'm still learning about boundaries and self nurturing.

Best wishes

[fred4761]

Hi Kahlilli,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having a difficult time with your dog. While pets can be great for anxiety and depression, they can also exacerbate it - especially if the pet is not a good match for you and your lifestyle. I take it from your post that you have had your dog for five years? Have you ever done participated in any training/obedience classes? I would strongly recommend seeking the help of professional dog trainers before you give up on your pet. I know that trainers can be expensive but in my opinion it is an invaluable investment. You may even be able to get a trainer to come to your house and address specific behaviours (like the digging up your herbs, leash walking and recall when around kangaroos). If you can't afford it you can try google dog trainers like Tamar Gellar, Emily Larlham, Zak George, Donna Hill, Kristin Crestejo, Kyra Sundance - most of them have youtube videos.

Personally I have found that getting dogs to do training skills and tricks is great for tiring them out. One of my miniature pinschers can go for a couple of hour long jogs each day and still be crazy with energy, yet when I started doing basic commands/skills/tricks, for even 5-10 minutes a day, she is so much more placid - I guess it is hard work using her brain!

Some fun mentally stimulating activities that I do with my dogs are:

-Treasure hunt - I will place small bits of treats all around a room (while my dogs are waiting in another room) then I give them the command "Find" and let them run around sniffing out the treats

-Treat dispensing toys/ balls and puzzle toys - I feed my dogs a bit of kibble in treat balls and they have to roll them around with their paws and/or noses to get the kibble. I also have Kongs, Nina Ottoson toys, Bob a lot, Tug a Jug.

-Rotate the toys that the dogs have out every month or so - I just put them away and get out different ones to keep things interesting.

-When playing fetch I have taught my dogs that they have to bring the toy and drop it into my hands for me to throw it to them

-Taking my dogs to new places and meeting new people, taking them with me when I run short errands

-Expand your dog's vocabulary of words that it knows by naming specific toys/places/commands

I really do hope that you are able to find a way to live in harmony with your dog, however at the end of the day I think that your own health and wellbeing needs to come first - even if that means having to rehome your dog.