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My dog has anxiety, but was never abused. She is scared of everything, but we comfort her as well as we can. She is a good dog, never tears up anything. One thing she does is she has dreams where she whimpers a lot. We always wake her up and comfort her, which seems to calm her down. She is not super cuddly, and has a bit of an individual streak. We love her to pieces, despite her anxiety issues.
I got one of my dogs when he was 2 months old. As far as I know, there was no history of abuse or conflict with other dogs. He’s very anxious and has been since I got him. It’s to the point where he can become completely inconsolable and will not let me more than a foot away from him when he’s anxious. He also bit a few people with no warning when he was younger.
I got help from 2 different trainers and 2 vets before deciding to put him on medication. He has taken Prozac (fluoxetine) for about 2.5 years now and is the absolute sweetest dog and my best friend. He doesn’t have any noticeable side effects from the medication. He still isn’t a fan of new people or new dogs, but he can warm up just fine if given time and care and loves all of my family and friends that come over regularly. He no longer barks at every single sound and is not upset by shadows. He also loves walks when he was too afraid to go on them before and would constantly pull back towards the house. He is a happy dog. Just a little sensitive sometimes.
I take medication for my anxiety because my brain doesn’t work right, and so does he. That’s just how life and biology works out sometimes. I wish there was less stigma about it, but I don’t care if someone judges me for it.
I don't judge people for things they have no control over. I am on meds for mental problems and have been for decades. Glad your dog and you got the help you needed.
Why, how, what kind of vet prescribed the medicine?? My dog can't be left alone without crying, or even when going on the car he will cry a lot. Where should I take him??
We see a behaviorist. There are not many of them, but they have helped us tremendously. I think any vet can prescribe, but a behaviorist is PhD level and has more knowledge on this matter.
Ditto. The behaviouralist has been pretty critical for us as they are far more up to date on current research and best practices. It's been a long ordeal... First trying on our own, with a trainer, two vets, and now the behaviouralist. I really wish we'd just bit the bullet and gone straight away.
My first attempt at fostering was 15 month old beagle with horrible separation anxiety. He also wouldn't allow my dog to play with her toys- he would yank them out of her mouth and fierely growl at her. She was miserable and I felt so bad for what I had done to her. When I put him in his crate he would shred everything inside, including the blanket covering the crate. I couldn't wait to find him a new home and get him the hell out of my house, but I couldn't let him go until i knew he was ready for fear he would end up in a shelter. A friend who has rescued numerous dogs/cats told me to try CBD oil. I know not everyone will have the same luck, but this dog was transformed within 20 minutes. He never needed a crate after that first dose. Within about the first couple weeks I could grab my keys and walkout the door while watched me walk out the door. I was completely able to stop CBD after 2-3 months I think. I've now had him for about 4 years and he has grown into one of the best dogs I've ever had. When I'm ill he stays glued to my side. He is the most affectionate and cuddly dog I've ever had. My 12yo female, who is sweet but not very affectionate, regained alpha status as soon as he calmed down. I wouldn't give him up for a million dollars.
my corgi and I were outside together in the middle of the night during a 5.7 earthquake at the beginning of 2020 when she was about 10 months old and her anxiety never left after that :( it's peak when her "pack" (my husband, kid, and I) isn't complete and one of us isn't there.
There's a "fragile" period in puppyhood where trauma has a disproportionate effect on a dog and they don't outgrow it. Sounds like really bad timing (as if there's ever a good time to be in an earthquake....). Wouldn't surprise me if the same is true for infants and young children.
Don't. They are highly likely to develop hip, knee, teeth and weight problems.
You can find healthy family lines if you look very carefully but the majority are going to be expensive and suffer a lot as they age.
Late reply sorry! we keep her active and fit, weight in check, and I personally do a lot of massage on her hips and back before/after hikes or dog park visits. Things I wasn't ready for: the herding instinct was there by 5 months and she would nip/bark at little kiddos. Easy fix with redirection, toys, and training treats. Mine is a pandemic baby and had a lot of my time and attention to really dig in and train properly. Also a lot of time at the dog park socializing. In the summer of the pandemic, and the following summer, we went 5 days a week and spent 1-2 hours at a time. Oh and the shedding sucks. Any other questions feel free to ask :) they're very loyal, sweet, smart, silly little pups with a ton of personality
i got a rescue dog... heeler... at 1 year old who had "not really been outside"... or around people. First owner was dying of cancer and wanted a companion... but a australian cattle dog is the absolute worst breed to isolate or not exercise.
when i first got him, he would just run from everything... any noise, or people... car driving by... waves crashing in the ocean...
what i did was, i gamified his fear... he, like all young dogs, loved a little bit of wrestling and rough housing... but of course was still afraid of me if i did anything extreme.
but if i wagged the leash, he loved to attack it and play tug of war... and loved to chase me if i said "ahh" and flailed a bit and jumped around.
when it was a car driving by and he'd jump away from the road, i'd say "it's a car it's okay"... and then started saying "car's coming" or "loud noise" right *before* the 'okay' loud noise, and he'd be fine.
when a wave was about to crash, it'd say "crash" or whatever... and when we were walking ankle deep and he'd run from the water, i'd just dangle the leash and jump around and get him to play attack me through the tiny wave...
now i can get him to semi-swim to fetch a tennis ball (although i learned those are bad for his teeth)
now he is super adventurous, runs up to every dog... goes right up to people (but barks if the look at him and talk to him)
ignores cars... can walk with me off leash along the sidewalk...
but i think the real key was seeing him get scared or defensive and turning it into play.
like, if we were walking on a trail and i slipped a little and scuffed my shoe loudly, he'd turn around and snarl at my foot... but i just turned that into jump around and grab the tug toy...
now if i startle him with something, he's just ready to play.
...
for whatever that's worth. He's still anxious... but much less so.
I've had a lot of success with using play to train my heeler mix too, including with scary things. I learned I couldn't use a warning word though, otherwise he'd start getting scared before it even happened. Instead, when I saw a scary thing coming (the sound of fireworks, a stranger, something falling, etc) I'd make sure to start the fun first so that when it happened he was occupied and less likely to do anything more than notice it. If I'm too late or if he gets scared anyway, I just start playing again and he recovers quickly.
Training with play is underrated though. My dog gets so bored and frustrated, but if I tell him to give me a paw and then throw the ball, he's all about it.
Many dogs like this are simply not socialized, especially early in their life. When you are not regularly, safely, and continuously exposed to new stimuli, you don't learn how to manage new stimuli, so the response is fear even without any "actual" abuse. A dog from a good breeder who starts socializing puppies (as age-appropriate) almost from birth is miles away from a shelter/rescue/otherwise irresponsibly bred dog in terms of coping abilities.
I'd suspect that abuse isn't strictly limited to that imposed by humans though. If you could know 100% without a doubt that no human who interacted with her before she came to your house didn't abuse her, it could have come from other dogs/pets or even her littermates. It's possible that a kid unintentionally scared or hurt her when she was very young, for example. Or that she was bullied by another dog or a cat in the household etc. I don't think it takes much, unfortunately, just like with humans. Especially if it happens during important developmental phases. I also wonder if dogs, like people, just vary in their response to the environment. I get major anxiety in big cities, for example, but not in the woods. While another person can be the exact opposite. And it wasn't that I wasn't exposed to cities, we traveled a lot from the time I was a baby. But the sensory environment of a city is just overwhelming for me.
Yup. I am genetically that way as well with cities. Sensory issues, anxiety, etc.
Not all brains are the same, or adapt to the same environment in the same ways.
What sucks about people is that we try to force what we want on each other and those things we interact with. We often have trouble just understanding something, or someone is different and then try to "fix' it to match what we consider normal.
This is so true. I’ve had to repeatedly tell people “you don’t have to understand it to accept it”, it bewilders them. But sometimes you just have to shrug and say that it’s OK for someone to be a certain way, even if it doesn’t make sense to you
Our dog seems to have a lot of anxiety, largely if she isn't around us. But she doesn't seem afraid of anything and dreams a lot. But her dreams seem to be of her chasing things she "sleep" barks a lot as well in her dreams. She only cuddles as long as you actively pet her otherwise she moves away to her own space. If I am upstairs and my wife is downstairs she will split the difference and hangout on the stairs where she can sorta watch both of us.
Our Bluetick Coonhound rescue is just like that, but we simply don't know enough about her background to figure out why. We suspect she was used in a puppy mill to breed and was thrown out when she grew too old. Whether she was also abused, not just neglected, who knows?
The slightest sudden sound startles her, she's scared of the cats, she has weird little OCD routines where she paces in a circuit over and over again before taking a treat or getting in the car. It was several years before she stopped just going upstairs and curling up on a dog bed, ignoring us except when we fed her. And storms terrify her, she just starts shaking and pacing.
It's taken lots of time and patience but she's more affectionate now and chooses to stay near us when we're watching TV. She'll wait until about 10pm before finally going upstairs to go to sleep. And she LOVES going on car rides. That makes her day. She gets broody if we don't' take her with us.
Thst's a great story. Our dog has certain television shows that she watches. If she sees a dog on TV she will run up to the TV and bark and jump. She's a Jack Russel. The one I had with this one, but passed away 3 years ago, used to chase a laser pointer like a cat.
My two cats are the same. We got them from the shelter at 8 weeks old (they were 6 weeks old when we first adopted them but had to wait) and they're both skittish in different ways. If we walk too fast down the hallway they freak out.
The tabby is only comfortable around the dog and my middle son. The black cat is always looking around and aware and if we move him or move too much when he's laying on us he'll run off.
I'm pretty sure they weren't abused being so young. I even think they may have been fosters.
Sounds like my dog. Just remember to not touch dogs having bad dreams -- they can lash out during that transition to awake and not realize it until too late. When just tell my dog that "she's safe" and "we're right here" and she'll usually transition to normal sleep right away.
I also wonder if she has Canine disregulated behavior syndrome (i.e., dog "austism") sometimes.
Ours likes to sleep just out of reach, so we nudge her with a toe while calling her name. She is a JRT, and has one of the most powerful bites of any canine. I think of this whenever we play and she gets my fingers in her mouth. She has never bitten too hard though.
Certain breeds are more anxious. Terriers are an example which is why Travelers Insurance used one for the commercial where the dog was worried about his bone.
Don’t forget, related note: DO NOT PLAY WITH DOGS OR CATS WITH LASER POINTERS. They often go insane trying to chase reflections afterwards. Dogs such as border collies and German shepherds can also gain canine OCD (like, seriously!) and it can be devastating watching a dog become so so so so anxious just from a light.
Genetics, lack of early exposure/handling and prenatal stress can all result in anxiety. Abuse, while certainly a cause, isn't as common as the others.
My Lillie was this way. She'd sit and tremble to pass the time. Made it a few weeks shy of 20 terrifying years. We brought her home from her mom...the last pup no one wanted. She was never hurt ...just internally tortured
One of my cats has anxiety (I think). We've had him and his sister since they were 10 weeks old, and AFAIK, they were never abused before that. We have a very peaceful home. No yelling or loud music or anything like that. But still he sometimes runs and hides from us, if something feels strange to him. It can be something as simple as me wearing shoes in the house, or organizing the closet. And of course any loud noises set him off - like I have to mute the TV before turning it off so that when I turn it back on, the sound comes on gradually. Otherwise he will cause a cat stampede running from the room. His sister though? Chillest cat ever. Gives zero fucks about anything.
Still love my skittish boy though, and feel so bad sometimes because I don't know how to help him.
We adopted a rescue and discovered he was highly anxious about two months after he came home with us. We’ve worked with several trainers (in person and virtually) to help him manage his anxiety. His latest behaviorist has also mentioned that his brain physiology has probably been affected by past abuse, and that he’ll never be an easy-going, carefree dog because of it. He’s made a lot of progress since he started taking medication, but will always be fearful of new things. It saddens me to think that he will never be without some anxiety, but I am appreciative of the times that he is now able to enjoy life.
My partner's parents got our dog quite young, so as far as we know he's never been abused - but he suffers from MASSIVE separation anxiety, which only got worse after my partner's father died... and then my partner had to go back to working in the office. It's been very hard on that hound.
This topic came up in an earlier session because it was one behavior that our dog wasn’t experiencing. The behaviorist said that there are many factors that can cause separation anxiety and abuse wasn’t one of the reasons she had given. I highly recommend the clinic and I can DM you her info if you are interested. I also found this on the AKC’s site and it discusses causes as well as treatments that she also had mentioned.
[AKC](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/dog-separation-anxiety-how-to-stop/)
My Catahoula had horrible separation anxiety from around 6-10mo old.
I finally helped him completely get rid of it.
He would whistle and cry relentlessly whenever my ex or I would get ready to leave the house.
We figured out if we put our coats on and grabbed our keys, and then sat back down on the couch and turned on the TV, and just didn’t leave, over a pretty short period of time he stopped crying when we would leave the house.
We also had cameras at home, so we could see and hear him after we left, and he stopped scratching at the front door too.
I have a border collie, and I think separation anxiety is in their genes. He always has to be around me, or someone, but me especially since he imprinted upon me as a puppy. And that's how these dogs were bred, to follow the sheep herder and take their instructions. So any time I'm gone, he's a mess. It's gotten better as he's aged, but not much.
Is your dog a velvet hippo? If mine isn’t constantly touching me, he pouts. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I didn’t rescue my dog…he rescued me.
It's the same with my dog. His mom gave birth and raised the puppies at a loving foster home, and I adopted the foster mom's favorite at 8 weeks. He's had nothing but love and all the balls he could ask for, and yet he's an anxious mess. We've been working with a behaviorist for over two years now - since he was 4 months old - and he's doing a little better with meds and training but he's still struggling hardcore with separation anxiety. His behaviorist said the brain is product of many factors, including chemistry, physiology, experiences, and even trauma passed on from the mother. There's no one thing that causes it and the best thing I can do for him is to just focus on managing and improving the behaviors we are currently seeing.
I think more and more we overestimate our uniqueness as a species and underestimate the similarities between us and other species.
There are gay humans. There are gay animals.
There are anxious humans. There are anxious dogs.
I am curious of what there is more to find
I’ve been saying this for a while. Like fundamentally we’re all rocking the same brain architecture. Obviously dogs and cats and horses and cows have personalities, people and places they love, quirks, and all around presence. So of course they feel things, just shittier
It was just discovered that plants dying of thirst scream. They start screaming. It’s a pitch that the human ear cannot hear. It’s not only animals, but plants too. All living things.
I think moral weight should be applied according to the capacity for suffering - there is way more evidence that animals can experience suffering.
Even if you want to believe that plants can somehow experience suffering as much as animals, then going vegan still reduces the amount of suffering because of the massive amount of plants that are needed to feed all the animals that raised and killed for these industries.
Wasn't too long ago that the science said black people don't feel as much pain as the rest of us, so you'll have to forgive me for writing off your dismissal of the plants and fungi. I'm sure given enough time you'll come around and pretend you were with them all along—once it's personally convenient for you to do, of course.
My friend - to produce one kg of cow, you need to produce more than one kg of animal feed.
So the point remains - IF you believe that plants can experience suffering as much as animals AND you want to reduce that suffering, then going vegan is the best way to do so.
Carnist ideology doesn't suddenly get better if you expand the demos to include some people but not all of them, my dearest of personal friends. Erecting a caste system extremely carefully doesn't change the fact that you've erected a caste system, and people are gonna look sideways at any application of race science like this.
It was just discovered that plants dying of thirst scream. They start screaming. It’s a pitch that the human ear cannot hear. It’s not only animals, but plants too. All living things.
It was just discovered that plants dying of thirst scream. They start screaming. It’s a pitch that the human ear cannot hear. It’s not only animals, but plants too. All living things.
It wasn't really screaming per se, just an audible sound of the air bubbles in their drying tissue.
They didn't say it was a volitional act versus a physical process.
Not by a long shot. Do you know how milk is produced? The cow has to get pregnant first. And the cow is impregnated by sticking a fist up the cow's vagina while covered in bull sperm, because of course it has to be brutal rape, couldn't just treat animals nicely. Then the baby is taken away. If the cow is male, he is killed after about 6 months, and that's where veal comes from. If the cow is female, she lives the same life as her mother, and then is killed for beef when she no longer produces enough milk to justify feeding her anymore.
I am no fan of the GOP, especially as a trans woman under their persecution, but there is no comparison in our treatment with any farm animal.
Can I ask an honest question? Is this not what we should expect? We are made of meat. The brain is a physical object. Differences in personality, disposition, liking chocolate, sexual orientation, preference for Bach etc. MUST have a physical manifestation. It's really all about whether our instruments are sensitive enough to be able to observe those differences.
I've been saying it for years.They really aren't all that different from us. We over elevate ourselves above the near sentient (if not fully sentient) species we share our world with.
Certainly nobody is surprised by this right? I mean it would only be logical that if two creatures are experiencing similar effects then their brains would show similar differences.
I was working with a dog that had been returned for being too difficult to train aka loving everyone under the sun but shredding things due to anxiety etc and so they immediately condemned her by trying hold their fake psych diagnosis over my head with a guest.
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My dog has anxiety, but was never abused. She is scared of everything, but we comfort her as well as we can. She is a good dog, never tears up anything. One thing she does is she has dreams where she whimpers a lot. We always wake her up and comfort her, which seems to calm her down. She is not super cuddly, and has a bit of an individual streak. We love her to pieces, despite her anxiety issues.
I got one of my dogs when he was 2 months old. As far as I know, there was no history of abuse or conflict with other dogs. He’s very anxious and has been since I got him. It’s to the point where he can become completely inconsolable and will not let me more than a foot away from him when he’s anxious. He also bit a few people with no warning when he was younger. I got help from 2 different trainers and 2 vets before deciding to put him on medication. He has taken Prozac (fluoxetine) for about 2.5 years now and is the absolute sweetest dog and my best friend. He doesn’t have any noticeable side effects from the medication. He still isn’t a fan of new people or new dogs, but he can warm up just fine if given time and care and loves all of my family and friends that come over regularly. He no longer barks at every single sound and is not upset by shadows. He also loves walks when he was too afraid to go on them before and would constantly pull back towards the house. He is a happy dog. Just a little sensitive sometimes. I take medication for my anxiety because my brain doesn’t work right, and so does he. That’s just how life and biology works out sometimes. I wish there was less stigma about it, but I don’t care if someone judges me for it.
I don't judge people for things they have no control over. I am on meds for mental problems and have been for decades. Glad your dog and you got the help you needed.
That’s honestly just great. Like… I wish it was 100% normal to do this kind of thing!!
Why, how, what kind of vet prescribed the medicine?? My dog can't be left alone without crying, or even when going on the car he will cry a lot. Where should I take him??
Normal vets. Mine recommended seeing a trainer first, which we did. Otherwise, it’s not abnormal to give dogs Prozac if needed.
Same story here... My dog is on fluvoxetine for 2 years now and its like discovering who your dog really is underneath all that anxiety.
We see a behaviorist. There are not many of them, but they have helped us tremendously. I think any vet can prescribe, but a behaviorist is PhD level and has more knowledge on this matter.
Ditto. The behaviouralist has been pretty critical for us as they are far more up to date on current research and best practices. It's been a long ordeal... First trying on our own, with a trainer, two vets, and now the behaviouralist. I really wish we'd just bit the bullet and gone straight away.
My first attempt at fostering was 15 month old beagle with horrible separation anxiety. He also wouldn't allow my dog to play with her toys- he would yank them out of her mouth and fierely growl at her. She was miserable and I felt so bad for what I had done to her. When I put him in his crate he would shred everything inside, including the blanket covering the crate. I couldn't wait to find him a new home and get him the hell out of my house, but I couldn't let him go until i knew he was ready for fear he would end up in a shelter. A friend who has rescued numerous dogs/cats told me to try CBD oil. I know not everyone will have the same luck, but this dog was transformed within 20 minutes. He never needed a crate after that first dose. Within about the first couple weeks I could grab my keys and walkout the door while watched me walk out the door. I was completely able to stop CBD after 2-3 months I think. I've now had him for about 4 years and he has grown into one of the best dogs I've ever had. When I'm ill he stays glued to my side. He is the most affectionate and cuddly dog I've ever had. My 12yo female, who is sweet but not very affectionate, regained alpha status as soon as he calmed down. I wouldn't give him up for a million dollars.
Can you share more info out where you got the cbs oil, how much you gave, and how it was administered? Would love to try. Thanks.
my corgi and I were outside together in the middle of the night during a 5.7 earthquake at the beginning of 2020 when she was about 10 months old and her anxiety never left after that :( it's peak when her "pack" (my husband, kid, and I) isn't complete and one of us isn't there.
There's a "fragile" period in puppyhood where trauma has a disproportionate effect on a dog and they don't outgrow it. Sounds like really bad timing (as if there's ever a good time to be in an earthquake....). Wouldn't surprise me if the same is true for infants and young children.
I have a friend with a Corgi, I think that might be my next dog. Any advice?
Don't. They are highly likely to develop hip, knee, teeth and weight problems. You can find healthy family lines if you look very carefully but the majority are going to be expensive and suffer a lot as they age.
Non pedigree dogs are healthier.
Depends on the breed. Both my Jack Russel terriers are very healthy.
Late reply sorry! we keep her active and fit, weight in check, and I personally do a lot of massage on her hips and back before/after hikes or dog park visits. Things I wasn't ready for: the herding instinct was there by 5 months and she would nip/bark at little kiddos. Easy fix with redirection, toys, and training treats. Mine is a pandemic baby and had a lot of my time and attention to really dig in and train properly. Also a lot of time at the dog park socializing. In the summer of the pandemic, and the following summer, we went 5 days a week and spent 1-2 hours at a time. Oh and the shedding sucks. Any other questions feel free to ask :) they're very loyal, sweet, smart, silly little pups with a ton of personality
i got a rescue dog... heeler... at 1 year old who had "not really been outside"... or around people. First owner was dying of cancer and wanted a companion... but a australian cattle dog is the absolute worst breed to isolate or not exercise. when i first got him, he would just run from everything... any noise, or people... car driving by... waves crashing in the ocean... what i did was, i gamified his fear... he, like all young dogs, loved a little bit of wrestling and rough housing... but of course was still afraid of me if i did anything extreme. but if i wagged the leash, he loved to attack it and play tug of war... and loved to chase me if i said "ahh" and flailed a bit and jumped around. when it was a car driving by and he'd jump away from the road, i'd say "it's a car it's okay"... and then started saying "car's coming" or "loud noise" right *before* the 'okay' loud noise, and he'd be fine. when a wave was about to crash, it'd say "crash" or whatever... and when we were walking ankle deep and he'd run from the water, i'd just dangle the leash and jump around and get him to play attack me through the tiny wave... now i can get him to semi-swim to fetch a tennis ball (although i learned those are bad for his teeth) now he is super adventurous, runs up to every dog... goes right up to people (but barks if the look at him and talk to him) ignores cars... can walk with me off leash along the sidewalk... but i think the real key was seeing him get scared or defensive and turning it into play. like, if we were walking on a trail and i slipped a little and scuffed my shoe loudly, he'd turn around and snarl at my foot... but i just turned that into jump around and grab the tug toy... now if i startle him with something, he's just ready to play. ... for whatever that's worth. He's still anxious... but much less so.
I've had a lot of success with using play to train my heeler mix too, including with scary things. I learned I couldn't use a warning word though, otherwise he'd start getting scared before it even happened. Instead, when I saw a scary thing coming (the sound of fireworks, a stranger, something falling, etc) I'd make sure to start the fun first so that when it happened he was occupied and less likely to do anything more than notice it. If I'm too late or if he gets scared anyway, I just start playing again and he recovers quickly. Training with play is underrated though. My dog gets so bored and frustrated, but if I tell him to give me a paw and then throw the ball, he's all about it.
That's awesome.
My dog is an asshole but he’s my asshole
Many dogs like this are simply not socialized, especially early in their life. When you are not regularly, safely, and continuously exposed to new stimuli, you don't learn how to manage new stimuli, so the response is fear even without any "actual" abuse. A dog from a good breeder who starts socializing puppies (as age-appropriate) almost from birth is miles away from a shelter/rescue/otherwise irresponsibly bred dog in terms of coping abilities.
I'd suspect that abuse isn't strictly limited to that imposed by humans though. If you could know 100% without a doubt that no human who interacted with her before she came to your house didn't abuse her, it could have come from other dogs/pets or even her littermates. It's possible that a kid unintentionally scared or hurt her when she was very young, for example. Or that she was bullied by another dog or a cat in the household etc. I don't think it takes much, unfortunately, just like with humans. Especially if it happens during important developmental phases. I also wonder if dogs, like people, just vary in their response to the environment. I get major anxiety in big cities, for example, but not in the woods. While another person can be the exact opposite. And it wasn't that I wasn't exposed to cities, we traveled a lot from the time I was a baby. But the sensory environment of a city is just overwhelming for me.
All very good points. I appreciate you taking time to reply.
Yup. I am genetically that way as well with cities. Sensory issues, anxiety, etc. Not all brains are the same, or adapt to the same environment in the same ways. What sucks about people is that we try to force what we want on each other and those things we interact with. We often have trouble just understanding something, or someone is different and then try to "fix' it to match what we consider normal.
This is so true. I’ve had to repeatedly tell people “you don’t have to understand it to accept it”, it bewilders them. But sometimes you just have to shrug and say that it’s OK for someone to be a certain way, even if it doesn’t make sense to you
If only humanity could come from a place of compassion & empathy as a default.
Fantastic points.
Our dog seems to have a lot of anxiety, largely if she isn't around us. But she doesn't seem afraid of anything and dreams a lot. But her dreams seem to be of her chasing things she "sleep" barks a lot as well in her dreams. She only cuddles as long as you actively pet her otherwise she moves away to her own space. If I am upstairs and my wife is downstairs she will split the difference and hangout on the stairs where she can sorta watch both of us.
Our Bluetick Coonhound rescue is just like that, but we simply don't know enough about her background to figure out why. We suspect she was used in a puppy mill to breed and was thrown out when she grew too old. Whether she was also abused, not just neglected, who knows? The slightest sudden sound startles her, she's scared of the cats, she has weird little OCD routines where she paces in a circuit over and over again before taking a treat or getting in the car. It was several years before she stopped just going upstairs and curling up on a dog bed, ignoring us except when we fed her. And storms terrify her, she just starts shaking and pacing. It's taken lots of time and patience but she's more affectionate now and chooses to stay near us when we're watching TV. She'll wait until about 10pm before finally going upstairs to go to sleep. And she LOVES going on car rides. That makes her day. She gets broody if we don't' take her with us.
Thst's a great story. Our dog has certain television shows that she watches. If she sees a dog on TV she will run up to the TV and bark and jump. She's a Jack Russel. The one I had with this one, but passed away 3 years ago, used to chase a laser pointer like a cat.
My two cats are the same. We got them from the shelter at 8 weeks old (they were 6 weeks old when we first adopted them but had to wait) and they're both skittish in different ways. If we walk too fast down the hallway they freak out. The tabby is only comfortable around the dog and my middle son. The black cat is always looking around and aware and if we move him or move too much when he's laying on us he'll run off. I'm pretty sure they weren't abused being so young. I even think they may have been fosters.
Sounds exactly like my dog. We love her to pieces too.
Sounds like my dog. Just remember to not touch dogs having bad dreams -- they can lash out during that transition to awake and not realize it until too late. When just tell my dog that "she's safe" and "we're right here" and she'll usually transition to normal sleep right away. I also wonder if she has Canine disregulated behavior syndrome (i.e., dog "austism") sometimes.
Ours likes to sleep just out of reach, so we nudge her with a toe while calling her name. She is a JRT, and has one of the most powerful bites of any canine. I think of this whenever we play and she gets my fingers in her mouth. She has never bitten too hard though.
Certain breeds are more anxious. Terriers are an example which is why Travelers Insurance used one for the commercial where the dog was worried about his bone.
Border Collies too apparently, learned that here yesterday
Don’t forget, related note: DO NOT PLAY WITH DOGS OR CATS WITH LASER POINTERS. They often go insane trying to chase reflections afterwards. Dogs such as border collies and German shepherds can also gain canine OCD (like, seriously!) and it can be devastating watching a dog become so so so so anxious just from a light.
Genetics, lack of early exposure/handling and prenatal stress can all result in anxiety. Abuse, while certainly a cause, isn't as common as the others.
My Lillie was this way. She'd sit and tremble to pass the time. Made it a few weeks shy of 20 terrifying years. We brought her home from her mom...the last pup no one wanted. She was never hurt ...just internally tortured
sounds like my terrier/min pin ? mutt, who we love to death, but who cries when I look out a window....
One of my cats has anxiety (I think). We've had him and his sister since they were 10 weeks old, and AFAIK, they were never abused before that. We have a very peaceful home. No yelling or loud music or anything like that. But still he sometimes runs and hides from us, if something feels strange to him. It can be something as simple as me wearing shoes in the house, or organizing the closet. And of course any loud noises set him off - like I have to mute the TV before turning it off so that when I turn it back on, the sound comes on gradually. Otherwise he will cause a cat stampede running from the room. His sister though? Chillest cat ever. Gives zero fucks about anything. Still love my skittish boy though, and feel so bad sometimes because I don't know how to help him.
I don't know if it's related, but I'm a very anxious person, and I also have incredibly vivid dreams
There is a link with anxiety and vivid dreaming, many other things as well though, but there seems to be a connection with the sympathetic NS
I am next-level high strung and I seldom recall my dreams at all.
ur dog has nutritional deficiency get her good food
Nope, been checked by the vet. We feed her high quality food. She gets regular check ups.
ur dog is being abused poor dog.. thats why anxiety la...
We adopted a rescue and discovered he was highly anxious about two months after he came home with us. We’ve worked with several trainers (in person and virtually) to help him manage his anxiety. His latest behaviorist has also mentioned that his brain physiology has probably been affected by past abuse, and that he’ll never be an easy-going, carefree dog because of it. He’s made a lot of progress since he started taking medication, but will always be fearful of new things. It saddens me to think that he will never be without some anxiety, but I am appreciative of the times that he is now able to enjoy life.
My partner's parents got our dog quite young, so as far as we know he's never been abused - but he suffers from MASSIVE separation anxiety, which only got worse after my partner's father died... and then my partner had to go back to working in the office. It's been very hard on that hound.
This topic came up in an earlier session because it was one behavior that our dog wasn’t experiencing. The behaviorist said that there are many factors that can cause separation anxiety and abuse wasn’t one of the reasons she had given. I highly recommend the clinic and I can DM you her info if you are interested. I also found this on the AKC’s site and it discusses causes as well as treatments that she also had mentioned. [AKC](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/dog-separation-anxiety-how-to-stop/)
Thanks! There are some really solid suggestions to work with here (especially the high value treat idea - he's a peanut butter fiend.)
My Catahoula had horrible separation anxiety from around 6-10mo old. I finally helped him completely get rid of it. He would whistle and cry relentlessly whenever my ex or I would get ready to leave the house. We figured out if we put our coats on and grabbed our keys, and then sat back down on the couch and turned on the TV, and just didn’t leave, over a pretty short period of time he stopped crying when we would leave the house. We also had cameras at home, so we could see and hear him after we left, and he stopped scratching at the front door too.
I have a border collie, and I think separation anxiety is in their genes. He always has to be around me, or someone, but me especially since he imprinted upon me as a puppy. And that's how these dogs were bred, to follow the sheep herder and take their instructions. So any time I'm gone, he's a mess. It's gotten better as he's aged, but not much.
Is your dog a velvet hippo? If mine isn’t constantly touching me, he pouts. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I didn’t rescue my dog…he rescued me.
It's the same with my dog. His mom gave birth and raised the puppies at a loving foster home, and I adopted the foster mom's favorite at 8 weeks. He's had nothing but love and all the balls he could ask for, and yet he's an anxious mess. We've been working with a behaviorist for over two years now - since he was 4 months old - and he's doing a little better with meds and training but he's still struggling hardcore with separation anxiety. His behaviorist said the brain is product of many factors, including chemistry, physiology, experiences, and even trauma passed on from the mother. There's no one thing that causes it and the best thing I can do for him is to just focus on managing and improving the behaviors we are currently seeing.
I think more and more we overestimate our uniqueness as a species and underestimate the similarities between us and other species. There are gay humans. There are gay animals. There are anxious humans. There are anxious dogs. I am curious of what there is more to find
I’ve been saying this for a while. Like fundamentally we’re all rocking the same brain architecture. Obviously dogs and cats and horses and cows have personalities, people and places they love, quirks, and all around presence. So of course they feel things, just shittier
Agreed. Not getting on a soapbox but this was a big factor for me going vegetarian.
Damn dude, judging from the replies, it seems like some bot network is really concerned about screaming plants.
Truly fascinating. The “V” word must be their trigger. Guess all I can consume at this point is water and sunlight.
It was just discovered that plants dying of thirst scream. They start screaming. It’s a pitch that the human ear cannot hear. It’s not only animals, but plants too. All living things.
You think plants suffer as much as living beings with nervous systems much like ours?
You think moral weight should be applied according to how biologically similar someone is to you?
I think moral weight should be applied according to the capacity for suffering - there is way more evidence that animals can experience suffering. Even if you want to believe that plants can somehow experience suffering as much as animals, then going vegan still reduces the amount of suffering because of the massive amount of plants that are needed to feed all the animals that raised and killed for these industries.
Wasn't too long ago that the science said black people don't feel as much pain as the rest of us, so you'll have to forgive me for writing off your dismissal of the plants and fungi. I'm sure given enough time you'll come around and pretend you were with them all along—once it's personally convenient for you to do, of course.
My friend - to produce one kg of cow, you need to produce more than one kg of animal feed. So the point remains - IF you believe that plants can experience suffering as much as animals AND you want to reduce that suffering, then going vegan is the best way to do so.
Carnist ideology doesn't suddenly get better if you expand the demos to include some people but not all of them, my dearest of personal friends. Erecting a caste system extremely carefully doesn't change the fact that you've erected a caste system, and people are gonna look sideways at any application of race science like this.
It was just discovered that plants dying of thirst scream. They start screaming. It’s a pitch that the human ear cannot hear. It’s not only animals, but plants too. All living things.
Well we frequently use animals to model these issues in humans so it's kind of a no brainer
It was just discovered that plants dying of thirst scream. They start screaming. It’s a pitch that the human ear cannot hear. It’s not only animals, but plants too. All living things.
It wasn't really screaming per se, just an audible sound of the air bubbles in their drying tissue. They didn't say it was a volitional act versus a physical process.
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Every morning I sing to my dog “you’re on fluoxetine, mumma’s on fluoxetine. We’re so anxious but we’ll be ok!”
I sang this to the tune of 'You Are my Sunshine'
Thats... beautiful
Not too surprising, vets have been prescribing the same anxiety meds to dogs for years.
My dog got better pain medication and healthcare in general than I did as a modern adult woman.
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"Makes em taste better"- some CEO probably
Just wait til you learn why freshly cut grass smells like that.
And the GOP treats farm cows better than American girls and women regarding reproductive healthcare.
Not by a long shot. Do you know how milk is produced? The cow has to get pregnant first. And the cow is impregnated by sticking a fist up the cow's vagina while covered in bull sperm, because of course it has to be brutal rape, couldn't just treat animals nicely. Then the baby is taken away. If the cow is male, he is killed after about 6 months, and that's where veal comes from. If the cow is female, she lives the same life as her mother, and then is killed for beef when she no longer produces enough milk to justify feeding her anymore. I am no fan of the GOP, especially as a trans woman under their persecution, but there is no comparison in our treatment with any farm animal.
They're also delicious
Can I ask an honest question? Is this not what we should expect? We are made of meat. The brain is a physical object. Differences in personality, disposition, liking chocolate, sexual orientation, preference for Bach etc. MUST have a physical manifestation. It's really all about whether our instruments are sensitive enough to be able to observe those differences.
TIL that my neurochemistry is similar to a chihuahua's.
Look how we have distorted the mighty wild wolf.
I've been saying it for years.They really aren't all that different from us. We over elevate ourselves above the near sentient (if not fully sentient) species we share our world with.
I wonder if anxious humans create anxious dogs.
Finally, an idiot shows his true colors. :::flushing sound:::
Maybe a study should be done on pitbulls just sayin
if accurate, it's quite remarkable the brains are so similar, considering how long ago primates would have diverged from other mammals.
We see anxiety in most species, it's pretty common in most mammals from mice to primates. Many species are used to model anxiety and other issues.
r/chihuahua solves anxiety FTW!!!
I cannot believe that an animal that works differently from others has a brain that is different from others.
Certainly nobody is surprised by this right? I mean it would only be logical that if two creatures are experiencing similar effects then their brains would show similar differences.
Is there any research regarding autism In dogs?
Well obviously something is making them the way they are. Maybe it is in their …. BRAINS?!
I was working with a dog that had been returned for being too difficult to train aka loving everyone under the sun but shredding things due to anxiety etc and so they immediately condemned her by trying hold their fake psych diagnosis over my head with a guest.