Very stressed boy

[Kizzipdoggo]

Please excuse the very long winded first post......

 

We've had our boy for about 5 months and we are getting increasingly worried about his stress levels. He is our second rescue greyhound (who we sadly lost before adopting him) and although similar in many ways he is also very different.

When we first had him he was super affectionate, always wanted to be with us (mostly on us) and very excited to be with the three of us (myself my wife and our 13 year old daughter). Didn't like it too quiet at night so we leave a lamp on and the TV on at night and he settled down very quickly.

As he has gotten more used to the house he has taken to going into our front room on his which we rarely use ourselves where he has a couch to himself and it's nice and quiet. We try not to fuss him and leave him to it, allowing him to come to us if he wants to.

Over the last 6-8 weeks or so he has been showing signs of not wanting to be in the house, he will sit in the garden for hours on his own, he will stall whenever he realises that a walk is heading back towards home and he will often not get out of the car outside of the house which usually results in me picking up a 30+kg lump of unhelpful leg tangle (no mean feat), he doesn't struggle or get angry about it, just doesn't want to go in.

We have noticed it is often triggered when our daughter gets Wingey and upset with homework etc. If she has a freak out over teenage problems of some sort or another (crying getting loud etc) he seems to really pick up on it. This rarely happens in the same room as the.dog as she spends most of her time in her room but it will straight away put him into panic mode.

This usually comes out as heavy stress panting, shaking and occasionally trying to escape by scratching at the windows, doors etc. It can last for a good 20mins of intense stress which eventually calms down but it does stay with him for a few days after.

Obviously a big part of the problem is controling the hormonal over exaggerations of a teenager in the first place, which we are working on, but I'm here to ask for help for doggo.

I've found that the best thing to do at the moment is to not react too much, sit with him but not fuss him too much.

As he wants to get away from the house as soon as he gets stressed, I don't know if it's best to just take him out straight away if he does get stressed, or if it is better not to support his flight reactions and it would be better to somehow help him through it by learning he doesn't need to be so scared??

I also know that it is still early days being less than 6 months in our home but I want to try and help him settle in the right way and not form negative habits, I'm worried he is getting worse not better overtime.

He is no way aggressive towards any of us and is often very happy, roaching on the sofa or lying in his bed all day. We walk him for at least 3x1 hours a day. And he is generally a loving and happy boy. 

My main worry is that he withdraws more and more to a point that he doesn't want to be with us which would be heartbreaking, but if he really can't settle here then we are worried thatmaybe he is better off with another family.

Does anyone have any advice on how best to help him through? It's horrible to see him upset

 

Edited March 9, 2020 by Kizzipdoggo
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[cleptogrey]

You have a super sensitive pup there. Teenagers are teenagers, raging hormones, social pressure, etc. It's difficult on humans and unfortunately your pup. At least you are aware of what seems to the stimuli in your problem. Nah, don't send the kid to boarding school, summer camp-Yes! And talk to your adoption group. Positive reinfocement for his walkies, getting leashed, feeding all the normal things to keep him on track with those pleasures. How does he respond to your daughter when she isn't  stressed? And even though DD is looking for independence she too needs that special time. Wishing you a speedy solution.

[Kizzipdoggo]

16 minutes ago, cleptogrey said:

How does he respond to your daughter when she isn't  stressed?

A little indifferent but generally fine, not as excited as he is to see the feed bringers and the walk takers of the household, but he doesn't seem scared of her or show any aggression towards her.

[HeyRunDog]

6 hours ago, cleptogrey said:

You have a super sensitive pup there. Teenagers are teenagers, raging hormones, social pressure, etc. It's difficult on humans and unfortunately your pup. At least you are aware of what seems to the stimuli in your problem. Nah, don't send the kid to boarding school, summer camp-Yes! And talk to your adoption group. Positive reinforcement for his walkies, getting leashed, feeding all the normal things to keep him on track with those pleasures.

I agree, positive reinforcement is the way to go and not reacting when things get stressful for him but it will take time.

Grace used to get really stressed by shouty children and adults especially if they are playing football and used to spin round trying to escape from her lead or pull heavily to get away. The temptation was to make a fuss of her which would only reinforces her reaction, but by carrying on walking normally and totally ignoring her until she settles down again she is getting better. She has improved a lot and will now just walk a bit quicker when she hears the sound of a ball being bounced or kicked and doesn't really pay much attention to noisy children in the road. To get her to this stage has taken over 18 months.