Re: [PyrNet-L] RE: [PRYNET-L]seeking more advice

["kdbooth" <kdbooth@mindspring.com>]

Thanks to everyone for the great advice!  It seems everyone overwhelmingly
agrees that crating him at night will help ... which we did once or twice
out of desperation.  He cried so much that we gave in and let him out ... a
big mistake, I know.  Our other pyr is so good that other than the first
night or two we had her, we've never crated her at night.  She usually zonks
out around 10pm and apart from her thunderous snoring and piggy grunts,
she's quiet until about 9am the next morning.  What Harvey said about his
dogs slapping him in the head in the middle of the night had me rolling ...
been there!  Done that!  He also does this thing where he rams the side of
the bed and then drags his body down the length of it.  Now putting the
mattress back on the box spring is a daily part of making the bed.  And talk
about waking you up out of a dead sleep!

So, gleaning from all the advice, I went to the doggie health food store and
the clerk recommended "Nature's Sunshine" Nutri-Calm stress formula vitamin
supplement to be given twice daily, and Homeopathics for Pets P16
Nervousness that contains valerian for more immediate results ... like
around bedtime.  (I would welcome recommendations for other products.)  Any
thoughts on skullcap or kava?  Also, we are going to crate him after his
last walk.  Bill took Sharon's advice of putting him on a lead while trying
to watch the evening news ... giving him a tug and making him sit.  We found
tonight that he will not lay down, no matter what, and when you try to make
him, he growls and snaps!  I have no idea what happened to him to make him
that way.  It's one more thing we'll have to try to overcome.

As Jan said, the pacing is maddening and we have tried confining him to the
dogs' room ... yes, my dogs have their own room ;-)  We scrapped that idea
when racket from him throwing himself against the door and clawing it got to
be too much.  Then we tried a "baby" gate across the doorway.  He jumped
over it and he jumped through it, mangling it beyond repair.

Today after work, I suffered my first complaint about the barking from our
next door neighbor.  He said my dogs' barking all night was keeping them up
and he couldn't understand what "they" barked at ... nothing.  Saying they
bark all night was a slight exaggeration but I could understand his anger.

Reading back over this post ... it sounds all trouble and gloom and doom!
The good news is we don't plan to give up.  We'll strike a happy balance
eventually.  Besides, things could be worse.  At least he doesn't chew
everything in sight or "go" in the house!  (Anyone ever try putting their
hyper dog on the treadmill?;-) )