l-trytrophan
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l-trytrophan
can l-trytrophan calm down a nervous dog?
Re: l-trytrophan
I would not give tryptophan for this purpose to a dog. It does not seem to be a viable drug to humans for this purpose so why test it on a dog. Who knows how they would metabolize and overload. Of course I am not a vet so if they prescribe then yes. Why not just try DAP?
The best friend of Ansa the sprollie since autumn 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnsaTheSprollie
Train with your brain.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnsaTheSprollie
Train with your brain.
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runlikethewind
- Posts: 1166
- Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 12:48 pm
Re: l-trytrophan
What's your case Kate? Meds are fine (if really needed) but should be with behaviour modification therapy at the same time.
Re: l-trytrophan
the dog is very nervous of people. she hides and will run away and bark at people. I tried people giving treats but she does not work. I tried a DAP collar and she was still nervous. It did not help her calm down at all. I am looking for something to calm her down naturally
thanks
thanks
Re: l-trytrophan
Is this your friend's dog that you've mentioned in other posts? Has she tried the behavioural modifications suggested there? People giving her treats is unlikely to work - a scary person is still scary if they have a treat, and if the dog takes the treat, they are now a scary person without a treat.
It is wrong, and pointless, to try to change a dog's behaviour with medication without fully exhausting all training techniques. So to help more, we would need full details of this puppy - age, how long owned, exercise & walks, food, and exactly how and when her behaviour presents. The most important thing in the meantime is to never put her in situations where she feels nervous, even if that involves avoiding all other people for now.
It would obviously be better for your friend to come on here herself.
It is wrong, and pointless, to try to change a dog's behaviour with medication without fully exhausting all training techniques. So to help more, we would need full details of this puppy - age, how long owned, exercise & walks, food, and exactly how and when her behaviour presents. The most important thing in the meantime is to never put her in situations where she feels nervous, even if that involves avoiding all other people for now.
It would obviously be better for your friend to come on here herself.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Re: l-trytrophan
she don't have a computer. I will suggest training. Someone told her about BAT. anyone know about that?
Re: l-trytrophan
I thought treats were good to use with fearful dog? people should not give her treats?
Re: l-trytrophan
"treats" can be very good for a dog that is dealing with fear. The reason is food is comforting. By combining something fun, safe, enjoyable, comforting etc. IF you work in a see/hear scary first, then get something wonderful, you can change the association as long as scary is far enough away to NOT be triggering a fear response.
BAT works on the understanding that a fearful dog's reaction is often NOT a true desire to fight and harm what is scaring the dog, but rather to drive scary way. Get distance. BAT teaches a dog that if you look away/turn away. you can also get distance.
If you want to learn more about BAT, here is THE book on BAT written by the author. http://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustme ... t+for+dogs
which tool you use depends on the dog, the environment, a persons experience level in working with dogs to list a couple of factors.
Most dogs don't need medication to overcome fear, achieve behavior changes and see improvement. But some will. Those that do, medication by its self isn't a complete solution and should be as already suggested accompanied by a training/behavior modification plan. I would STRONGLY encourage making sure you are working with both a qualified vet and qualified animal (dog) behaviorist to make sure the dog is in fact a candidate for medication before going down this path.
BAT works on the understanding that a fearful dog's reaction is often NOT a true desire to fight and harm what is scaring the dog, but rather to drive scary way. Get distance. BAT teaches a dog that if you look away/turn away. you can also get distance.
If you want to learn more about BAT, here is THE book on BAT written by the author. http://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustme ... t+for+dogs
which tool you use depends on the dog, the environment, a persons experience level in working with dogs to list a couple of factors.
Most dogs don't need medication to overcome fear, achieve behavior changes and see improvement. But some will. Those that do, medication by its self isn't a complete solution and should be as already suggested accompanied by a training/behavior modification plan. I would STRONGLY encourage making sure you are working with both a qualified vet and qualified animal (dog) behaviorist to make sure the dog is in fact a candidate for medication before going down this path.
Re: l-trytrophan
If she is fearful of people, people should not force contact with her.kateny55 wrote:I thought treats were good to use with fearful dog? people should not give her treats?
A treat in a scary person's hand doesn't make the person any less scary.
A strange person comes in. Dog is scared and runs away. The person chases after the dog trying to give her a treat. Now the dog is not just scared, she is terrified.. If this scenario resembles what happens, then it's the people who need training, not the dog. The dog just needs a bit of space and time.
Re: l-trytrophan
so how do you change the dog wot seeing a person was no longer scary?
I don't understand
I don't understand
Re: l-trytrophan
I am sure others can offer more in-depth guidance, especially if you post it under "Dog Training Advice" section.
But the basic principal is this:
Dog reacts to a person when the person is too close. What's "too close"? It depends on the dog.
So, imagine an ideal scenario.
You are in an open field with the dog, there is noone around. Dog is happy and content.
Then a person shows up, a mile away, getting closer.
At first, the dog won't even notice the person.
Then, at some point, the dog takes notice, stops what she is doing, and is looking at the person with a worried expression on her face.. That's the "safe distance" - the distance at which the dog can look at the person without reacting (barking, lunging, running away, or whatever the reaction is). Let's say this distance for your dog is 500 ft.
If the person keeps coming closer- the dog will actually react. Your job is to prevent the person from getting any closer, and reward the dog for simply looking at the person. So you just wave the person off, he walks away, and the dog resumes what she was doing before the person appeared.
Next day - the same thing.
Next day - perhaps the person can get as close as 499 ft.
Next day 498 ft.
And so on.
Over time, and it will take a while, the person will be able to come really close. Still without initiating any contact with the dog.
At that point, the dog will be able to tolerate the other person next to her, and will start showing some curiocity about this person. If the person remains non-threatening (no sudden movements towards the dog, no loud noises), the dog will come to him, sniff... you reward her.. then over time the person will be able to reward her.. and you are all set,
Now - this is an ideal scenario. In real life you don't have an open field with noone there, you can't simply wave other people away, they pop up unexpectedly and approach uninvited, I understand all that. But the basic idea still remains - build a bubble around your dog as best as you can. If you cant' prevent a stranger from approaching, you can walk away from him with the dog and still maintain the safe distance, for example..
This approach takes time, patience, and ability to control environment around you, meaning ability to avoid strangers getting within you dog's safe distance. But this is the natural way, not requiring any medication or devices. This may not work for every dog, some probably really need medication.. But in many cases humans simply don't have the patience to do this the natural way, and resort to meds as a way to speed the process up, which is a mistake.
But - post this under "Dog Training Advice", and see what others say.
But the basic principal is this:
Dog reacts to a person when the person is too close. What's "too close"? It depends on the dog.
So, imagine an ideal scenario.
You are in an open field with the dog, there is noone around. Dog is happy and content.
Then a person shows up, a mile away, getting closer.
At first, the dog won't even notice the person.
Then, at some point, the dog takes notice, stops what she is doing, and is looking at the person with a worried expression on her face.. That's the "safe distance" - the distance at which the dog can look at the person without reacting (barking, lunging, running away, or whatever the reaction is). Let's say this distance for your dog is 500 ft.
If the person keeps coming closer- the dog will actually react. Your job is to prevent the person from getting any closer, and reward the dog for simply looking at the person. So you just wave the person off, he walks away, and the dog resumes what she was doing before the person appeared.
Next day - the same thing.
Next day - perhaps the person can get as close as 499 ft.
Next day 498 ft.
And so on.
Over time, and it will take a while, the person will be able to come really close. Still without initiating any contact with the dog.
At that point, the dog will be able to tolerate the other person next to her, and will start showing some curiocity about this person. If the person remains non-threatening (no sudden movements towards the dog, no loud noises), the dog will come to him, sniff... you reward her.. then over time the person will be able to reward her.. and you are all set,
Now - this is an ideal scenario. In real life you don't have an open field with noone there, you can't simply wave other people away, they pop up unexpectedly and approach uninvited, I understand all that. But the basic idea still remains - build a bubble around your dog as best as you can. If you cant' prevent a stranger from approaching, you can walk away from him with the dog and still maintain the safe distance, for example..
This approach takes time, patience, and ability to control environment around you, meaning ability to avoid strangers getting within you dog's safe distance. But this is the natural way, not requiring any medication or devices. This may not work for every dog, some probably really need medication.. But in many cases humans simply don't have the patience to do this the natural way, and resort to meds as a way to speed the process up, which is a mistake.
But - post this under "Dog Training Advice", and see what others say.
Re: l-trytrophan
I understand now, thank you. So if I go for a walk with the dog and my friend and a persons approaches,we should move away where the dog is comfortable, can we give the dog a treat? it is hard in real life cause when we walk, streets are narrow and people are always out. we live in a busy area,
what if someone wants to pet the dog? they shouldn't right? we go to petsmart often where we met people
what if someone wants to pet the dog? they shouldn't right? we go to petsmart often where we met people
Re: l-trytrophan
Every time the dog just looks at a person without reacting - this is a good cause for celebration and rewards.
But watch her diet, though... If she gets a lot of treats - reduce amount of food you give her.
I understand the busy streets.. You have no control over the crowd, but perhaps you can pick different time? I am sure those crowded streets are not nearly as crowded at 5 am.... Just a thought here
If someone wants to pet the dog or even come close - just tell them not to. This may be uncomfortable at first, depends on your personality. If so, come up with a line that you would feel ok with. For example, I recently heard someone asking another person not to touch her dog because the dog "is in a bad mood today". Hey, whatever works! But it's only uncomfortable the 1st time, you will soon learn to keep people away with just a wave of your hand plus perhaps a charming smile, quick "sorry"', and that's it, move on, encounter is over.
Why do you go to petsmart? Doesn't she get nervous and scared around people? Or is she ok at petsmart? If she is scared and nervous - I would give PS a break. Socializing is important. But good socializing is not just about exposing the dog to different situations and creatures. Good socializing is making sure that all those encounters are free of stress and full of fun and enjoyment for the dog. Quality of her experiences is much more important than quantity.
Cheers,
But watch her diet, though... If she gets a lot of treats - reduce amount of food you give her.
I understand the busy streets.. You have no control over the crowd, but perhaps you can pick different time? I am sure those crowded streets are not nearly as crowded at 5 am.... Just a thought here
If someone wants to pet the dog or even come close - just tell them not to. This may be uncomfortable at first, depends on your personality. If so, come up with a line that you would feel ok with. For example, I recently heard someone asking another person not to touch her dog because the dog "is in a bad mood today". Hey, whatever works! But it's only uncomfortable the 1st time, you will soon learn to keep people away with just a wave of your hand plus perhaps a charming smile, quick "sorry"', and that's it, move on, encounter is over.
Why do you go to petsmart? Doesn't she get nervous and scared around people? Or is she ok at petsmart? If she is scared and nervous - I would give PS a break. Socializing is important. But good socializing is not just about exposing the dog to different situations and creatures. Good socializing is making sure that all those encounters are free of stress and full of fun and enjoyment for the dog. Quality of her experiences is much more important than quantity.
Cheers,
