[Spencer's Mum]

So, I bought a webcam yesterday and set it up to record while I was at work today. I was surprised to see that the quality was actually pretty good and that it recorded all day. I guess I found out a few good and bad things.

Spencer totally freaks out, jumping, barking, howling, going nuts for the first 16 minutes. You can already by that point see that he is calming down and getting tired. He took a few bites of food and then starts up again. He basically then started pacing and and just jumping. The barking quieted down and he let out a few barks every minute or so. He would just stand there and whine but was not full out upset. At about 1 hour 10 minutes, he calmed down and started pushing his treat ball around (he had given it a few pushes in the first hour as well but at this point, he was actually focused on it). He was pretty calm from this point on but never really relaxed. He ate his kong and peanut butter and other treats for the next 30 minutes, let out a couple barks then layed down. He would only lay down for about 15-20 minutes, then get up and pace & whine and find a new spot to sleep or go back in his crate (one of his beds). He continued this for most of the day, up and down, never really relaxing and sleeping.

So, I am not too sure what to think about it yet. Yes, he calmed down a lot faster this time (last time he went for a straight 3 hours and 20 minutes) but before, he would actually cuddle with Sydney and sleep for the rest of the day (or at least until 1:30pm when the camera cut out). Now, he just paces and never really has a relaxing sleep. I think he might have gotten a full hour at about 2:00pm but after that, his head would come up every so often to see if we were home.

You can tell that he knows when we are coming home, he got up a bit early and layed at the door of the kennel rather than on the bed (we were about 10 minutes later tonight because we had to stop at the store).

Here is the video I was able to get. I edited a lot out so it is about 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the time clock, that is in minutes so you can see how far into the day each clip is. It is pretty choppy because I recorded in small so I wouldn't use too much memory but you get the idea. Check out the height he gets when he is jumping near the beginning.

http://media.putfile.com/Spencer-Better-Quality


So, what are your takes on it?

 

[Murphys Dad]

It's heart breaking, but not even close to being so sad as the previous ones you posted a while back /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif .

The kennel looks great!!! Have you tried putting Sydney in with him in that one? You mentioned that before he would sleep with her, so I thought...

It looks like there is an improvement with the bigger kennel. Is Spencer a dominant dog with Sydney and around the house in general? It could be that to top the SA he is frustrated being in the kennel where he can't control everything... just an idea /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif

 

[Spencer's Mum]

Spencer is actually a bit of a wuss. Sydney will steal a toy from him and he will just sit there and whine about it rather than just taking it back.

When I taped them the last time, Spencer & Sydney were fighting when we were gone. I tried it for 2 days in this new kennel a few weeks ago to keep them together but he started shredding the blankets again. Somehow he had gotten the bottom blanket out of the kennel and had it pulled back in through the holes. I have no idea how he did that.

Also, Sydney eats all of the food and treats if I put them together and since she is alreayd on the pudgy side, I don't think that would help with her weight loss. We came home and Sydney wouldn't touch her supper and Spencer was starving.

You can actually see her in the crate in the background of the video. She didn't seem to ever bark or anything where if they are together, she barks along with him.

 

[Murphys Dad]

Yeah, I actually saw her just standing there trying to figure out what's eating him.... poor thing.

What about trying to put the kennels closer together, so that he feels less alone?

 

[Spencer's Mum]

I have thought about that but she is only about 4 feet away, I can't put her right next to it at that end because of the door so I would have to move her out to the middle of the room.

 

[Murphys Dad]

Forgive me if this is repetitive from previous threads ... Have you considered meeting with a behaviorist? Our animal hospital has a vet on staff who is a behavior specialist. She does consults on referrals from a vet. The videotape would be extremely helpful in working out a plan to help with the SA.

 

[Spencer's Mum]

We have met with a behaviourist already, about a month ago. Basically we have already been doing everything right. She gave us some new ideas to try but nothing has worked yet. I have read books and articles about it as well. He just seems to be a tough case. My vet has never seen a dog that the medication didn't work on.

 

[Murphys Dad]

I would definitely get back with the behaviorist and show her the videotape. Just like with humans, medication may need adjustment and/or changing. There are several meds to try. It sounds like there have been small improvements and I am sure it is frustrating not getting a better response to everything you are trying. Hang in there and we are here for moral support!

 

[Spencer's Mum]

Thanks Judy. I had sent the first video to the behaviourist before we met with her and she had contacted a few people about it. I am going to send this one to her as well to see if she suggests that I change anything.