From the Styx by Peggy Tibbetts

Sometimes I wonder whether I’m the one who should be taking the Clomipramine then just sit back and let the dogs work it out.

But that would make me the Crazy Bitch. And I’m not there – yet.

We watched some more Dog Whisperer episodes and assessed our own situation once again. In addition to her increasing anxiety prior to June 20, we also recognized that Venus has been sneaking in some subtle dominant behaviors in the house. She had set up camp under the kitchen counter about 3 feet from Zeus’s food dish, the same spot from which she launched her latest attack. We realized that she had chosen that spot so she could sit and stare at him while he ate. She can’t sit there anymore. It doesn’t matter whether Zeus is in the same room or not. We also noticed she has gotten pretty squirrely on leash walks, insisting on leading and also lunging at other dogs and kids on bikes. She’s definitely a control freak. It’s time to rein her in – in more ways than one. 

Zeus has actually handled the fireworks pretty well this year. The PetCalm has helped a lot. He retreats to our bedroom with the air conditioner and TV on and he’s fine. We were wrong to pay attention to Zeus when we heard fireworks. Venus is the one who gets aggressive. She’s the one who needs to be controlled. So we switched our attention to her. Now we distract her, isolate her, and calm her down.

On Monday, June 28, we started letting them out in the yard together when we’re home. No problems at all. We decided to keep them separated indoors and outdoors when we’re not home through fireworks season because we don’t know when the pops and booms will occur. We installed one more gate between the front yard and back yard so they can be separated outdoors. It can take up to 3 weeks or more to get Venus stabilized again on the higher dose of Clomipramine. We’ve seen plenty of signs that she is gradually improving.

July 1-3 we took them camping at Meadow Lake. I brought the pepper spray but never used it. They got along really well. Of course they both love camping. They even slept on the table bed together at night. A few thunderstorms rumbled through and Zeus wanted to wait them out in the backseat of the pickup. Venus left him alone.

Tod took Venus along on bike rides. She put a coyote on the run and chased a deer. Keeping up with him tired her out so she didn’t fixate on Zeus. We decided she needs more exercise.

Venus pauses to refresh in a stream near Meadow Creek on her bike/run.

We took them hiking around the lake. We call it “Snack Lake” because for them it’s like a scavenger hunt. They find all kinds of gross fish heads and guts to munch on. It’s totally disgusting and they love it.

Zeus is eager to go hunting for snacks down by Meadow Lake.

They even played tag. Zeus started it, which was fun to watch. He really made an effort to show Venus how to act. When she got too intense during the chase and reached out to nip at him, he thumped her. She backed off. They’re working it out.

Zeus has been a lot more involved and helpful this time around. I’m glad he bit her on the cheek. Next time she thinks about grabbing him by the neck she can remember how it felt when he bit back. 

July 4 was a day filled with thunderstorms and fireworks. A real challenge for Zeus. He spent most of the day in the bedroom chillin’ and listening to new age music on the radio. Venus stuck close to us, which we expected. Tod and I actually enjoy fireworks. We think they’re fun. Of course we gave up doing fireworks 8 years ago when we saw how Zeus reacted as an 8-month old puppy. Just couldn’t put him through it. We don’t mind at all when our neighbors shoot off fireworks. They’re just having fun. This year we sat on our treehouse deck with a fire in the chiminea and enjoyed the festivities – from a distance. Zeus had tucked himself away in the bedroom closet by then. Venus was in the living room. Every time something exploded she opened the door to the deck. Funny.

By midnite I was able to walk Zeus outside and he coped with the firecrackers and cherry bombs exploding intermittently in the distance. Tod walked Venus and she left Zeus alone. On Sunday evening Zeus handled the noise a little better. But he still ended up in the bedroom.

Venus has been leaving him alone for the most part. But that’s because we’re watching her closely and keeping them separated quite a bit. Cesar says it’s best to keep the aggressive behavior from happening.

On Tuesday (July 9) I took Venus to see Dr. Pearce. We weren’t able to connect by phone last week and I wanted to update her in person – with Venus. Of course Dr. Pearce agreed that we did the right thing by increasing her dosage and she will remain at 100 mg twice a day. We had a great discussion and were able to piece together more of this puzzle that is our Venus.

The sequence of events which led up to Venus’s latest meltdown has shown us that when she exhibits anxiety, fixation, and/or obsession, she needs more exercise. Venus did become imbalanced but we are the ones who lost control. However we are only human. But now we know we must do a better job of supervising and controlling her behavior.

By keeping the dogs separated since June 20 and going forward, we are using this opportunity to exert our control and authority over both dogs in the house. Our camping trips, our boat rides, and our walks have shown us that Venus is at her best when she’s on a big adventure. At home she is more prone to anxiety. To compensate, she gradually and surreptitiously tried to gain control indoors through dominance and ultimately redirected aggression on Zeus.

Dr. Pearce and I think it was good that Tod got to see Venus erupt this time. The downside is that when it comes to exerting control and authority, we were both pretty much on top of the situation when it happened but she jumped on Zeus anyway. This meltdown has given us another opportunity to learn the warning signs in Venus. Now we must pay attention and when we notice them, we need to correct her behavior or distract her, or even separate the dogs to avoid aggression. There will always be times when the two dogs will need to be separated.

All things considered Venus has had to deal with many changes in her routine this summer. For CCD dogs, routine is an important stabilizer. I’m babysitting my grandchildren Hailey and Bodi. Even though Venus knows and loves them, having them here for several hours, several days a week represents change. The stress for Venus doesn’t have anything to do with the kids, it’s the change in routine. 

CCD is a disease like alcoholism or diabetes. Venus will never recover. We’re learning to recognize when she needs to be controlled and when we can let her go wild. The important thing is to keep moving forward.

We have great appreciation for Dr. Pearce, Dr. Langegger, and the staff at DCAH. I have dealt with countless vets and pet clinics in my lifetime. These people are by far the best. They are so knowledgeable and supportive. We couldn’t do this without their input, especially Dr. Pearce, as we analyze behaviors and evaluate our progress. We have learned so much from this experience and I believe Venus has more to teach us.

This has been an especially interesting week. We’re dog sitting Ema’s 10-year old Huskies, Koho and Isis. They’re not staying with us. They live 8 blocks away so we walk them and put them indoors at night, a neighbor lets them out in the morning. During the day, Tod takes Venus to the office and I bring Koho and Isis to our house so they can have some human contact and attention.

Zeus has known them his whole life so it’s easy to make the 3 of them into a stable pack when they’re together. Koho is blind and therefore the “weakest”. Zeus and Koho get along best of all. Isis is a female with her own dominance issues. She and Venus don’t get along very well under the best circumstances so we keep them separated. It’s been comical to watch Zeus pull some dominant behaviors with Koho and Isis, like blocking the stairway and guarding the water dish. I have to walk around with the 3 dogs, exert my authority and own everything. Good Pack Leader practice.

Apparently Isis (l) and Koho (r) find the new gate amusing

Occasionally all 4 dogs are here at the same time. That’s when the new gate comes in handy. Then we have front yard dogs and backyard dogs, inside dogs and outside dogs, upstairs dogs and downstairs dogs.
 
Hmm … perhaps I am the Crazy Bitch after all.

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