[threenorns]

yesterday we left at 1215pm to go to lindsay - an hour's drive away. on the way back, we got turned around coming out of a parking lot (my daughter had to pee) and took the wrong highway, ending up in beaverton.

by the time we realized it, we were all "oh well - road trip, i guess!).

rather than try and figure out how to get back to coboconk, we took hwy 12 up, stopped off at casino rama to watch the story trees, then drove the hour back home. got back about 830pm.

dandy was absolutely beside himself - actually sounded like he was having an asthma attack. he gets like that - accidentally locking himself in the bathroom or the office, jumped into the wrong car, whatever - he spazzes out.

granted, i understand he was upset - but does it always have to hit him in the gut? every time he gets upset, he gets the runs, poops a big puddle in front of the dryer, and then mopes for two days. i can tell just by looking at him that it's going to happen so there's no problem - i just put the newspaper down - but still!

i take reasonable precautions to make sure it doesn't happen but life does happen and i can't be 100% perfect in making sure he doesn't get himself all worked up again (particularly when it's something he's done to himself).

anybody deal with this and have a solution?

[DobermanGuy]

Is the car ride freaking the dog out?

[Lunareclipse]

Get a Thundershirt for your dog and use it when you go on car rides.

[threenorns]

sorry - he wasn't even in the car. he was at home.

he loves car rides, esp if he can stick his nose over the back of the seat into my ear.

[DobermanGuy]

What caused the anxiety?

[Lunareclipse]

I would get him a crate and crate train him that way when you leave he can go to his "safe place" for a while and freak out so much. He doesn't have his own "den" to chill out in when he feels anxiety.

[threenorns]

he used to be crate trained until he outgrew it and i developed a case of sticker shock when i saw the cost of one that actually fit him.

i think i'll build him a dog house! no law says it has to be in the backyard, is there?

what causes the anxiety is me not being around. he's okay until 530 - that's the time i always used to come home by cab when i lived in the bush. babysitters and my daughter's father both say that as soon as 530 rolls around, he starts pacing from door to window, door to window, and eventually starts panting and whimpering. at the old house, he would get out - i finally figured out he was bouncing the patio door open but when i stomped a 2x4 into the track, he ate six inches off the end and pulled it out and there he was in the driveway again when we pulled up in the cab.

by the time we got home at 830, he was in a right old state, the silly mutt.