Wishin' and Prayin'

Yesterday was another tough day. He's getting more and more anxious and barking at every slight sound. My dogs are getting anxious from his anxious demeanor. Last night  my puppy growled, barked, and lunged at the cat. Up until now, she has been so gentle and loving with her. So this morning I ran down to the pet store and got some calming drops. I've never used them but I felt like I had to do something. If they don't make a difference, I may try my vet. Or, I may bite the bullet and try the vet behaviorist. She's very expensive but we can't go on like this.

I don't know if it's the calming solution or what but he slept a good bit this morning  I took him for a walk around the neighborhood and have been keeping him in the ex pen most of the time. He has his big bed in there and he just curls up in it. When he's out with my dogs though, it's a different matter. He picks on my Cavalier and he and my puppy were far too rough. He still barks at everything. And both of my dogs are barking more now. My husband has been at work today so the house has been quiet. We'll see what happens when he gets home.

We worked for about 1/2 hour this afternoon on sit, down, impulse control, shake, and attention as well as mat work. I know I should be working on relaxation but I can't get him to be still very long yet so I am not pushing it. We are doing all our work on the mat though? Not sure if that's a bad thing to do.

I probably should be taping our sessions. He is really such a cool puppy to work with. He is so agile and picks things up pretty quickly. If we can get past his anxiety and reactivity, he will make someone a fabulous dog. I don't think will have him long enough, though and I am not sure it's in hte best interests of my own dogs to keep him very long.