My Dog Is Scared Of Bugs!

[renatem6]

Hello everyone!

I am new to this so please bear with me... I have two dogs, one is a Chocolate Lab mix and his sister is a Black & Tan.. Ryland (chocolate lab) is 2 1/2 years old and Gracie (black & tan) is about 1 1/2... They are both rescues so I'm not sure their puppy back ground... My husband and I have had them both though as puppies.. Ryland 10 weeks and Gracie maybe 11 weeks... anyway, when they were little I have a job where I could bring them to work with me everyday... I live in South Carolina and I'm not sure if anyone knows what a deerfly is, but they are bad here... Anyway, when Ryland was about 6 monthes he was stung by a deerfly.. Now he no longer wants to go outside... When he does most of the time he lays in the dirt with one leg in the air looking at his behind... I have to tell him to go potty several times before he will ignore his behind for just enough time to do what he has to do and then goes straight to the door to be let in... It is sometimes fusturating to me cause it seems he never goes potty.. They stay at home now and they are home for 8 to 10 hours a day...I know he has to go but he is so scared of ANY bugs now that it is impossible for him to enjoy us outside let alone go to the restroom.... I have talked to my vet and he suggested that I get a natural seditative.. I went to a natural dog food store and purchased a product named Calm Dog... You are supposed to add it to his water and you should see some results... Haven't seen anyyet... So I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for Ryland and I to make his life alittle less stressful... Oh by the way, my vet said he would out grow it..Do you think that is true... Cause it seems the older he gets the worse it gets...

Thank You!:doghuh:

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Wow that is an odd problem to have. I don't quite know what to tell you...if I think of anything I will certainly let you know. I'm sure someone here can help you. Good luck to you and poor Ryland.

 

[cppugs]

Just my thoughts on this. You need to make going outside a wonderful experience for Ryland. This is what I would do, others may have better suggestions.

Go outside with Ryland. Sit on the ground and give him a nice massage. When he starts to relax and only then offer him his favorite treat. Keep talking calmly and massage him and let him know that that when he relaxes he gets a treat. I normally will massage the high tension areas, neck, shoulders hips. Once you get him to relax and take a treat, end the session, even if the session is only 5 minutes. Slowly extend the time until he knows that when he relaxes he gets his treat. Then change to his favorite toy or game. When he relaxes, offer the toy for him to play with. The big thing is for YOU to be calm and relaxed and you being with him. He will pick up on your feelings and will know that all is okay. It will take a little time, but soon he will realize that not everything outside is bad.

BTW, I use to live in Charleston, I know those nasty deer flies..ouch! :msneek:

 

[Jean Cote]

I'm not too sure about giving your dog a sedative for the rest of his. It's not like he has cancer and is in constant pain here, it seems like he is just cautious and doesn't want to be stung again. So I think that you should focus more on getting him in another state of mind, ie retrieving or chasing a squirrel, or perhaps playing with a new dog outside. All these things will get him to love being outside again. :dogsmile:

Do you have friends that also have dogs? It might be a good idea to get them together so that they can play.