| The psychological unraveling of Monty, an | | | | becoming nervous, which in turns leads to behavioral |
| eight-year-old McNab mix, began with a trip out of | | | | problems, such as destructive chewing, excessive |
| town. Eight months after San Francisco resident Anne | | | | barking, and separation anxiety. |
| Walzer adopted him from a shelter, she went on her | | | | What anxiety looks like |
| first vacation without him, leaving him in a neighbor's | | | | There are many ways a dog's anxiety can manifest |
| care. Within a day, the affectionate and fastidiously | | | | itself. Monty's noise phobia is a common one, as is fear |
| housetrained dog had his first housesoiling accident and | | | | of certain types of people, often men, and travel. But |
| nipped a housecleaner.Alarmed, Walzer cancelled her | | | | separation anxiety is the biggest anxiety disorder by |
| trip and rushed home. But things only got worse. | | | | far, accounting for about half of all cases. Symptoms |
| Neighbors in her apartment building started pressuring | | | | range from signs of unease, such as heavy drooling, to |
| her to get rid of the dog and Monty, she says, soaked | | | | all-out panic that can leave the house, and the dog, in |
| up her considerable stress. Where before he'd been | | | | tatters. Patricia McConnell remembers one such case |
| slightly jumpy around loud noises, he now went into | | | | vividly. "She was my first separation anxiety client--a |
| full-fledged panic attacks. | | | | Shar-Pei named Peaches," McConnell says. "When I |
| Monty begins shutting down | | | | arrived, her face looked like raw hamburger. She'd tried |
| He started refusing to walk in certain parts of what | | | | to chew her way out of her metal crate." |
| had been a favorite hiking spot after getting spooked | | | | No holiday for Monty |
| by loud bangs. Eventually, he dug in his heels and | | | | After Monty nipped the housekeeper, Walzer knew |
| refused to go at all. "I tried to fool him with new routes | | | | she needed help fast, so she signed up for training |
| and treats," says Walzer. "Then I waited four months | | | | sessions with acclaimed San Francisco-based trainer |
| and tried again. Even then he just wouldn't get out of | | | | Donna Duford to work on getting Monty comfortable |
| the car." Walks around their neighborhood became | | | | around strangers. They quickly discovered that Monty |
| increasingly short. Eventually, Monty's world was | | | | loved to learn and perform tricks, and started bringing |
| confined to the two blocks outside Walzer's | | | | in strangers to watch. Slowly, Monty began to enjoy |
| apartment. When asked to step outside his safety | | | | performing in front of spectators. Still, the simplest |
| zone, Monty went into what Walzer calls 'civil | | | | bang--a street car backfiring, say, or something falling |
| disobedience mode'--flopping down on the sidewalk | | | | to the ground--sent Monty right back into his shell, and it |
| and going limp. When scared by a noise, he would bolt | | | | took an awful lot of work to coax him out again. "After |
| or drag Walzer home. "It's like being pulled by a team | | | | the Fourth of July, he refused to go out more than |
| of draft horses," she says. "I eventually developed | | | | once a day until Thanksgiving," says Walzer. "Then the |
| elbow problems." | | | | New Year's Eve fireworks came around. I'd leave the |
| Anxiety on the rise? | | | | country with him during these holidays if I could." Finally, |
| Monty would once have been considered a canine | | | | Duford told Walzer what she didn't want to hear: there |
| oddball, a furry freak, an unusually challenging dog. But | | | | was something physically wrong with Monty, |
| talk to enough trainers and vets and you get a | | | | something that couldn't be fixed by training. Her dog |
| different picture. Although Monty's case is an extreme | | | | needed medication. |
| one, his psychological troubles are anything but rare. No | | | | This is your dog on Prozac |
| one tracks how many dogs suffer from canine | | | | Monty's not alone. Although training is crucial in treating |
| anxiety, but experts peg the rate at somewhere | | | | anxiety, as noted by New Jersey-based trainer Kathy |
| around 30 percent and, many say, probably rising. In its | | | | Santo, who appears frequently on the Martha Stewart |
| wake, a whole new industry has sprung up to serve | | | | show, a dog too panicked to learn won't get very far. "I |
| the owners of anxious Beagles, Chihuahas, and mutts, | | | | prefer to avoid drugs, but if you're at the point where |
| with everything from canine lullaby CDs to | | | | your dog's quality of life is in the toilet," she says, "I'm |
| stress-relieving alternative remedies and | | | | absolutely for it." There are two drugs marketed |
| pharmaceuticals. "It's almost impossible to get a handle | | | | specifically for canine anxiety. In 1999, the FDA |
| on whether canine anxiety is on the rise--it wasn't | | | | approved Novartis's Clomicalm, the first medication for |
| tracked in the past, and people diagnose it differently," | | | | canine separation anxiety, and in 2007 Eli Lilly's |
| says well-known behaviorist Patricia McConnell, author | | | | Reconcile became the second. Despite the doggie |
| of The Other End of the Leash. "But it's reasonable to | | | | advertisements, packaging, and labeling, they're |
| speculate that the problem is growing. These days, the | | | | basically meat-flavored versions of human |
| conditions that make dogs anxious--not giving them | | | | anti-depressants. How well do they work for dogs? |
| enough stimulation or exercise, for instance--are very | | | | That depends on what you use them for, says |
| common." | | | | Dodman. Ironically, Reconcile and Clomicalm do a much |
| Why Fido frets | | | | better job soothing a dog who's aggressive than the |
| A canine anxiety epidemic seems out of sync with a | | | | one hiding under the bed. Aggression that's fear-based |
| world that includes organic food, daycare centers, and | | | | gets slightly less impressive results, while about half of |
| memory foam beds for that special canine in your life. | | | | dogs with thunderstorm phobia get some relief. Dogs |
| There are dating sites for people partial to spending | | | | with obsessive behaviors, such as repetitive licking, |
| their free time with dogs and travel agencies that can | | | | sometimes improve, and sometimes do not. As for |
| plan entire vacations around you and your dog. In | | | | separation anxiety, the disorder the drugs are actually |
| canine-obsessed times such as these, how bad could | | | | marketed for, Nicholas Dodman says it's not the |
| a dog's life be? The truth is that most dogs aren't | | | | miracle pill owners are hoping for. "If you combine it |
| along for the ride. Even the ones lucky enough to be | | | | with a behavior modification plan, which they |
| adopted by responsible people spend a good part of | | | | recommend you do, the drugs may help you get |
| their lives inside and on their own. They're waiting for | | | | where you're going sooner; it may take you two |
| someone to come home, and they're lonely. "With both | | | | months instead of three," he says. "Still, it's a bit |
| parents working, dogs are left alone for much of the | | | | disappointing." Unfortunately, chances are slim that |
| day," says veterinarian Nicolas Dodman, head of the | | | | better drugs are on the horizon. Because vets can |
| Animal Behavior Department at Tufts University and | | | | prescribe any drug, whether for humans or animals, |
| co-founder of "And since dogs are social animals they | | | | new canine drugs compete with generic forms of the |
| don't do well in isolation." Even when people are home, | | | | human equivalent. This means pharmaceutical |
| they're often distracted by everything they need to | | | | companies have little financial incentive to fork over the |
| catch up on after a day away. And all that time on the | | | | big bucks it takes to research new drugs and get FDA |
| phone, the Blackberry, or the computer takes time | | | | approval. "Ultimately, it comes down to a financial |
| away from exercising, playing, and just plain hanging | | | | decision," says Dodman. And most companies appear |
| out with your dog. Needless to stay, it can all leave | | | | to be deciding against it. |
| dogs feeling a little...anxious. | | | | No easy solutions |
| Sloppy breeding worsens problem | | | | For Monty, medication certainly didn't turn out to be a |
| Here's another reason the modern dog is more | | | | miracle cure. Last year, Walzer started him on Zoloft; |
| anxious than ever: careless breeding. America's love | | | | she added melatonin after the Fourth of July, and a |
| affair with dogs has led to a higher demand for them, | | | | few months later, Xanax, after Duford said she'd seen |
| and the unhappy result is a thriving puppy mill industry. | | | | dogs improve on a cocktail of the three drugs. |
| These huge breeding operations churn out masses of | | | | Throughout, she kept a close, hopeful eye on Monty |
| purebred and designer hybrid dogs, with little concern | | | | for signs of improvement.He has mellowed somewhat. |
| for what a puppy's temperament or disposition could | | | | "I haven't seen that tension around strangers for a long |
| or should be. The vast majority of these unskilled | | | | time," she says. "And about a month after I added the |
| breeders are aiming for a particular look instead. In the | | | | melatonin, I was able to get him to go out for two |
| process, they're accidentally creating whole dynasties | | | | walks a day instead of just one." She doesn't know |
| of nervous or neurotic dogs. The conditions these pups | | | | how much of it is due to her continued training with |
| are born into, crowded with dogs but thin on | | | | Duford and how much to the drugs. She's prepared to |
| opportunities for human interaction, only exacerbate | | | | tinker with the drugs and the dosages and the training |
| the problem. "Puppy mill puppies are around lots of | | | | until she's got something close to what she wants: a |
| other dogs but get no contact with people so they | | | | dog who's not afraid of the world outside their |
| miss out on socialization completely," says Patricia | | | | apartment. "Nothing's gotten me to where I want to |
| McConnell. "Then they land in homes where they're by | | | | go," she says, and Monty continues to try her patience |
| themselves all day without any other dogs." Without | | | | at times. "But I'm sticking with him," says Walzer. "If you |
| being taught coping skills, these pups are prone to | | | | met him, and know him the way I do, you'd see why. |