YankeeDoodle

I had embrace for Yankee, I will be re-upping it when I get home from deployment. They have different plans you can choose between and they also have a bonus program where you get 200$ a year to put towards spaying, flea/heartworm and routine stuff. They also cover prescriptons which can be a big hit when they get sick depending on what they need. I paid yearly instead of monthly and even with the 200$ bonus plan for routine stuff I think it was about 700$. You get a discount for doing it yearly. I had to use it a few times when he got sick and when he ripped up his carpal pads pretty badly. It is a reimbursement type of plan but they always paid me back in a reasonable amount of time. I just keep the forms in my glove box in case of en emergency.

Isn't that the dog from one of the Washington herding threads?

Yankee is from this breeder, they do herd with their dogs but I do not know if they compete. Yankee is doing well in herding lessons, but maybe we just got lucky. I had originally thought they were quite responsible but we grow and learn and I am happy with my dog. I however must say they have recently started having more litters and that was a bit saddening

It was mentioned that I will be leaving, still the suggestion was the same. I am waiting to hear back from a behaviorist in Seattle, it'll be quite a drive but if it helps it'll be worth it. He will be staying with my sister during deployment so she will be more than willing to help since she already works with him while I am at work. I did pick up a DAP collar today. I am not sure if there is a time frame for when it starts to work but so far no change really. He still quit on his walk today. He however did great during his herding lesson, now if I could just keep a sheep in my living room I am sure he wouldn't pay any attention to noises.

Sorry I realized I didn't address everyone. The hypothyroidism article is very interesting, I had no idea those symptoms could be linked with noise sensitivity. I will look into the yahoo group, it is good to hear someone is having success with this issue! Gives me hope

Thank you for all the advise. We have not tried the DAP, decided to see if the thunder shirt made a difference first. Will probably try either the DAP collar or melatonin next. I think the next step will depend on what our trainer recommends. Our vet doesn't seem very keen to discuss the subject, I was told to desensitize and try DAP and that young dogs can go through phases and he may just grow out of it. Yankee just turned one the end of September so maybe it is a phase, however it effects his everyday (and even hourly) life. I would like to hopefully work through this without any drugs but everyday that looks more and more slim. Today I moved his kennel to a spare room, not entirely sure if it was a great idea but at least he is settling in the house now instead of staying in there all day. It actually seemed to make him handle the smaller noises much better and we played fetch during some mild noises today. I think not having a his kennel to hide in all day is helping him to come out of his shell again For a few very loud cars today he went I the closet, but actually seemed to recover from it much faster then if he would have had his kennel. I will look into the L-thyemine if melatonin and the DAP do not help. I am also going to try and post update to this thread hopefully we have everything under control by December (I deploy). Thank you again!

Hello, I know I have not posted anything about this yet so I will try and not leave anything out. I apologize in advance if it rambles on, I figure the more detail the better. So back in early August I took leave and Yankee stayed with my sister (she lives with us so no real change except I was gone). She told me he was acting very clingy and was pacing around a lot not really wanting to play to much with either her or her dog. I later found out that sometime during those two weeks that a really loud bang shook the house (thinking a small earthquake but couldn't find anything). Anyway so when I returned home I expected him to be a bit clingy for a bit however I wasn't expecting the fear of loud noises (we live near base so a lot of jets, even the beach we go is at the end of the runway pretty much). At first he would run and jump into my lap and try and burrow into whatever I was wearing. I have hearing loss in my right hear so I usually at that point didn't even know what he was upset about. Fast forward to now and it has progressed into something I do not even know how to handle (we are working with a trainer though, hoping to get an appointment in soon). Any small noise such as : cars driving by, people walking by the house, cars a few streets over, planes, a car door down the street... The big hitters right now seems to be low jets, the garbage truck, loud trucks and sirens. Some of the smaller ones on a less noisey day he sometimes handles fine, but if it has been noisey all day or the jets have been going all day anything small will set him off. When he gets scared he goes to hide in his kennel, the fireplace or a closet. He will not come out for anything. On louder days he just seems so wound up and completely restless. If there are cars in the morning he will not eat. We started trying to desensitized but it would seem we are going no where since he shuts down when a car drives by or someone walks by the house. Another thing is that is seems to only affect him when he is in 'off switch' mode, so inside the house or on walks. If we are herding, at agility class or playing a game of fetch or doing a beach run he seems like he could care less. He has actually only shut down on one walk, after a string of emergency vehicles passed us. He continued after that but with every passing car he got worse until he just laid down and I had to carry a 40lb dog the better portion of a few miles home. We have a thunder shirt but I think it may be more of me hoping that it helps, then it actually helping. He will still spend a good portion of his day in his kennel even with it on. I was looking into any calming aid and books that may help. I have already tried chamomile tea, seemed to have no effect on him besides making him more reluctant to eat. I did mention it to the vet and they simple suggested a DAP collars and desensitizing. I was trying to play car noises off my phone, but hes too smart and realizes the noise is inside and not outside. He will gladly take treats though until a actual car comes by. I just do not get how he was doing so well, never even really had a fear stage and now this. He is still doing extremely well in both herding and agility, I just wish he could relax at home. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. Amber

Thank you for the insight he normally has a very good off switch in the house. If we are not doing something he is usually laying around or sleeping. We have baby gates since the two dogs can get a bit rowdy so even though my sister will let him out while I am at work, it isn't always go go go all day long. Our agility class is foundations so the majority of it is contacts and keeping him focused on me while waiting our turn. Herding is one day a week for 30 minutes. Herding seems the most tiring to him, our instructor has mentioned it is very mentally taxing on them when they are young. For beach runs, these are off leash (unless he is being a jerk) and he spends the majority of the time Splashing in the waves waiting for my slow butt I guess we may do more in a week then many other people but we both enjoy it all and although we do plenty of mental stimulation on its own I always try and add a bit in when doing physical stuff as well. We also have down days where not a lot gets done, I like relaxing just as much as anyone else every once in awhile. Just thought I would also mention that everything seems to have gone back to normal. He is his calm self inside the house again for the most part. Instead of pacing he just goes and looks out the window now then lays down. The only thing that still seems to be Persistent is him having a tantrum when the other dog goes outside without him. Thank you again!

He certainly has me worried. Hopefully everything can be sorted out before deployment or it could be a rough one. Thank you for the book recommendation I will look into getting a copy. He is not interested in treats or playing fetch inside with me when they are outside. He also is not interested food when a car passes the house or something loud goes off. I am hoping with me being back and getting back to herding, agility class and some good beach runs will help him settle a bit. I am hoping it is just a boredom thing but we will see. We spent a few hours at the beach today Playing fetch, sprints and basic commands. Came home and he tossed another tennis ball at me.... Again thank you for the book recommendation.

Hey y'all, I am not sure I will be able to describe exactly what is going on but I will try my best and hopefully go from there. First off I left Yankee in the care of my sister for two weeks while I was away. Before I left be was being a bit stubborn with most things, testing boundaries and being just a jerk. Although he adores my sister and her dog (they live with us), it is quite obvious that he can and will manipulate her without her realizing it. So I gave a very basic routine of basic obedience with a bit of the fun stuff for them to do several times a day as well as walks and playing with her dog. They also had down time and each got one on one time during the day. Anyway while I was away he refused food for several days. Anyway he overall did not take it very well, he has been excessively clingy and pushy. So there are several things I came back to that I have no idea how to approach. 1. Car! Inside the house any car or loud noise has him pacing and looking worried. He will then try and throw himself into your arms or go hide in his kennel or my closet. However outside he go all super focus mode and stalks them the same he would sheep or anything else he has ever tried to herd. When he is in this mode I can get him to sit or down but he will not look at me or look away from the car. How do you get to the next step with leaving cars alone? Also up until now he was never noise sensitive to anything except fireworks. We live next to base and jets overfly the house daily, he use to not even bat an eyelash at them. Why is every loud noise suddenly scary? 2. I am not entirely sure how to explain it, but he randomly becomes scared at times when I cannot figure out the cause. Again his first reaction is to try and jump into my arms or lap and be very pushy about being held or petted. When this happens his tail he very low (not completely tucked but just about), he looks worried and his breathing is usually heavier. Also normally when he invites himself up and is corrected he gets right down, when he is scared he will push himself into you making it harder to get him down(I didn't realize the first few times what was going on). 3. He doesn't want to be outside without me out there with him, even if the other dog is outside. While I was away he had several accidents because she assumed he would go outside if he needed to go (sliding door was open on a few of these times). Also our neighbor behind us is very friendly with the dogs and they greet him very happily through the fence when he is outside. This is our only neighbor that would be able to even be get near them. He hasn't had an accident since I have been home, but I also have been cautious and escorting him on potty trips. 4. He is very slow to react to anything said if a toy is involved. This can range from him straight up ignoring the command, to waiting a few minutes and the very slow motion doing what was asked of him. We do not have this problem with treats just toys. It is almost like he can only focus on the toy, laser beam eyes. I have been either waiting him out or walking away from him when this happens. When he does do something, even if it is slow motion I reward him and make a big deal about it. Doesn't seem to have changed it, am I approaching this wrong? 5. If the other dog is outside playing fetch, he will not settle! He whines, barks, pretty much throws a temper tantrum. Today I leashed him to me so he couldn't pace around all worked up. If he goes in timeout like this he will continue said tantrum in his kennel until they are inside. Keeping him leashed to me however sort of forces him to settle. Is this a good approach to the issue? Pretty sure all of these developed right before or while I was away. Also he has never really gone through a fear stage and so far it has been only w slightly bumpy almost year together. He is currently about 11 months old, he eats Orijen All Life Stages, about 45 pounds and 23 inches tall. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

I had always assumed Yankee was white factored, but for all the wrong reasons this is a great thread and I am sure I am not the only one who learned a lot. Yankee has always had a line a white hairs that runs over his hips, would have never guessed that and the white on the back legs was the determining factor

We do lessons right now, but we are still in a round pen at the moment We also do agility classes. I have recalled him from pretty far away though so I am not really worried (nor was our vet) with his hearing. Either way he is getting BAER and CERF tested for his first birthday. Thank you

Just my personal experience with my own dog, he is white faced with a blue eye and a half blue and half green eye. I brought up the same concerns to the vet. He also has an ear that is half white as well so hearing was also a concern for me. He hears just fine (besides the occasional selective hearing ). He also has ticking, the eye with the pink rim is ticked but still otherwise white. Just thought I'd let you know we had the same concerns with Yankee

That he doesn't have 'healthy potty habits' he would rather hold it for hours then to just go wherever we are. I associate leg lifting with marking, I suppose having that behavior would make it a bit easier to get him to potty while we are out of town. So I guess it is not necessarily that I want him to mark- or lift his leg- just want him to go other places besides his own yard.

He always sniffs around on walks and takes an interest, but when he does actually pee he doesn't actually sniff around he just does the stretch described by a few. Maybe he will never take enough interest. He watches the dog we walk with every night lift his leg so maybe there is hope. The only problem we really have is he never wants to potty anywhere but in his backyard and will hold out for what seems like forever. Thank you everyone for all the information!

Sorry if this seems like a rather dim question, but when do males generally start lifting their leg to pee? Yankee is almost 10 months old and really seems to have none of the ridiculous male behaviors you hear about. He will occasionally hump one of his stuffed toys but he has never tried to hump a person and rarely another dog. As you may have guessed he still squats to pee as well, and in general is very picky about where he goes potty. He will try a d hold out for his own yard, but I do get the occasional potty on a walk (along with lots of praise and treats after the deed). Yankee seems very middle of the road. If it his toy he may take it away from another dog with a small growl. Other times he gives up a toy or bone if he gets charged (he was attacked 3 times by the time he was 6 months, so I do understand that one). Thank you for any information!

Thank you for all the replies and great information. I may try the salmon oil and look into the satin balls. He is well muscled, it is just very lean muscle. I shrug anyone else off who tells me he is too skinny but I thought a vet would be someone who would know. I would say him acting different would probably be a good cue something was off, but this is also the dog that never even winced with a raging uti nor did he miss a step when he tore his carpal pad mostly in half... so I have given up on him giving me any idea if anything is wrong (or if he does he is going straight in ) As for grains, he didn't do very well with grains when he was younger. Even on the bland diet he was passing completely undigested rice and oatmeal. Not sure if that classifies him as sensitive to grains or just that kibble and rice/oatmeal. Thank you again! Amber

I always thought Yankee was just lean like many border collies. When Yankee tore his paw pad the vet mentioned he needed to gain a few pounds and wished us luck with it (since he is an intact 9 month old male it apparently can be a challenge). So I up'd his food (Orijen all life stages) from 3.5 cups a day to four and started giving him a lunch. He has always gotten extras when I cook (scrambled eggs, any meat or raw fruit and veggies). He gets either pumpkin or yogurt in his kong with coconut oil. Also I try a d give him a can or two of food a week (wellness, earthborn or innova). So now a few weeks later he is still scrawny and not gaining weight. He looks like I don't feed him whenever he gets wet. You can count his ribs, feel his spine and hip bones. He has plenty of energy and we are very active. He takes an agility class and a herding lesson once a week, as well as we do beach runs about 3 times a week (which is mostly him playing in the waves waiting on my slow ass, or bringing me sticks or seaweed). I guess I am wondering if he just has a really high metabolism. He is 23 inches at the shoulder and weighs 42 pounds, eats like a horse and would probably eat until he exploded. Is there anything else I could be doing to get him to gain weight? Thanks in advance, Amber

My favorite Yankee putting the dirty laundry in the hamper. However if I get distracted for even a second panties and socks somehow mysteriously end up under the blankets in his dog bed Yankee's favorite is 'get you ball/tug' or 'tunnel'

Great thank you, I will be bringing Yankee along with me then.

DeltaBluez Tess : Thank you for the offer, I have already arranged to start lessons with Lorri Schubert though so we are good to go with lessons! On another note I have a another question, hoping I can get it answered without starting another whole topic. When I contacted Susan about the Whidbey Island SDT, she mentioned brining Yankee along so he could get use to the atmosphere of a trial. Is it normal to see dogs at a trial that are not competing? Also any other considerations I should take into account with bringing him along? He is pretty enthusiastic about sheep, but can settle when told Is it usually an all day event? Should I bring a camp chair or anything like that? Sorry I have so many questions, thank you for all the help. Amber

Yankee chews everything up really good, he only tried to eat a 'chip' once that wasn't chewed well. So we moved up to the rolled ones and haven't had a problem since he only gets then once a month if even that just as a treat. He gets raw bones for his chompers.

Thank you everyone, you have all been more help then I could have hoped for I will hopefully be able to attend the trial on whidbey island, Susan did our herding evaluations for us. I will do a bit more research and hopefully make it to the trial. It would be great if someone was relatively close so we could try and do weekly lessons, he really seemed to focus and enjoy the little time he has been with sheep. It was also pretty amazing to watch him turn on with them TEC most of the people you mentioned have PM'd and have been very helpful hopefully we can get going with some lessons soon! I also love his face, but I may be a bit biased Thanks again!

I have been a forum lurker for a bit, but haven't posted much. I do need some advise on where to find someone to take lessons from. Yankee just went last week for his second herding evaluation and we were told he could begin lessons. The person who did out evaluation for us did recommend someone but I have been unable to get into contact with them. I currently live on whidbey island in Washington state. I have never been involved in herding so I am not sure where to look and just thought to ask so I do not end up in the wrong setting Any help would be appreciated.

With Yankee I taught him a command for it, it makes it easier for us when we are out walking or at the beach. I use 'manners' as our command. We started off in the house with myself and friends, if he couldn't mind his manners he got a timeout. He picked up the idea pretty quick, no he only jumps on people when invited or when he is VERY amped up- like agility class :-) Just an idea. Libby & Yankee