# Setting up to travel some - FA dog



## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

My grandmother will turn 98 this year and I want to go see her before it is too late. I can't take Rey like I can take Buddy to a pet friendly hotel because she'd bark all night at every new noise, nor can I leave her with friends because she doesn't like anymore but me. I've read posts here that it's not a good idea to board FA dogs and my vet agrees. I can't let this dog run my whole life. Here's my plan, and I need opinions from those you who have dealt with the same problem: I am currently making a coyote-proof kennel. Rey doesn't like the kennel yet (though she loves her basement kennel). I think she fears I'll leave her in it. I've been putting her in the outdoor one in increments while I mow or tinker in the yard so she'll get used to it. I need to make an indoor component in case of bad weather. I'm thinking as she adjusts to the kennel, this would be the best place to put her for out of town trips, and have a friend simply feed her through a slot. I really don't know what else to do. Opinions?


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

If she loves her basement kennel...

Do any of the vet techs have a rapport with her? ANYONE? They could come over and let her out from there. 

I have boarded FA dogs and while they are not happy with it, I could never leave a FA dog outside in a coyote proof (that statement alone would seal it for me) on their own. They are fine, there is always someone there who does okay with them, and I leave very specific instructions, call in daily, and it has worked out. 

I don't know how badly FA she is, but I have traveled with FA dogs and barky dogs and would do a trial run of taking her to a closer to you hotel/motel (asking for the room farthest from everything) and see how she does. Bring lots of treats and work on the behavior. 

I've never stayed at a nice place, so it's not like people staying there are all freaked because their ambiance is ruined and my dogs have always behaved better than I've expected (except my Schipperke mix...who did bark a lot...but no one noticed because the barkees were all drunk). 

Good luck!


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

So far, no one but me and my other dog, Buddy. I've attempted to get a friend close to her, but her initial reaction to EVERYONE is to lunge first. So, no, I won't ask anyone to let a dog lunging at them out of a kennel. She has a very sensitive startle response and gets defensive often before I can even identify the trigger in new situations. The UPS man came down the drive the other day, I had her out on-leash walking in the yard, and the only door I'd left unlocked to get her back in was the side door (next to where he parked). Oh, that was fun!  

Any boarding would also have to be coyote-proof (no open kennel tops and either concrete or some kind of dig-proof guard on bottom). Coyotes are increasing leaping 6' fences in suburban and rural areas and attacking dogs. 

She did quit barking at my daughter while in her basement kennel one day, so the classic less afraid of women seems to be true here (she continued to bark at my grandson). I was thinking of having a friend stay in my house to feed her in an outdoor kennel with top. I just now put the top on her outdoor kennel, which she seems to like better but it's just a tarp top. I'm going to use the frame to drill a more substantial metal roof on. 

I've only had this dog for about 6 months now and the FA thing is new to me. I feel like I'm bumbling along, trying to figure out what to do, working on training her and continual bonding with me. I sometimes wonder if my own fear of what she may do affects what she does do, but I'm not willing to let another person be a guinea pig if she were to try to bite them. She did walk along with a trainer without doing anything until he tried to walk her the second time to demonstrate, tugged on the lead to teach her to turn with him and she gave him a sneaky little back nip. Sigh. The funny thing is that I can do almost anything to her and she's okay with it. She's very mama-dependent.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

KentuckyGSDLover said:


> I've only had this dog for about 6 months now and the FA thing is new to me. I feel like I'm bumbling along, trying to figure out what to do, working on training her and continual bonding with me. *I sometimes wonder if my own fear of what she may do affects what she does do,* _It may be affecting her. I am not about to say absolutely yes, but going by some lessons I've learned with Woolf I'd bet on it. I had to deal with the fear of what he may do and stop second guessing myself on reading him. The hesitancy those 2 issues of mine added to the existing fear he had and doubled his reactions. I had to start trusting myself before he could even begin to trust me._ but I'm not willing to let another person be a guinea pig if she were to try to bite them. She did walk along with a trainer without doing anything until he tried to walk her the second time to demonstrate, tugged on the lead to teach her to turn with him and she gave him a sneaky little back nip. Sigh. The funny thing is that I can do almost anything to her and she's okay with it. She's very mama-dependent.


How does she do with the vet? Do they have boarding facilities also? That is where I am limited to boarding Woolf if ever needed. Luckily he actually likes the techs and kennel assistants there. Weird dog I know, FA and likes the vet <sigh> he likes to keep everyone guessing.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

no way should you leave a FA dog in a outside kennel especially if the coyotes are killing domestic dogs.. that will just terrify her even more if a pack of coyotes come into your yard and try to get at her in her kennel.. and if they do, she will be a dead dog .... 
honestly, take a crate with you and bring her to visit , just crate her in a room with a door shut when you visit... and then when you go back to your hotel room you dont leave her alone.... 

i took my FA dog with me everywhere, crate and all. she did much better then i thought, and didnt bark that much when we stayed in hotel rooms in her crate or loose with me.. you can always have the vet give you a MILD sedative to give her if needed - not to knock her out but just a little something to bring her down a notch... rescue remedy might work too (health food store) or even some liquid melatonin .. but leave her home outside in an indoor/outdoor kennel?? no way would i do that to a FA dog especially with coyotes around....


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

If I were closer, I'd be more than happy to volunteer to help, but that's a moot point. Check around with different kennels, and see if you can find one that has indoor/outdoor runs where the dog can be closed inside or outside from elsewhere (down the hall or outside the kennel door etc). Then she could be closed into the outdoor part while they clean the inside, and place her food down, and allowed back in - and they can close her in there to clean the outside portion. Hmmm... Like these places have:
Second picture down shows the kennel

Something like these so the door in and out can be opened without having to get in with the dog

A setup like this is pretty nice

This one has lots of good pictures of the kennel setup I'm talking about

When I was working in a kennel that had this setup, we had a couple of 'regulars' who were quite aggressive, and it was a simple matter to work around it without having to go in the kennel, so nobody got hurt, and the dogs were less stressed. One of them was so accustomed to the routine that he would just go in or out when the door was opened, without any coaxing or anything. 

Consider checking around, and asking if the kennel is accustomed to actual FA dogs, and how they would deal with it, and if they are willing to work with you on a custom plan for the boarding. Or ask what their suggestions are as well, they may have some great ideas. While I generally agree that boarding FA dogs is not the best option, if you can establish a good rapport with a boarding facility, they can be a huge help if you wind up with some emergency situation in which your dog MUST be boarded. 

Also, does your vet offer boarding? They may be able to work something out as well. Check with home pet sitters who might be able to work with you as well, perhaps you can make some sort of setup where your dog can stay indoors when nobody is there to observe, and rig a door that can be opened without being in direct contact with your dog (have a garage or something?) or maybe some sort of 'path' with kennel fencing to the outside door so they can let her out? 

Otherwise, I'd say just take her with you, and crate her away from everybody else while you visit. It may be your best option, and then you'll know she is safe.


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## Mary Jane (Mar 3, 2006)

If there is a boarding facility that you trust-we boarded Wolf at the vet's-then you can try to slowly accomodate Rey. Leave her for an hour, then the afternoon, then just overnight. It's important that you can feel secure that your orders to the staff will be followed. We just told them to minimize social contact because Wolf was afraid of strangers. The physical setup was also good for us, Wolf had a large run with AC and natural light, he was walked by himself three times a day. I have to add, he ate very little during boarding and often had a spell of diarrhea when he got some, but we had confidence that he was safe with the staff and he was. After many visits when everybody was comfortable, they left his run unlocked, when he had too much he just returned there.

good luck,
MJ


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

mebully21 said:


> no way should you leave a FA dog in a outside kennel especially if the coyotes are killing domestic dogs.. that will just terrify her even more if a pack of coyotes come into your yard and try to get at her in her kennel.. and if they do, she will be a dead dog ....
> honestly, take a crate with you and bring her to visit , just crate her in a room with a door shut when you visit... and then when you go back to your hotel room you dont leave her alone....
> 
> i took my FA dog with me everywhere, crate and all. she did much better then i thought, and didnt bark that much when we stayed in hotel rooms in her crate or loose with me.. you can always have the vet give you a MILD sedative to give her if needed - not to knock her out but just a little something to bring her down a notch... rescue remedy might work too (health food store) or even some liquid melatonin .. but leave her home outside in an indoor/outdoor kennel?? no way would i do that to a FA dog especially with coyotes around....


Coyotes are everywhere nationwide. I think I'm just more aware of them than most people are because I make a point to be. So anywhere is coyote territory. The difference between me and some people is I cover kennels and protect the ground from digging in or out. 

I really regret this dog. I would have NEVER picked a FA dog, knowing it was FA, and now I feel responsible for it. Though I am trying to work with it, simply because it's what I have, it will not run my life. The more I read, the more I wonder how this is going to work.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

My girl is not good with other people at all too. She is very insecure and extremely bonded to me. 

I took her to visit my family last Sept. She acted like any trust worthy dog. She snooped about the yard, investigating and paid no mind to my brother or my dad. I stayed in the house while they were out there and watched, while I held my breath, ready to jump at the first sign of trouble, but she was great. Later in the house she stayed by my side and was calm but alert. She never lunged or attempted to nip at anyone during that time. I was surprised and thrilled. 

It is hard to relax when we have unpredictable dogs, without a doubt, but I also think they are better when they are away from their own surroundings. But the best thing to do in those situations is to remain calm so they don't feed off of your own anxiety. There is no way I would leave her behind without someone I knew she would accept and interact with.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

OriginalWacky said:


> If I were closer, I'd be more than happy to volunteer to help, but that's a moot point. Check around with different kennels, and see if you can find one that has indoor/outdoor runs where the dog can be closed inside or outside from elsewhere (down the hall or outside the kennel door etc). Then she could be closed into the outdoor part while they clean the inside, and place her food down, and allowed back in - and they can close her in there to clean the outside portion. Hmmm... Like these places have:
> Second picture down shows the kennel
> 
> Something like these so the door in and out can be opened without having to get in with the dog
> ...


This kind of kennel would work and similiar to what I'm striving to do. Yes, I am currently working, one paycheck at a time, on an indoor/outdoor kennel here; haven't decided on an extension to the detached garage or a separate outbuilding. This dog is bankrupting me and my job is being outsourced in January, which makes for scary stuff. I"m holding down 30 acres, a house, working, in college and I'm stretched about as far as a person can be. Fine with a stable dog, overwhelming with FA dog. I actually didn't let my grandson spend the night for 6 months because of this dog. That's BS. 

I'm not taking her with me at this point. Period. To stop and let her pee, I envision lunging at rest stops. She barks at birds, people, cars, you name it - if it's unfamiliar. If I move my car to a different place in the driveway, she barks at it for god's sakes. She was barking the other night at bullfrog noise. Today at a northern flicker who is new to the yard and was calling its bird call. Anything unfamiliar. She, however, IS starting to listen to me when I say it's "ok." Little step, but a step nonetheless. If I took her with me to northern Ohio (who has a bedbug problem in their hotels - not something I want), she'd be confined to a crate all day while I visited. What if she goes on a barkathon at new noises while I'm gone? Sounds like a miserable trip to me.

My vet thinks sending her to a place unfamiliar, with unfamiliar dogs barking, unfamiliar people, etc. would be a big mistake at this point and feels I should try to find someone to stay here. We are considering trying meds on her to soften her startle response, though I do not want my dog on SSRIs (in people they only have a 50% success rate for anxiety and sometimes makes it worse since anxiety is not necessarily related to serotonin but GABA). My vet agrees and told me about a med she's ordering (starts with "calm" something) that she wants to try. My vet is a country vet and her boarding facilities are limited. 

Thanks for your post. I'm at a point right now if one more person judges me with this dog that is sucking up my life, I feel like just giving up on it.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

Zisso said:


> My girl is not good with other people at all too. She is very insecure and extremely bonded to me.
> 
> I took her to visit my family last Sept. She acted like any trust worthy dog. She snooped about the yard, investigating and paid no mind to my brother or my dad. I stayed in the house while they were out there and watched, while I held my breath, ready to jump at the first sign of trouble, but she was great. Later in the house she stayed by my side and was calm but alert. She never lunged or attempted to nip at anyone during that time. I was surprised and thrilled.
> 
> It is hard to relax when we have unpredictable dogs, without a doubt, but I also think they are better when they are away from their own surroundings. But the best thing to do in those situations is to remain calm so they don't feed off of your own anxiety. There is no way I would leave her behind without someone I knew she would accept and interact with.


Rey is the opposite. I took her to a friend's fenced in yard to let her run once and she wouldn't let anyone else in the yard but me. Lunged at my friend's husband. It took her about 15 minutes alone with me, checking everything out, before she'd even play frisbee. Then she got distracted by faraway barking. At home, she has finally begun to ignore faraway barking (yes, she used to bark at dogs that were a good mile across the field). She seems to get overwhelmed with the unfamiliar.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

Twyla said:


> How does she do with the vet? Do they have boarding facilities also? That is where I am limited to boarding Woolf if ever needed. Luckily he actually likes the techs and kennel assistants there. Weird dog I know, FA and likes the vet <sigh> he likes to keep everyone guessing.


I should probably just visit wth the vet with her more often, though my vet really isn't well set up for a FA dog to board. She's a cool vet, though, and when Rey goes there we all sit on the floor and ignore her until she settles. It works.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

How long is the trip? 
If you have exhausted all other possibilities, I might know of a kennel that would consider boarding your girl. But it would be around other dogs. She would be in an outdoor run or crate. It would be safe, but not sure how she would handle it mentally. Maybe sedatives if your trip isn't very long?


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

KentuckyGSDLover said:


> This kind of kennel would work and similiar to what I'm striving to do. Yes, I am currently working, one paycheck at a time, on an indoor/outdoor kennel here; haven't decided on an extension to the detached garage or a separate outbuilding. This dog is bankrupting me and my job is being outsourced in January, which makes for scary stuff. I"m holding down 30 acres, a house, working, in college and I'm stretched about as far as a person can be. Fine with a stable dog, overwhelming with FA dog. I actually didn't let my grandson spend the night for 6 months because of this dog. That's BS.


It's really tough. I went through a LOT of money, time, and aggravation with our Missy, who was DA, and while in the heat of the moment would also bite people. Our end result was to euth her. 



> She, however, IS starting to listen to me when I say it's "ok." Little step, but a step nonetheless. If I took her with me to northern Ohio (who has a bedbug problem in their hotels - not something I want), she'd be confined to a crate all day while I visited. What if she goes on a barkathon at new noises while I'm gone? Sounds like a miserable trip to me.


Hey progress is progress - it might be a sign that she can be brought out of it. (By the way, not all of the hotels have bedbugs, you just have to know how to check. Heheh. And come supplied with stuff to kill them etc.) I'm just over the border in PA (Erie). I'd vounteer to help, but I"m in no shape to do it now. 



> My vet agrees and told me about a med she's ordering (starts with "calm" something) that she wants to try. My vet is a country vet and her boarding facilities are limited.


Is it Clomicalm? We had some decent results with that on Missy, though it wasn't enough in her case. However, she also wasn't barking so much as trying to kill other dogs, and even with medication she was improved but not nearly enough.



> Thanks for your post. I'm at a point right now if one more person judges me with this dog that is sucking up my life, I feel like just giving up on it.


I personally would not judge you at all if you gave up, most people wouldn't have done even close as much as you have already, and many of them would have dumped the dog in a worse situation. If you ever do have to put her to sleep because of this, I'll be happy to offer support, as many people that haven't been through deaing with a dog like this will never understand.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

to the OP, i have been in your shoes twice..; dealing with a FA dog is VERY difficult, and the more issues the dog has the more difficult it is.. people with normal dogs dont understand the dynamics of FA dogs and the degree of FA dogs.. my FA dog i had to euth due to the dog kept getting worse as time went on, and i didnt think it was fair for the dog to be living on edge in fear anymore.. the dog was truly dangerous, and after all the hard work i did and put my life on hold i realized it all wasnt fair to the DOG.. 

so what if people say bad things about you. who cares. this is the internet. if someone is going to criticise you then tell them to take the dog and work with it.. watch how fast they disappear. my posts to you were only because i dealt with FA dogs before,and i know how bad change can be for some of them, which is why i suggested the dog go with you


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

In my case my 2 older dogs are not so much FA but unsocialized. So whenever someone comes to the house my male, now 9-1/2 yrs old barks his head off. Not an I am going to rip you to shreads bark but loud and obnocious bark. Kiya is "off" because of her seizure meds but also not a rip your head off bark. No snarling nasty faces.
I know they behave much better when I am not home for my sitters. I will be interviewing a new petsitter soon. She is a vet tech. I don't want to make a bad impression so I will do the introductions individually out of my house. Then I plan on putting Apache in my truck, he is always on his best behavior in the truck. 
Of course its always a little hairy the first time the sitter comes in to the house when I am not there. I keep the dogs separate from where the sitter will enter the house. I leave it up to her to proceed or not. I do not recall there being a problem. I have done this with 3 people and the third one also brought her husband. One time I had my friend wear my one piece carhart jumpsuit (very thick material) and gloves just in case Apache got nippy, she said he didn't even try. 
I also had an idea to have a fence partition so the sitter would only have to move the partition to get the door open to let the dogs out, being able to stay on the opposite side of the partition. My dogs can stay out side during the day but I wouldn't feel comfortable if they were out all night.
Good luck, you should be able to figure something out, it's only a short trip.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

I'm not ready to give up yet, I just have my moments. She just turned 2, so there's a lot of pup left her still, too. Honestly, most of the time I enjoy this dog's company and, overall, she is training more and more. The indoor and outdoor kennels have made my life much easier when I want to have company or go out. She'll never be the social butterfly that Buddy is, but at this point I don't know what she'll be. About 90% of the time, it's just me, her and Buddy down on this farm. It's the 10% when I have other things to do, want to vacation, etc. that is the real problem.


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