border collie anxiety medication?

[ThomasBriggs]

I have two Border Collies, one laid back the other very active and anxious. We are working with a dog trainer for basic obedience and going out into public. The anxious one, cries and whines a lot, and sometimes barks when she is out of her element. The trainer mentioned that she would like me to use something to calm her down before the training secession's. Does anyone have a product that they could recommend, that would work on an anxious Border Collie.

Thank You

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

How old are your border collies?

Are they littermates?

Can you provide more details on what seems to trigger the whining?

Does it happen when your other border collie isn't around?

Since when has she been displaying this behavior? The earlier this is tackled, the better. 

The trainer seems vague, did she mention whether it was something you are supposed to get from your vet? or from a pet store? or online?

[ThomasBriggs]

Both Border Collies are from the same litter, both weight approx. 30-35 lb, and are 13 months old. As mentioned, one is calm and laid back and definitely a follower, the other is high strung and never stops, always looking for direction. Both want to be with us as much as possible. The high strung collie whines or cries when I try to take her to different places to try to get her use to seeing other people or other dogs from a distance. (stores, etc...) We have had instances where she whined at home during leash training. (I think she knows we're going going to training) Seems to be 'new things' trigger the behavior. We are currently working with a trainer on leash manors, going out in public, and basic obedience. The trainer mentioned reaching out to other border collie owners for suggestions for some kind of over the counter calming medication that might help. Neither collie would bite anyone the whining is sometimes accompanied by a leash pull trying to get to the people for attention. I'm pretty confident that the behavior will go away with more and more practice, but to make training more effective we would like to keep her a little calmer.

Thank You

Tom

[Adrienne Farricelli]

OK, gotcha, thanks for sharing those details.

It does sound like she's over threshold, https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/. Many littermate dogs risk becoming overly dependent on each other and may feel anxious when they are exposed to things alone. On the other hand, whining can also be triggered by over excitement and frustration when there is a delay or impediment to something they perceive as gratifying/reinforcing. 

In any case, distance from triggers is one way to help lower threshold levels, training alternate replacement behaviors, and yes, calming aids can help take the edge off for the most mild cases. More significant cases may require prescription meds from a vet. 

As to over the counter calming aids, here are some choices, but it may take about 6 weeks to see results and as with new treats, they can cause temporary upset tummies. 

-Virbac Anxitane

-Composure by Vetriscience

-Zylekene by Vetiquinol

-Solliquin by Nutramax

-Purina Calming Care (a probiotic product)

-Vet's Best Comfort Calm