Managing the high anxiety dog.
Sometimes we enjoy spotlighting an exceptional dog with a brilliant owner. Of course, they're all exceptional dogs, and the intelligent owners are the ones that purchase an XTreme heavy-duty escape-proof dog crate for their dogs.
Today I want to tell you about the owner of Lyle, an extraordinary dog that needed a lot of help when he was adopted. In the words of the owner: "While I knew he was "skittish" and fearful of men from speaking to the shelter staff, little did I know how significant his issues were & was told by a dog trainer "...he is the worst case I have seen".
Returning a High Anxiety dog is not the answer.
When you look at the face of your rescue dog you know you cannot and will not be able to return him to the agency where you found him. He now owns your heart!
"About 4 years ago I wandered into a dog shelter a few months after the passing of my issue-free, sweet Pug and spotted the saddest looking dog in the shelter amongst a sea of good-looking Pits. About 45 mins later, they had checked my references and said come back to get him."
It's different for everyone, but I would guess that anyone that has chosen a high anxiety dog from a rescue agency would not be able to return them after a week or so. Why? It takes from a few days to a week to form the unbreakable bond between owner and dog. I won't go into all the reasons here. That's a whole different conversation.
Here's what happened to Lyle when the return decision had to be made. In the owner's words: "My family and friends really didn't understand my situation and one friend said "can't you return him" which was a hard NO. Lyle has always had some degree of separation anxiety; it had settled down a bit when he was onto a routine with a walker coming in midday."
Fast Forward to the Pandemic
"His dreams came true and mine to get out didn't due to remote work. His separation anxiety spiked any time I left without him since I am the only human in the home and no chance of it decreasing (I have literally tried every product online, suggested by my Vet, suggested by another with similar pup issues, suggested by the lady at the grocery store, hiked with him for hours to exhaust him, etc. I do wish I would have taken pics of previous crates; mangled bent and escaped with the dog walker texting; "Lyle was in the living room today".
"The anxiety of wondering what he ate or if he swallowed a nail or chunk of wood or if this time he will jump out the window since he pushed it up & ate the screen."
Crating is the kindest thing you can do for a high anxiety dog.
For those of you out there that go nuts when anyone talks about putting a dog in a crate, I hope you are coming to understand why Xtreme makes heavy-duty dog crates for Houdini dogs. The kindest thing you can do for a high anxiety dog is to provide a strong robust crate that will hold him or her easily. Most of the crates on the market that claim to be heavy-duty simply are not even close. Dogs can chew through those cheaper crates and they are then back to destroying your house but with fewer teeth this time. Not only do these dogs destroy your furniture and your house, but they can also cause thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. That could be considered the good news. If they eat the wrong thing they could be dead before you get home. When you hear me say that Xtreme dog crates can save your dog's life, we are very serious about that. If you have a high anxiety dog and you don't have an Xtreme dog crate it's time to check them out.
What to do if you have a huge high anxiety dog
That's easy. You get a huge Xtreme heavy-duty dog crate from carrymydog.com. Dog owners with high anxiety dogs needing crates larger than 48" have a tough road to travel. There are wire crates that are easy to escape from. There are a few crates here and there, crates that haven't earned their stripes yet. There are lots of crates that claim to be heavy duty but aren't. Then there are the Xtreme dog crates. Xtreme crates are the best crates for holding a high anxiety dog. The steel is a robust 14 gauge. The welded steel wire is 3/16ths inch diameter. And, you can get these crates up to 60" x 60". Even better, you can get custom crates which means we can build any size you want. We also make outside dog kennels too using the same tough steel. Both the crates and the outside kennels use the drop-pin method of assembly and have Schlage deadbolts for dependable door locks.
More damage from this special high anxiety dog
For those of you that don't know the habits of a separation anxiety dog, their damage is not limited to furniture. They know what a door is. They know what a door handle is and, they know that the door facing is a great place to start chewing through the door. After all, that's where they last saw their owner before she disappeared.
"The doorway in my pics was fixed 3 times; I cried the third time as I only ran to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription which was 14 mins in total out of the house and looked at him wagging his tail that I was home."
"The anxiety of wondering what he ate or if he swallowed a nail or chunk of wood or if this time he will jump out the window since he pushed it up & ate the screen. The doorway in my pics was fixed 3 times; I cried the third time as I only ran to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription which was 14 mins in total out of the house and looked at him wagging his tail that I was home."
"That night I was completely defeated & my own life involved taking him everywhere or stay home, I did a final search for some solution & came across this steel, fortress. I read the reviews; looked again the next day, saved the info then placed the order thinking I was just wasting more money as this wouldn't hold the escape artist who was part beaver. While Lyle hates it, attempts to run away when I try to place him inside & I can hear him barking while I am getting in the car; I so appreciate the craftsmanship, safety features, and knowing I will arrive home to my pup; both he and the house in one piece and my sanity as well."
How to manage such a case of k9 high anxiety
XTreme heavy duty crates are made in standard sizes from 36" to 60". We will go to 72" but that is a custom order. These crates will keep your high anxiety dog in a safe environment. While it's true that many dogs don't like being in a crate dogs in Xtreme crates tend to settle surprisingly fast. We thank it's due to the 360-degree view and the fact that nothing moves when they push on it or chew on it. Once they see that nothing moves, the chewing stops, in the majority of cases. We've not had any cases of chewing our crates but we haven't been there to watch every dog that was lucky enough to get one of our crates.
Good Luck Lyle!
We are reasonably certain that Lyle will have a happy life since he won't be endangering himself and getting into trouble all the time. Reduced vet trips are always a plus. A happy owner is the best reward for being in his crate while his owner is gone.
XTreme® heavy-duty dog crates are Made in America. You can get more information over at carrymydog.com. You can always call us at 800-640-1364 should you have any questions. Don't forget our LifeTime Warranty. Order yours today!
Please Remember: "If a $200 crate would hold your high anxiety dog, we would all be selling $200 crates!"
