I have a 2year old large breed bitch who is constantly nervous ,I would say worried, about most things ,I had given her calmex but it seemed to make her feel worse and a bit odd ,so I have started her on zylkene I decided to keep her on it for a month (directions say up to 2 months) and have taken her out gradually into different situations we were getting on fine but the last few days she seems to be getting worried again . what I was wondering was Does zylkenes effects wear off ? I have also tried valerian /skull cap but it did not seem to have much effect ,she is a cracking girl but such a worry wort I just want to see her enjoying life a bit more ,by the way the only place she feels comfortable is at home and running around with the others over our fields.her parents had fantastic natures and she was reared exactly the same as my others .who are sound bombproof dogs . I wish I could help her . Any suggestions ,would be most grateful Thankyou

I've had a few nervous dogs, including two that came from good parents etc. In my experience absolutely no remedies work (I tried Zylkene for several months) -I dare say I have tried everything that is on the market and not prescription. Only training works and sometimes not even that -and for some dogs it can take years. I do have an almost 7 year old dog that never has been normal (half of the litter just wasn't right at all) and he hates leaving home, if he sees collar and lead he runs away and hides. We decided long ago that as he is happiest at home he will just have to stay at home. Needless to say none from that litter will ever be bred from.

Thanks for your reply well I think maybe I will have to do the same as you, she has had  normal training at home  and she has been to ringcraft etc but after a while felt she was not getting any better at RC so gave it a miss . Reports from the other  litter owners have been fine so I was beginning to think it was me . She is not as bad as your 7 year old though . I had wanted to show her but will not put her through it . As for breeding from her well its a no no .Isn't it just sods law when you get a cracker ??? Thanks again

Is it mostly noise sensitivity?

My collie had all sorts of remedies just like Marianne. Zyklene was the most effective thing I tried but even that wasn't very good. My vet reckoned it was no good for short term things like fireworks but pretty good when used long term- so I don't think it would wear off as you say. Your girl would possibly benefit more from something like Behavioural Adjustment Training (BAT) or the eyes of a positive behaviourist to give you a few tips to help her to cope with life? COAPE and APBC I think are two reputable organisations who might have someone near you.

Hope you can make some progress, it is frustrating.

Melatonin.  I find zylkene next to useless, along with everything else on the market but melatonin I find immensely useful - it's literally saved Phoebe's life as nothing else worked and I was steeling myself to have her PTS as she finds the world so stressful.  She still has issues, but she is so much better able to cope with them and learn and if I take her off it for more than a week, I notice the difference right away.

I do find that many dogs need higher than the usual starting dose given for chronic stress (e.g. at Phoebe's 16kg it would be 3mg three times a day, but she gets twice that at a minimum) but it is a very safe thing - no major side effects (a couple of dogs have weed a bit more at high doses) just a reduction in stress.  No sedation.  And it's effective in roughly 80% of dogs.

Also look into stress stacking (if you aren't aware of it already), and consider not walking her for a few days or a week to let her stress levels drop back down to a level she can cope with.

Nikita where do you buy your melatonin?

Hi Nikita . I will give it a try, does it have dosage instructions on it ? and where canI get it . I have never heard of stress stacking ,I would be willing to give it a try and will see my vet about her behaviour. I just want her to feel better although as I mentioned she is great at home. she was socialised as a pup but things seemed to get worse the older she  got  one example is if we had the car parked in a different spot .....we have our own farmhouse with  a steading about a mile from the road.... she did not want to go in  it, usual spot  she is ok this happened over a space of time .am going to check the calendar to see if she is worse aroundseason time ????????

I get it from Health Monthly - ring to order, it's not on the website.  You can get it from ebay, amazon, iherb (I think), and other places though.  Look for stuff that doesn't have unnecessary extras in - B6 is fine but there is a brand or two that has xylitol which is a no-no for dogs.  I use the Swanson brand.  I'm told that tablets are more effective but I've not tried them.

Dose is based on weight - up to 16kg 1.5mg 3 x day, 16-35kg 3mg 3 x day, over that 6mg but there is a big range that is safe - I know of 30kg dogs that get 45mg in one go for thunder and it does them no harm, but any less than that won't touch them.  Indeed my 8kg daycare dog gets 10mg at once for thunder or fireworks and like them, any less does nothing.

Looking for patterns with her hormones is a great idea, look for anything and everything that might have an effect!  Pain too - some dogs are in pain from the start and it's not picked up and as they get older it gets worse and starts to have an effect.  My River is an example of that - she's been a bully to other dogs, not helped by her old owners encouraging it, but it got gradually worse and she started to become more defensive than just bullying then a couple of years ago, an MRI found that she had narrowed nerve root canals in her vertebrae which put a little bit of pressure on the nerves.  She was born with that.   And on top of that, she has a chronic slipped disc.  Neither showed any really obvious symptoms (it was her refusing to run up the a-frame and dog walk once that tipped me off but there was nothing else obvious to see) but now I'm getting the pain relief right, she is not only no longer reacting to other dogs but has even started to play with my youngest which she's never done before.

Thanks for the info funny enough my girl gets a sore neck when coming into season ,it is a syndrome our breed gets and it is not known what causes it I am starting her on evening primrose as well see if iot helps Thanks again