Dear Adam:I Have Appreciated Your Advice In Both Your Book And Your Tapes.My Male Bichon Is A Very Good Dog, Gentle Yet Playful, Minds Well, And Treats Me As The Pack Leader. He Comes When I Call, Goes In His Crate At Night With Only One "kennel Up" Command And Is A General All Around Good Dog.ADVERTISEMENT:Read About My Dog Training Videos... They've Helped A Lot Of People Transform Their Pet Into The Dog They've Always Dreamed About Owning! Click Here To Read More... Http:www.dogproblems.comnewvideos.htmOne Problem That I Have Been Unable To Break Him Of Is Scratching His Neck Area To The Point That It Bleeds. He Knows That He Shouldn't Do This And Quits Immediately When I Say Something To Him. I Have Taken Him To The Vet On Three Separate Occasions.He Has Received An Antihistamine Shot, Been Treated With Cortaid And Anti-itch Spray, Had Flee Treatment, Bathed With Hypo Allergenic Shampoo And Conditioner, Been Given A Special Diet, And None Of This Made Any Difference. The Last Visit To The Vet He Prescribed A Mild Tranquilizer Coupled With Hormone Treatment. He Quit Scratching Almost Immediately But He Was Somewhat Lethargic. I Cut Out The Hormone Treatment And Cut His Tranquilizer In Half, Under Advisement Of The Vet. He Now Scratches Only Moderately But I Am Hesitant To Increase His Tranquilizer Dosage Back Up To Where It Was. Also, I Don't See Any End To This Form Of Treatment. As A Trainer I Wondered If You Had Ever Encountered This Before And Whether You Had Any Recommendations I Might Try Other Than The Tranquilizer. In My Opinion This Just Masks The Problem And Does Not Fix It. I Would Appreciate Any Suggestions You Might Have.Sincerely,GordonGordon,No, This Is Most Likely A Physical Problem... Not A Behavioral One.You Might Try Finding Another Vet. To Get A Second Opinion And See Another Approach To It. My Question Would Be: Why Is He Scratching? It's Not The Collar, Is It?Gordon Replies: Since He Started Scratching (about 3 Months Ago) He Has Not Worn A Collar. One Vet Shaved His Neck Area And It Shows No Sign Of Any Irritation. I Believe It To Be Something Psychological And The Vet (I Have Seen Two) Tends To Agree With Me; Ergo, The Tranquilizer. In Any Event I Do Appreciate You Responding.Adam: You Might Look Into Anti-anxiety Drugs, If You Feel This Is The Case. Have Your Veterinarian Call Around And Find Out. Prozac-type Drugs Will Probably Work Better Than Just Tranquilizing The Dog.
