Quote: tam haga

The only inconsistency in all of this is when she comes into my room. It is a very large room and she has never once calmed down in my bedroom no matter how peaceful.

Where is everyone else when you and she are in your bedroom? Is the rest of the family elsewhere?

In bed. She only goes there at bedtime.

Very cool!

I know you are right because that sounds just like my dog. She knows when I wake up in the morning during the weekdays because a few times she actually used her nose to push me into the bathroom. I didn't appreciate that because she is so strong and I am too groggy first thing in the morning.

She knows that at 7:30am we get into the van and that at 2:55pm we go pick up the kids (how she knows these times so well boggles my mind). Each time she gets anxious and acts like she is trying to get me to hurry up.

I will reconsider my routine and try to adjust a few things.

Thanks!!!

Update:
After carefully reviewing and considering all the comments about her and watching her behavior I decided to attempt to give her more exercise.

The weather has been very cold and she didn't seem to like being out in the cold for very long due to her paws getting cold. We attempted riding a bike with her by my son's side which will take training. We also attempted skateboard + dog. That too will take training. Neither of those activities were ones where she came home exhausted. Play fetch is of course difficult with all this snow as well.

So we will have to wait until the snow melts next week to see how she takes to more exercise.

As for anxiety. I do believe that she does get stirred up. An example is last night. I was in my room, all was calm until my husband came home. She couldn't calm herself down. I told her to calm down several times, yet she continued to pace and attack her shadow. We attempted to turn off the lights to see if she would stop, but she wouldn't. We finally crated her.

This is how it is. She is perfectly calm and then she gets stirred up, usually when someone she knows is added to a room.

I think it is amazing how she goes into a different mode where she is perfectly behaved when she is not home. She doesn't do any of these things away from home. I am thinking it is because she sees herself at work when away like that.

"I think it is amazing how she goes into a different mode where she is perfectly behaved when she is not home. She doesn't do any of these things away from home. I am thinking it is because she sees herself at work when away like that."

I think maybe it's the other way around. "She is perfectly calm and then she gets stirred up, usually when someone she knows is added to a room."

But I just wanted to reinforce that this is the kind of behavior that can get destructive quickly, and I'd probably be looking for booties rather than waiting for the snow to melt. No matter what the trigger is, she needs some of that frustrated energy drained before crating her isn't enough and she (possibly) starts obsessive/destructive behaviors on herself and/or the crate. JMO!

Mental exercise can wear a dog out too--and that's something you can do indoors in any weather.

Teaching new commands/tricks...clicker training...playing homemade scent detection games with toys...are all things that you or the kids could do with her indoors that would give her a "job" to do.

A job for a dog doesn't have to be anything terribly complicated. It's simply creating a scenario where you're asking the dog to do something that it knows how to do--in some kind of structured way--as a means of having it focus on that job, rather than worrying about something else.

A dog's "job" could be nothing more than carrying an object around the house--as long as they're doing it becuase you've taught her to do it, and you've asked her to do it, and you tell her when she can stop doing it.

My GSD gets into "I have a job" mode whenever I put his backpack on him. In nice weather we take him to the farmer's market with us and he carries home produce. (Luca would always be so intense in this that we'd joke "stand aside, very important tomatoes coming through!") Being asked to carry something that belonged to me gave him a focus he wouldn't have otherwise. I suppose he could just as easily wear the backpack around the house and carry my car keys and wallet.

If you dog has an affinity for finding things (or, this is an easy one to teach)--a dog will spend a very long time searching the house for a hidden toy, entirely focused on that job.

Anyway, just a few more ideas to toss out. Pure physical exercise is important. But having some indoor tricks up your sleeve is good too.

http://www.dogwork.com/dacug6/

I thought I would quickly add this. I don't have much time.

 Quote: tam haga

http://www.dogwork.com/dacug6/

I thought I would quickly add this. I don't have much time.

Personally, I think some of the in-depth, detailed posts provided here by a few of our more experienced members (Connie, Aaron, Tracy...) put this guy's video to shame.

Folks here have really been asking a lot of questions about your particular situation and pointing out some very good situational issues and solutions... you aren't going to get that anywhere else. JMHO.

Well, if it reinforces the posts here (which it does, although in a very broad way, of course), then good.

The simple overview, while certainly sensible, adds nothing new. But if it makes the points that board members have already made stand out better, then great.