When Fido Gets Phobic

Four-year-old Harry (not his real name) grew up with all the privileges one might expect from doting, dual-income parents in Los Angeles: great toys, a spacious apartment, lots of attention. But at a very early age he suffered from separation anxiety. When he was particularly distressed, often about loud noises, he would run around, hide in closets and sometimes even jump out the window of the family's ground-floor apartment. His loved ones knew Harry needed therapy and consulted several experts before finally finding one they liked. Now, after a steady regimen of behavior modification and drug therapy, Harry no longer alarms his family by leaping out windows. Even better, he has lost his compulsion to bite strangers.

Harry, by the way, is a German shepherd, and his owners' devotion is hardly unique. Dog lovers are pampering their pets more than ever, with everything from Gucci-designed luxury beds to doggy room service at fancy hotels (at the Four Seasons in Chicago, dog owners can order the Tail Wagger, a braised-beef-and-rice special, for their canine traveling companions). But the latest twist in the $21 billion pet-care industry is an expanding range of alternative treatments and drugs aimed at Fido's psychological well-being. Dogs are learning to get along with their fellow Schnauzers and Pinschers at doggy day-care centers, having their troubles massaged away at spas, getting acupuncture to alleviate behavior problems, and taking herbal medicines like St. John's Wort to lift their mood. Last month the Food and Drug Administration approved the first two drugs designed and marketed specifically to treat dogs with behavioral problems.

The trend is being propelled largely by baby boomers who delayed having children, or have decided not to have children at all, and seem to treat their dogs as surrogate kids. "Dogs are eager and social," explains Laurie Weaver, proprietor of a dog day-care center in Kirkland, Wash., "and raising one is a lot easier than raising a child."

Dog psychotherapy isn't quite as weird as it sounds. "The dog doesn't get on the couch once," says Dr. Nicholas Dodman, head of the animal-behavior program at Tufts University Veterinary Center. After a medical cause of the problem has been ruled out, behavioral conditioning is the first step. It typically involves rewarding the dog for positive behavior and helping the owners adjust their own habits. Many trainers have abandoned militaristic obedience training in favor of more humane, positive techniques. In 1993 the American Veterinary Medical Association recognized animal behavior as its own board-certified specialty; now most vet schools offer courses in the subject.

Drugs for humans, such as Elavil and Prozac--which have been used for years on dogs--can help treat obsessive or destructive behavior, like constant barking, chasing one's tail or aggression. But they are considered a last resort. Clomicalm, one of the FDA-approved drugs, is designed to treat separation anxiety, which has been known to prompt biting and even clawing through walls. All this is more than just self-indulgence by overprotective owners. Most of the more than 2.5 million dogs put to sleep in the U.S. every year are euthanized because of behavioral problems, according to veterinary experts. So treating the disorder can literally be a matter of a pet's life or death.

Barney, a Rottweiler-shepherd mix in North Hills, Calif., was labeled a "fear biter," and his owners were told by their vet that the best course of action was to put the dog down. Desperate, they turned to veterinarian Nancy Scanlan, who has been practicing holistic medicine for animals since 1988. She inserted eight needles between the dog's neck and hips in an effort to relax Barney's tight muscles. Barney, who Scanlan says is "coming out of his shell," has ceased to snap at home.

Flower-essence therapy--the use of, say, holly or five flower to treat a variety of ailments, including rage and earthquake trauma--is also increasingly popular, accounting for half of all sales at Pets Naturally, a health-food shop in Los Angeles. Massage therapy is being used to treat equilibrium problems. Michael Holloway, owner of Pet Massage Rehabilitation Services in Boca Raton, Fla., says his business, which treats pets for physical and mental problems, has grown sevenfold in the past two years. "Bodywork can allow them to be less contact phobic," he says.

For lonely pups, day-care centers provide companionship and hone the all-important social skills needed to play nicely-- with humans and other canines. "She loves this place," says Michelle Bouchard, a New York City theater producer who regularly brings her dog to the day-care facility at the New York Dog Spa & Hotel in Manhattan--a growing business, with services ranging from pedicures to massage. "The irony is I got the dog so that my only child wouldn't be lonely. But now the dog's lonely when Alex goes to school."

Some of these pooch facilities can get pretty doggone grand. When Robin Schwartz, a program executive for NBC, decided to board her golden retriever at the Paradise Ranch Country Club for Dogs in Sun Valley, Calif., she had to reserve a space two months in advance--and then bring in the pooch for an interview. At the end of his stay, Schwartz's dog received a "report card" detailing his social acumen. (He scored high marks.) "We basically wanted a houselike place for him to stay while we were away for two weeks," says a slightly sheepish Schwartz. "But I swear, I really do know he's a dog."