Help with Older Staff .

Hi Folks , Im new to this site so have no idea if im doing this right ,but here goes . I have 2 Staffs 1 male ,1 female .My Older staff Poppy is going to be 9 this year and she seems to be getting really uncontrollable :(I can not walk her anymore . She was always hyper when going for walks but always calmed down after a while .Now she actually yodels the whole way there & back ,biting the lead through ,nipping our legs and pulling to the point she looks like she may collapse .I have always used a harness but now it makes no difference ,swapped to chain lead to stop her biting hers ,i cant even let her off the lead anymore as she runs round me barking and nipping my leg ,she also sometimes pulls so hard she's ripping her nails off :(The other day i left her at home to walk my younger staff and for the 1st time ever she trashed my house ,and i mean really trashed it looked like she was trying to bust the windows to get out .Ive even tried a halti on her but she basically almost damaged her eyes ripping it off ... she has never been like this and i cant walk her anymore which seems to frustrate her more ... Any idea's ??? Please ...

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Hi and welcome from me and Daisy   

Maybe a vet trip to check there is no underlying health problem causing the behavior? What is she fed?

9 year old acting like that?

what food are you giving her?
how many times a day are you walking her and how long for?

She was walked twice a day and always has free roam of the garden and house , we feed her dry mix and occasional wet ,her diet has never changed .I was wondering if she could be acting like this more so as we have another staff but he's been here over a year now and they used to walk fine together .At the moment i can walk her ,My hubsband walks her but he has to jog with her .

Hiya from me and Vinnie, as Saz says perhaps an underlying problem perhaps a trip to the vets xx

Sorry i ment I cant walk her anymore *** .Its almost like she is loosing her mind .

Welcome from Darcy and me, I'd pop her the vets. Something seems Amis to me

Yes am thinking trip to the vets ,what unsettles me is thsi only happens when its time for walks or walking time ..could it jealousy as she' now has to share us with Brodie .My Husband took her out tonight and he actually had to jog the whole route to keep her mind focused to stop the yodelling and nipping .Other than that she is a great natured dog ,seems healthy and still looks fab .x

I know of dog who act like that but they only get an walk now and then, they never had an proper routine in their life maybe you wanna see a vet for an check up

Thank you for the reply Steve , she has always had a good routine over winter it has gone a bit due to her always having sore feet due to loosing her nails as she was pulling that hard . Its really hard that i cant walk them together anymore as i know this makes her feels worse been left behind ,i caged her the other day for fear she may actually bust through my window to follow me and she doesnt get caged ,it made her worse and i could hear crying as i walked down the street . I will speak to my vet but i think i may have to try take her back to basic training for walk routine ?

Hi and welcome to the forum. I agree a trip to the Vet is a good idea to check everything up. However the lack of walking is going to create a vicious circle, the less she is walked the more hyper she will be. Maybe you could try a double ended lead, one end on her collar and one on her harness to give you more control. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Police-Style-Dog-Training-Lead-25mm-Black-Large-/360867253125?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Steamers_Cookers_PP&hash=item54055d4b85 I use a halti on my girls but you need to train them to wear it by leaving it on in the house for a while and give them lots of treats.

Thank Chiara ,i will look into the double ended lead The halti has proved a nightmare for her ,we use treats to distract her but she claws at her face drawing blood untill she gets it off ,its horrible to see her hurting herself ,so am at a loss at the moment . I was thinking of cycling with her again at a gentle pace as she always enjoyed that and she didnt have time to be silly , im just nervous it will end it tears !!! .. Thanks

Don't be nervous. The more calm and confident you are, the more calm and confident your dog will be.

I definitely think go to the vet

In all other respects go back to basics, as if you were training up a puppy. It could be something has triggered her unruliness. She needs to learn boundaries again and needs to feel safe enough not to go rampaging around your house.

It could be that there is a mental issue. It could also be that she just needs to go back to square one and learn what is and what is not acceptable, and know that she is safe.

Has she ever nipped etc before? And how do you/your other half deal with it/react when she does?

I mean nervous as in Nervous she will hurt herself , im not nervous of her . Yes i was thinking along the lines of youurself .going back to basic training as i thought due the new pup arriving just over a year ago i wondered if she was jealous but she was treated same as ever .The second thing was mental issue's ,this has crossed our minds ,she was mentally uncontrollable at the week end , she tore blinds off the windows and busted through a glass door to get into the living room .. .
when she nips at first we ignored her and shouted a firm NO ,it makes no difference she just keeps doing it ,its like she's trying to give us a row or show who's boss . Its becoming a never ending circle and for the first time in almost 9 years the kids are becoming wary of her .

Make an appointment with the vet today. Perhaps also ask around for a v good dog behaviorist as well, just to give you an opinion.

Thankyou for you're advice . I will do .

I am really sorry you are going through this. Positive action will help you work out what is going on. Perhaps you can try and find a place where she doesn't mind being alone for five minutes. WIth the dog I was fostering over Christmas, this was the car. She would go nuts in the house alone but was ok in the car. We worked up from the car to the kitchen etc.

Baby steps.

My dog also gets much more hyper when there is a younger dog around. Maybe she is getting hyper as a result of the new addition. It could be the case that you have to be more firm, and don't feel worried about possibly jealousy etc. As it could be that your dog is not feeling any.

Please let us know what the vet says. It's a good first step.

Other than a trip to the vet I don't really know what else to advise. If she is getting the amount of exercise she is used to this is odd.

We tried most things ,ive figure if i put her in Brodies cage with a treat and sneak out the door with him ,she seems fine and i know she cant harm herself or destroy the house .Ive never caged her before untill now ..It is like she has a mental episode and nothing we say or do calms her down ,at the weekend we literally had to force her physically back to her room ..

i always use slip lead on my dogs, ive always found they are the best leads for control. My uncle Paul daly is a very well known behaviourist and has recently just done a tour of scotland helping people with their dogs, he travels the country helping people and their dogs.

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me

Are you able to video the behaviour to show the vet when you get there ?

I thinks he needs to see a vet if this has just started to happen.
Does she do the same if she is walked on her own? you say you have had the other dog a year, do they get on in the home?
What make of food is she on?
In my opinion she needs to have a full check up and blood done, do hope she is ok so worrying.

Hi , she gets fed Pero ,i dont think her diet is the issue as this is what she always gets , she does gets raw treats once a month ,such as knuckle bones , snippets of steak etc ..but this is only a monthly treat . Both dogs get on fine ,the usual snapping if he's trying any nonsense on her . Spoke with a dog behaviorist this morning and as i told him the nipping used to be done on the odd walk when she was allowed of the lead its become all the time now , its a round about circle , cant walk her cant leave her !! i could video her , she's going to her vets next week and if finds she is fine then the behaviorist will come and see us . I really hope its not mental issue's but after seen the things she does i am wondering Thank you so much for everybody's advice .its been much appreciated   

Let us know how she goes on and good luck

Will do .Thankyou !!!

hia from me and sasha   ,sorry to hear you are going through this with your girl it must be upsetting for you,agree with the above posts about getting her checked over with your vet.

Hi and welcome to the forum from me and the zoo xx

Hi and welcome from me and my two

Welcome from Bane and us! Sorry to hear about your problems, I hope you can sort things out!
Does she have a favourite toy or something that you could take on walks, then when you let her off throw it for her a few times to try and distract her from your legs?