NEED ADVICE - Sudden change in behaviour

I'll try and keep this brief as it's a long story...

Had Scoob since October last year. He suffered from separation anxiety but we got him over that and he spent the next 4 months happy on his own in his crate.

There were a few incidents where he badly damaged the crate trying to get out but never succeeded. This happened about 2 times in those 4 months and were at times where he had a lot of un used energy and we left him at a time that was not routine (I get that).

My girlfriend is 8 months pregnant and in the last month, he has become incredibly needy, and very very destructive when alone

On 3 occassions he has actually broke out of the crate and this is a strong crate - he has bent back bars, snapped bars to get out and when we get home, he is out of his crate sitting happy - or sometimes, back in his crate sleeping the bugger haha

I thought we cant leave him to hurt himself trying to get out of the crate, so we started to leave him outside of the crate, and sometimes we come back to see that he has been as good as gold and sleeping in his crate anyway. Other times we get back to find him pacing around, panting and has been destroying the furniture, carpets, skirting etc.

He is in very good health, has a raw diet and has been since we had him. He can be on his own anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours - however, this behaviour can happen within 10 mins.

He is walked every single day for at least 2 hours and is knackered on the evenings so I know its not due to lack of exercise.

I am sure that this is because of the pregnancy... will it suddenly stop when she gives birth? Will he get worse?

I have an pheromone plug in being delivered today and am hoping that his may help a little.

I do a lot of reading online and feel pretty well clued up when it comes to dogs and feel that I have done everything correctly, so I am starting to feel helpless in this situation.

It's random... one day he is as good as gold, the next he is not happy one bit about being left alone.

Any help on this would be much appreciated - especially from anyone who has been pregnant and suffered from this mood swing.

Cheers

Is he being walked prior to being left alone. There have been occassions where we had to leave Suki for 10-12 hours at a time. Before we did we gave her an extra long walk and she was fine.

Can you confine him to an enclosed area with toys or things he can chew instead of the crate? A frozen kong is great for this.

We don't have children so no personal experience there. He could very well be picking up on emotions with the two of you though. When my wife needed surgery Suki's behaviour changed and she got clingy and destructive when she was left alone and I basically did as I said above.

A backpack could also help with his energy levels but it should be done gradually.

JStaff wrote:Is he being walked prior to being left alone.  There have been occassions where we had to leave Suki for 10-12 hours at a time.  Before we did we gave her an extra long walk and she was fine.  

Can you confine him to an enclosed area with toys or things he can chew instead of the crate?  A frozen kong is great for this.  

We don't have children so no personal experience there.  He could very well be picking up on emotions with the two of you though.  When my wife needed surgery Suki's behaviour changed and she got clingy and destructive when she was left alone and I basically did as I said above.  

A backpack could also help with his energy levels but it should be done gradually.

He is on his own from around 8.30am so not possible to do a long walk beforehand and get ready for work. However, he has done this after a long walk on a Sat afternoon a few times - again, random, sometimes he's good and sometimes he's not.

He only has access to the dining room (where his crate is), the stairs and landing. There is a large kong with peanut butter in (which is loves), a stag bar, a rubber ring etc - all these things he can't get enough of when we are at home, but on his own, they have not moved from the spot we placed them in

This morning, I've had a call from the in-laws saying that they've picked him up for his walk (just one hour after he was left on his own) and he was lying down in his crate nice and calm.... however, the dining room chair has had its padding ripped off and the carpet at the bottom of the stairs has been ripped up. But he would of been able to do this damage within a few mins... so it's not like he's constantly on a rampage.

Not heard of the backpack...

Here is a link to some backpacks. Ours is from Ruffwear

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dog+back+pack

Essentially they allow him to carry a little weight which will tire him out a bit quicker. Just build up gradually so his body can get used to it. If he is younger than 18-24 months old I would not advise using it though. This could turn a small walk into a more tiring outing. I used to have to be at work at 530 or 630am and just got up earlier to take care of Suki.

He sounds bored to me and frustrated. I would put it down not to the pregnancy but needing more exercise. I know you said you leave at 8.30am, I do too but I still take mine out before I go and he sleeps until the dog walker arrives. I get up at 6am go straight out and get back at 7am then leave the house at 7.45am so it is doable.

If you want his behaviour to change then I'm sorry but he needs extra exercise, you say you walk him for 2 hours is that after work or at lunchtime or an hour at lunchtime and an hour after work?

Debs01 wrote:He sounds bored to me and frustrated.  I would put it down not to the pregnancy but needing more exercise.  I know you said you leave at 8.30am, I do too but I still take mine out before I go and he sleeps until the dog walker arrives.  I get up at 6am go straight out and get back at 7am then leave the house at 7.45am so it is doable.  

If you want his behaviour to change then I'm sorry but he needs extra exercise, you say you walk him for 2 hours is that after work or at lunchtime or an hour at lunchtime and an hour after work?

That's during the day and he's off lead the entire time running like crazy - he rarely gets taken out for a "walk". He's just too busy chasing birds, investigating etc.

But like I've said previously, he has behaved like this straight after a long 2 hour walk - even though he was knackered. Then another day, same walk, same time, he's good as gold.

What is strange for me, is that he's been perfect in his routine for months. And the routine has not changed at all... but his behaviour has changed almost overnight and has been up and down since.

If he was always like this then I would be inclined to totally agree with you.

Apologies if I sound like I'm being stubborn but like most people on here, we know our dogs well enough to know when something is not right and out of the ordinary... and this is a new things even though his routine and environment is the same.

The only significant change is that we now have a very hormonal woman in the house and he will not leave her side (again, this is in the last month too).

Have u tried little walks and more often? Du have playtime at home have you thought of making your own toys also?

In my experience tiredness is cumulative, just like it is in people. A dog might not be obviously tired immediately after a long walk but might well become tired in between walks after a week or two of long walks. It's like when you only get a couple of hours sleep one night, you tend not to feel it the next day but if you only get two hours a night for a fortnight you'll soon be sleeping during the day.

It's certainly difficult to get in that level of exercise if you're working but I'm not sure there's a magic fix other than getting up earlier. And if you think it's difficult to get up early for a day-job, spare a thought for those who work from home The willpower factor is X10

Edit: And maybe it would be of benefit if you didn't play with him in the rooms where you leave him. If he associates certain places with sitting and sleeping only he won't be so eager to cause havoc.

Hmm I think you might be on to something Dan, they certainly pick up on moods and the sense of smell is fantastic so putting that with the clingy bit maybe he does know there's a new addition on the way.

I know what mean about the walking, sometimes they just go mad in the same area chasing anything that moves

So what else can you try ?.. Have you got a cover for the cage ?. I would try leaving the door locked open but covering the whole thing apart from the door so it's nice and dark, a bit like a den or a safe area.

How old is Scooby now ?... Could this been the teenage phase ? They do behave like adolescents so this behaviour might not be so unusual or may be heightened by the imminent new arrival.

I would be looking to see if there is anything that's changed anywhere. If an animal changes behaviour suddenly it's usually as a reaction to something. Have you changed food, or have you got new things in the house with the baby coming that will make his environment seem odd, or new neighbours with a barking dog... the list is endless but there must be something that's causing this. It might not even be something that's obviously associated to you, but is significant for him. If it was just exercise then you'd expect it to have been there before, or to come on suddenly.

Apart from this is he well? No upsets around the time of the behavioural change?

It might be worth getting your diary out, just to see if dates or something around that time spring to mind.

Firstly hi & I'm glad you're asking for advice, we all have pups/dogs of diff ages, backgrounds so many diff experiences, hopefully something works we offer I wondered how old Scoobs is? It's so lovely he's protecting your girlfriend (congrats btw, not long now!)! I don't know your living arrangement so it's hard to offer advice ie can he be left outside safely with minimal objects to destroy? I get up at 4.45am, walk my boy 5-6am, leave for work 6.30am, I'm buggered when i get home at 7pm but take him out straight away, its not always fun nor am I in the mood but it IS possible and has to be done (for the sake of my furniture ). Good luck & keep us posted.

would it be possible for you to record him with a camera of some type? There are numerous cheap CCTV cameras available, and even covert spy type cameras in key fobs etc on ebay for under £20..These have a very wide angle of view..You could get an idea as to exactly what he is doing, or if he is being woundup by something, or perhaps someone at the door etc.
Also, could it be possible that he is being disturbed by a noise, such as a very high pitch whine at the limits of human hearing? As an example, i remember once an almost imperceptable high pitched whistle, which turned out to be a phone charger left in a live wall socket but not connected to a phone..Also TV sets, computers, radios etc can emit UHF which can upset a dog..Is a laptop left on??

There's some great advice above and the only thing I can add is a stronger cage. Also the size of the cage is important. It does not have to big, all they need is enough room to stand and turn.
Pete

Thanks for all the replies guys - it's much appreciated.

I'll try to address most of the suggestions....

Exercise - I'm 99% sure this isn't an exercise issue so will put that aside for now.

Cover his crate - we do this at night and he's happy. During the day, it doesn't make a difference and he will also try to pull it through the bars tearing it up in the process (again, this is all very recent).

His age - he is 19 months old now, so this could be something.

Health - great as far as we know. Always gets comments on his muscular, yet athletic physic by other staffy owners when we are out. Again indicative of the amount of exercise he gets.

Diet - been on raw since we had him.

Surroundings - I have actually noticed more dogs barking in the area lately. Maybe this might have something to do with it, if they are barking a lot during the day when their owners are out.

Devices - This sounds very plausible, so today I have unplugged all chargers and made sure that the laptop is off.

Toys - he has loads and can't decide which one to chew on when we are at home, he loves them. But is not interested from what we can see when alone.

We have always left him with a kong stuffed with peanut butter when we've gone out, but last night I've read that this can give the dog an energy boost.  So today I've just left him with a little fish bite.

We also had one of these delivered yesterday...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0038XBOJC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

So that has been plugged in since last night, in the same room as his sleeping create which is the same room he is left in when we go out. It says to not turn it off. Fingers crossed that may help a little - may take a few days for any effect (if any).

CCTV - I like that idea and have thought about it. Think I'll look into some cheap wide angle wifi based cams so that I can see him from elsewhere.

Stronger crate - it is already very strong. I looked into it a lot before purchasing and was told by the seller that if a dog tried hard enough to get out of it, then they will end up hurting themselves. 4mm bars and it weighs 25kg. Just big enough for him to sit, stand, lie, turn around and drink his water.

Cheers

I agree that I don't feel it's an exercise issue if it's immediate and with or without a long walk prior - but he does sound quite stressed bless him. Their sense of smell is so acute - I would say that he knows that something is different with the pregnancy but unsure of what. Liz P's questions are very important, I know with my own dog if the slightest thing changes in her environment she will react accordingly and become insecure and at times aggressive, but of course we can't control our lives to a set routine so instead it's about building confidence in preparation for situations that we cannot handle.

I think seeing a professional may be an option - they may have an idea in their bag of tricks that could really help you, and of course it helps to meet you and scoobs. Countless times I've attended training consults and picked up on the problem just by observing interactions rather than just relying on the spoken word from the owner. Not saying that you're causing the problem, but perhaps scoobs is not as confident as you believe in general, for example and they could teach you both some exercises to help. A friend works with Ttouch - it's not for everyone but there are bits and bobs that I've taken from it that have been useful. Always worth a try.

Rachel33 wrote:I agree that I don't feel it's an exercise issue if it's immediate and with or without a long walk prior - but he does sound quite stressed bless him. Their sense of smell is so acute - I would say that he knows that something is different with the pregnancy but unsure of what. Liz P's questions are very important, I know with my own dog if the slightest thing changes in her environment she will react accordingly and become insecure and at times aggressive, but of course we can't control our lives to a set routine so instead it's about building confidence in preparation for situations that we cannot handle.

I think seeing a professional may be an option - they may have an idea in their bag of tricks that could really help you, and of course it helps to meet you and scoobs. Countless times I've attended training consults and picked up on the problem just by observing interactions rather than just relying on the spoken word from the owner. Not saying that you're causing the problem, but perhaps scoobs is not as confident as you believe in general, for example and they could teach you both some exercises to help. A friend works with Ttouch - it's not for everyone but there are bits and bobs that I've taken from it that have been useful. Always worth a try.

Thanks for the comments.

I should of said that we do attend a training school each week since we had him - he has gone through the ranks and about to pass his Kennel Club Bronze

The trainers there have picked up on his lack of confidence - one minute, he is on the ball, responding to all commands and then the next he has his tail between his legs and his ears pinned back. But when he is confident in himself, he is incredibly obedient. Sits, down, stays, waits - all on verbal or just hand signals etc.

We had Scoob from a rescue centre when he was 12 months old - he was extremely timid, shy of the open hand, thin hair which fell out to touch. Compares to then, he is a changed dog which was led him to winning the Most Improved Award at the training school bless him.

He tries to lick my girlfriends bump and always nuzzles his head under her so that he can smell or hear the baby.

I just hope that all of this is linked to the pregnancy and that it alls tops when the little one arrives.... my nightmare would be that he becomes even worse with the new arrival and see it as a threat.

Our next class is on Friday this week so I will speak to our trainers about this specific issue and see what they say.

He's at home now, on his own. In laws picking him up in an hour so will get a call on what how he's been this morning - fingers crossed the pheromone plug in has taken some affect on him

Thank you for all of the info. You guys sound like SUCH amazing owners! Kudos to you, seriously. Will rack my brains and send you over some links when I get onto my laptop. Fingers crossed for a stress free morning

One thing to possibly try, especially if he won't leave the missus alone when she is in the house is to leave some of her clothing in the room he tends to sleep in so he has her scent still. Worth a try if nothing else.

Haizum74 wrote:One thing to possibly try, especially if he won't leave the missus alone when she is in the house is to leave some of her clothing in the room he tends to sleep in so he has her scent still. Worth a try if nothing else.

Good idea, we'll try this tomorrow

I too think its to do with your missus being preg.  Does she allow Scooby to lick her stomach, or does she put a stop to it?  
Good advice re leaving some clothing of your missus about for Scooby.  I wouldnt worry about treats not being eaten, my pixee wont touch any, ever to this day, till I get home, but is otherwise fine.  Very good advice given above.  Fingers crossed the plug in has somewhat helped too.  Changes can be hard for any dog ever small ones. The trick is to make them feel part of the change and secure so they dont worry.

Ok, so I don't want to get my hopes up too much but yesterday he was alone for 3 hours, and when he was picked up, he was just lying there on an old towel that I left out for him. No panting, no damage, just nice and calm.

Changes that had been made are:

Pheromone plug in.
All phone chargers removed from sockets.
Old towel left out.

Here's hoping that's the same for today

Thats brillant. Fingers, toes, paws all crossed for you.

Great!!! D

Ok... I spoke too soon

After the above changes had been made - he was suddenly very well behaved and just slept on his towel (for hours).

This lasted 3 days and since then, he has reverted back.

Again, no explanation as to why. Environment the same. Times he is left alone the same. Toys etc the same.

One thing though is that he is calm when picked up and not pacing about panting. Almost like it was done out of boredom rather than anxiety.

But why now? Why after 5 months of no issues, would he start doing this?

The other day he bent up his crate so badly with his teeth - that he now has some grooves worn into the back of his canines from what I can see - which looks like he has worn them down on the crate bars!

So I can't just put him in an even stronger crate, because he will really injure himself trying to get out.

What is strange though, is that he will hop into his crate on command at night and just sleep right through until the next morning without a peep from him. But left alone, he acts like this.

As an example of how random the situation is, last Saturday... he was taken out for a long walk. He ran like crazy and just had his usual fun chasing butterflies, birds, investigating etc. Then we leave him on his own for 3 hours while we went out for a meal. We come back and he's just lying down in his open crate and not damaged anything in the room But then we shortly after pop out for 10 minutes tops, come back to find that he has chewed the skirting board and ripped up some more of the dining chair cushion

It kinda sounds like he just fancies a bit of mischief. Being adolescent could have something to do with it coupled with a bit of "lets have some fun". Is the pregnancy a Red Herring ?... I guess we won't know that untill after the little in is born

So how can you keep him occupied with a toy instead of the skirting !... Have you tried simple things like an old cereal box stuffed with newspaper and a few treats ? That will make him think and Is A darn site easier to clear up than a magical exploding pillow

-Ian- wrote:It kinda sounds like he just fancies a bit of mischief. Being adolescent could have something to do with it coupled with a bit of "lets have some fun". Is the pregnancy a Red Herring ?... I guess we won't know that untill after the little in is born

So how can you keep him occupied with a toy instead of the skirting !... Have you tried simple things like an old cereal box stuffed with newspaper and a few treats ? That will make him think and Is A darn site easier to clear up than a magical exploding pillow

I like that idea... it would also make him think he's up to no good too haha

I'll try that tomorrow and will report back. Haven't got an endless supply of boxes though but I'm interested if that's enough to distract him for a while - at least long enough for the initial fear of us leaving him has gone