[militarypup]

Hey everybody,

I'm new to the forum here, but I'm starting to get a little concerned about my dog. She's a 12 year old German Shepherd/Boxer mix, and is by far the best dog I've ever had. She's exceptionally well trained, and we have a VERY tight bond together. She has been to the vet within the past month for a complete checkup, and the vet says that she is more than healthy considering her age.

However, recently, as in the last three days, she has been acting extremely abnormal. She has been having accidents, both pooping and peeing indoors. Worst of all, she has been exhibiting horrible behavior while I'm gone, knocking over every trashcan in the house and tearing into all of it, making messes, climbing onto furniture, and just being generally less attentive than usual.

I have been working slightly longer hours than usual the past week, adding an additional two hours at the end of the day. I would think that this is the cause of the bad behavior, except that it continued into the weekend, when I was home most of the time.

In about two weeks, I'm leaving to head to Afghanistan for about six months. Is it possible that my dog can somehow perceive this and is acting out as a result of it? I'm not one to believe in voodoo or magic, so I hope that somebody can come up with a better explanation than that.

What should I do? Show her more attention? Less attention? Reestablish owner dominance? I'm lost, she hasn't acted like this since she was a puppy.

Thanks.

 

[idealistinfire]

The pooping/peeing in the house is probably a health issue - sudden behavior changes in dogs are almost always health related, so a trip to the vet would be the best next-step.

If it's not health related, she could be picking up your stress and having trouble coping with the change in schedule. Extra attention in the form of fun training would be good (i.e., trick training with positive rewards only) - it'll tire her out mentally and she'll get good attention from you. If she's bored, you can give her her meals in treat dispensing toys while you're gone. And if she's still having accidents in the house, contain her to one room that's easy to clean-up. Dogs don't go potty in the house because they like being naughty, but because they cannot hold it anymore and/or because they don't know they shouldn't.

 

[crock]

MP, Dominance has nothing to do with this, so please don't concern yourself over that. See http://www.dogforum.com/dog-training/dominance-dogs-4076/ and 4pawsu.com if you want more info on that subject.

Did the vet do bloodwork, including a thyroid check? Sudden changes in behavior are often medically related. For instance, low thyroid also makes dogs' appetites increase, so that could be a possibility for the dumpster diving. Also, as dogs age, they can get a little senile and forget house rules. Disease/infection, incontinence, UTIs can cause a change in house training.

Have you increased the exercise she is getting since you have been working longer hours? What does she do during the day when you are gone?

I doubt she knows you are leaving, but she could be picking up on any extra stress and be getting stressed herself. However, I wouldn't just leave it at that conclusion. You'll need to address health with bloodwork and consult the vet specifically about the behavior changes, and then try to address the exercise/boredom.

 

[Megs87]

Could it be possible she had a stroke? Kind of farfetched but I too agree it could be something medical, considering her age. It also could possibly be her sensing the difference in your demeanor in the past couple of days; has anything else changed in your household or her daily routine at all?

 

[TiggerBounce]

I would take her for a vet visit ASAP.

Because she is older, such extreme changes in her behavior are concerning and could be signs of a health problem. Especially her peeing and pooping in the house. She could be getting into the trash because of an increase in appetite. Her restlessness and sudden inattentiveness could indicate she is in physical pain.

Make a vet appointment for as soon as you can and in the mean time, keep a log of her abnormal behavior and also how much she is eating and drinking. The more info you can give the vet, the better he can assess her. Have a full blood panel done to make sure all her hormone levels are ok and everything is functioning as it should. The only thing you can do for now is damage control. Be patient with her, avoid punishing her, and try to keep going as normally as possible. Trying to retrain her is a fruitless effort if the reasons for her behavior are medical and beyond her control.

Since you are leaving in 2 weeks, make sure that whoever is going to be in charge of her care is aware of these issues and can provide whatever medical attention she may need.

 

[Megs87]

I would take her for a vet visit ASAP.

Because she is older, such extreme changes in her behavior are concerning and could be signs of a health problem. Especially her peeing and pooping in the house. She could be getting into the trash because of an increase in appetite. Her restlessness and sudden inattentiveness could indicate she is in physical pain.

Make a vet appointment for as soon as you can and in the mean time, keep a log of her abnormal behavior and also how much she is eating and drinking. The more info you can give the vet, the better he can assess her. Have a full blood panel done to make sure all her hormone levels are ok and everything is functioning as it should. The only thing you can do for now is damage control. Be patient with her, avoid punishing her, and try to keep going as normally as possible. Trying to retrain her is a fruitless effort if the reasons for her behavior are medical and beyond her control.

Since you are leaving in 2 weeks, make sure that whoever is going to be in charge of her care is aware of these issues and can provide whatever medical attention she may need.

Very good point(s)!, and "reestablishing owner dominance" is possibly the worst idea for this situation, not to mention a crock anyways. The behaviors she's exhibiting are far from dominance. She's not being dominant over you in any way, she needs positive reinforcement training and lots of patience from you; and first, she definitely needs to go back to the vet. This may or may not decide if you are going to spend a few more years with your precious girl.

 

[furbabymum]

As everyone said a quick vet trip to rule out medical issues.
Otherwise it could just be old age. Incontinence is something we are dealing with in our 13 year old. He can't help it. He's also suffering from some dementia and doing things he wouldn't normally be doing. End of life is very hard to deal with for everyone.