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Dog Help, please- I am about to lose my mind...

Strawdermangrl

Strawdermangrl

Brilliant_Rock
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Mar 7, 2005
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So, I have the best dog in the world, Sir Henry. He is great, almost 10- Catahoula, great personality, well behaved, loves to be around people and babies and blah blah blah. I adopted him about 7 years ago from the SPCA and he has been great. Granted, we have had our ups and downs, but that is normal.

Well, recently, he has been SERIOUSLY acting out. I can't figure it out. First he resorted to whining, all the time. Nothing is wrong, he just whines. While I pet him, while we lay on the couch, when he wants attention, you name it- he whines. Nothing is wrong with him, he just whines. Ok, so I got over that aspect, he still does it a lot but hey, whatever.

Now he has resorted to getting things off the counter while I am gone and destroying them. First on the list, food, anything that was on the counter, bread, candy, ect. So, I started keeping things off the counter. Now he is finding things anywhere in the house and destroying them- starting with my remotes.

Yesterday, I pulled out my suitcase to pack for a trip I am taking- he peed on it. I get that he knows the suitcase is symobolic of me leaving, but he has never PEED on it- just usually gets really clingy and whines. So, I am cleaning up his mess and yelling and blah blah blah. I get over it, pack a little, play with him and his toys and carry on with my night. I have some friends over and we decide we are going to watch a movie- I go to put the movie in my blu ray player and low and behold, my dog has PEED ON MY TV STAND. He pissed on it. Blu ray player, cable box, ect. I lost it. Threw him outside while I cleaned it up and he proceeded to yelp and bark until I had to let him back in for fear my neighbors would think I was beating him.

I go to get into bed last night and low and behold, he has expelled his bowls on the floor by my bed. :angryfire: This is a dog that used to NEVER go anywhere but outside, I take him out 3-4 times a day, take him on my runs with me and cuddle with him like it is going out of style. I DON'T GET THIS!?!?!?!

Anyone, please- any pointers?! What can I do!?

Honestly, I am about to lose it with him- I don't get it.
 
I don't have any advice except to say that I'm in your shoes right now and I am going to be reading this to see what others say. My 7 year old love bug has gone from having the occasional potty incident inside to peeing all over the place. We are in the process of trying to re potty train using positive reinforcement but it's frustrating because it's a poor behavior thing, not an accident. He will do it right after he has been outside and generally only pees on things I give attention to, such as: our other dogs bed, fiance's clothes, shoes, and just the other day for the first time...my lap top...nearly lost my mind over that one.

So, you're not alone and I hope someone can help us!
 
Take him to the vet. I'd guess there is something physically wrong with him that's leading to this behavior -- especially if its come out of the blue. Good luck! He sounds like a sweet boy who is in distress.
 
Geez, I'm sorry. That kind of behavior is frustrating, to say the least. Has anything in his/your life changed recently? Have you taken him to the vet to make sure there's nothing going on physically? Maybe call a dog trainer (a good one) and see what they suggest. I feel for you and hope that Sir Henry starts to mind his p's & q's again quickly!
 
Step- OMG, you feel my pain. I am sorry you are going through this too, it is SO frustrating!!!

Decoded and Yenny- I have a friend that is a vet and I have put the info into his office, I am waiting to hear back. I am thinking that it MIGHT be a bladder infection but honestly, he isn't presenting any other issues/symptoms, so I am just baffled by him.
 
Strawder - Have you moved recently? Have you been spending less time at home? It sounds like he's having some kind of anxiety. I also agree check with the vet in case of an infection, but this sounds like anxious behavior, and also a way of showing that you and your stuff are his territory.
 
When one of my childhood dogs got older she had constant issues with not going to the bathroom in the house. She clearly knew better, but couldn't help it. The vet diagnosed her as having doggie dementia and putting her on drugs (I can't remember the name of it at the moment) helped quite a bit. It could be a physical problem too, but I wanted to throw out the possibility that he is getting old having other issues. The whining could also be a result of dementia. I don't think getting mad and yelling at him is helping - he should see a vet.
 
My littlest dog freaks out when there's something in her eye. She gets all whiny and strange, and just isn't herself. Sure enough, I find one of her own hairs in her eye. I pull it out (ewwww. . . ) and she gives a good shake and she is all better.

Your dog is getting older, and he could be having eye issues like cataracts or glaucoma coming on. This could be making him very insecure and freaking him out. Off to the vet for a full check up. Subtle stuff, like hearing issues, to obvious stuff like bladder issues or anal glands could be bothering him.

Or something has changed. Dogs are suckers for routine, and there may be something that is different. It has something to do with you, since he is acting out on you. What changed? New friends, work schedule, any of that?

Be careful how you react to the whining. If you reenforce it with attention, he'll just do it more. When my dogs get whiny, I just say "You're fine" in a breezy voice and ignore them. A minute or so after the whining stops, I pay attention to them. Then again later, when they're resting or quiet. When you put him outside and then brought him in while he was barking, he learned "I have to bark a lot to be brought in" and he'll do it again. I know, it's a horrible agony to listen to them bark, but just keep in mind how they think. I can say it, but I have trouble doing it myself. ;)

I find that when one of my dogs acts out, I run them through their bag of tricks a few times and they feel better. We do the sit, stay, etc., and I give them treats, praise, etc. (Well, the bigger one, anyway. The littler one is just too dumb but she never acts out) It seems to be a reset and reestablishes that they can please me and get attention by doing stuff WITH me.

Do you have other animals? Sometimes my cat will do something sneaky to upset the dogs, then run off. If I didn't pay close attention, I would just think the dogs are wigging out for not reason. Is that a possibility?

Lordy, it could be anything, even a new dog in the neighborhood. :rolleyes:
 
If it is anxiety ... they have these awesome collars now that are all natural anti-anxiety something or other ... pheremones or something. Its helped my 8 1/2 yr old pup ...even during a two-week stay at a friends while we were on (a long overdue) vacation. You can order them online but I'd get the first one from the vet -- so she/he knows you're using that & can rule out any other possibilities.
 
Sir Henry is usually such a good boy! I'm a little surpised about him peeing all over the place, but the crying and whining fits into the aging process and him feeling a little different and not liking it. Cassie just turned nine a couple of months ago and I *know* she's feeling different and not liking it. For one thing, her vision is not quite as sharp as it used to be, probably due to the fact that her eyes have started clouding over with mild cataracts. I can't mention this to the hubby as he will freak out and get very upset because she's his baby, but I have been watching her every day and I know she feels different. I can point to something on the floor and the poor girl doesn't always see it. She's started crying from time to time when she feels alone, even when we're in the house, just not in the same room. I just tell her "mommy's here, come in here with me" which she does and she feels better immediately. That's the extent of Cassie's new issues though. I would definitely get a urine sample to a Vet asap because I suspect that Henry may have a urinary tract problem. The peeing thing just doesn't fit for him. He's got to be feeling unwell in some way.
 
time to book some vet time.

my mother ended up with total guilt for years because she was pissed off at a dog of hers for similar behavior...turns out the poor dog had a brain tumor.

MoZo
 
VET. He needs a full wellness exam.

Any dog that pees or poos somewhere they are not supposed to suddenly, needs to see a vet.

Sudden nervousness could be a sign of a neurological issue or underlying illness.
 
I agree about the vet. When Sadie started having problems, we thought she was just getting old. She'd always had anxiety and whined when she was outside, but then she started having some problems holding her bladder/bowels thru the night, even tho JD would let her out when he came home. This was a dog who could probably hold it for days-she just was so good about that. (And, some of the urine problems ended up being Chicken, and we still haven't got her figured out.) We did take her to the vet once and he couldn't find anything wrong w/a general exam. He said we could do more extensive tests but they'd have to go to a bigger animal hospital and we just couldn't afford it. After she passed away, we ended up w/her daughter back-was our dog, but then his mom wanted a dog so bad we gave her to his mom, who ended up in a nursing home. So, get the dog back and later on, she's gone too. JD saw a guy in town who had another of the pups, and asked how the dog was doing, just making conversation. Guy said he had to put her down b/c she started acting funny and did tests (the animal hospital ones we couldn't afford) and found out the dog had some horrible cancer-and the same symptoms that our dogs had, so we guess it was the same cancer. But it all started w/one random little issue and then escalated over time.

That's not meant to scare, just to say it's hard to know what's going on w/a dog. We just assumed it was b/c she was getting old-she was 12. But then to have the other dogs with the same thing..Just better to have Sir Henry checked out and rule out possibilities. Maybe it's something simple like a bladder infection.
 
My first thought was that it could be anxiety. Then I thought there could be something wrong and it's best to check with the vet. Maybe it's a combination of the two? This might sound funny, but do you think Henry senses that you're going on a trip and he's anxious about the (temporary) change to his routine or something like that? We have two cats and my family used to have a dog, and all three act(ed) funny when they know something is up and something in their world is going to change. Our cats slink around, eyeing everything suspiciously, and our dog used to whine.

I hope you're able to figure it out soon!

Have a fabulous trip!
 
My old dog shadow had the same issues when came from the states to Canada. It was so bad that we had to get rid of him because he just was so unhappy with the new place, not being the "man" of the house, and everything else. I gave him to a family friend (retired couple) and he never had an accident or any issues there at all! He is a little dog though, so he does the happy peeing thing, but other than that he didn't have any issues at all! Which is hard to believe because he was so bad after the move that when you'd put his leash on him, he'd pee. When he was being pet, he'd pee. Because he wasn't allowed to sleep on the bed, he'd pee all over the floor. It was bad! But his new home he adjusted a lot better too. I think it was because the people and house and everything was different. When we moved here the change was to much for him, but I was still here. After we changed EVERYTHING he did a lot better. He's much happier now and a lot heavier! They spoil him rotten and I can still see him!

I'm not suggesting you get rid of your dog at all, but I do know that you just moved into a new place and your getting ready for your big trip. Your dog probably is having issues adjusting (not to mention your noises neighbors) and realizes your going away too. When you get back he's probably going to have quite a few issues too because of how long your going to be gone for. Have you considered putting him in Man's best friend while your gone? Its a very expensive program, but he'll be getting lots of position attention while your gone, and it may help in the long run too.

I'm so sorry your going though this! It's so frustrating because I know how hard it is to deal with, esp after they've already been a good dog and KNOW better. We tired everything from treats, saying no, letting him out (but he'd pee when you put him on his leash to take him outside...so it didn't really matter at that point). If you yell, they get worse. If you don't do anything, they think it's okay. After a while being positive with them is even discouraging because they STILL do it after you've tired everything. Sigh. Sorry hun!
 
Oh my goodness, thank you for all the feedback. Now, I am freaking out because I am feeling that maybe it is a lot worse than I originally thought. I am 1) feeling HORRIBLE for being SO upset with him and 2) sick to my stomach that I am leaving for 3 WEEKS out of the COUNTRY tomorrow.

I am waiting to hear back from my friend who is a vet, I am praying that there is nothing really wrong with my baby, I would lose my mind if something was wrong and I was SO far away and he was sick, here.

I have noticed, as of late, that he has been running into things a lot more- I checked his eyes and he has the beginnings of what look like the blue cloudy shiny look- I am guessing it is early onset cataracts.

I will let you all know what happens with the vet, praying for good news and hoping it is just a little anxiety because I would just be a wreck if he has been in pain and I am a horrible human.

Thanks a lot, y'all are great, I really appreciate the help.
 
Renee - Sorry to hear about your doggy situation. Hope the vet can determine what's going on!
 
Sorry he's not doing well! Cataracts are pretty common in dogs even younger than Henry, so I would say they're normal for his age. Dogs can function perfectly well when they're blind once they adapt to their environment.
 
Take him to the vet! He's going on everything and he's whining all the time. Sounds like there's a good chance he has an infection, can't hold it well right now, and is in pain.
 
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