Behavior change
Written by marytexas
Our dog, Maggie, is almost 12 yrs old. She always loved to take a nap with my husband on the bed in the afternoon, sleep on our bed at nite. That's all changed. We had a lot of company this Spring but she was fine. We left for 3 weeks and left her at the dog sitters. Same one we always used. Since we've come home, she comes into our bedroom but will not sleep on our bed. My husband will carry her in (she weighs 22 lbs.) but she will lay for a few minutes then run out to her bed in the office. She might come in a few minutes later and look around. She seems nervous at this time. Nothing has changed in our room. We've left her before and everything is fine. We've asked the sitter if anything happened. She said no. It just seems like Maggie wants to be with us but can't. Have any ideas? Thanks.
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Thanks so much for your thoughts. I'll schedule an appointment this week and let you know. Mary
Mary, it sounds like Maggie has developed fear or anxiety or both for some unknown reason. For her something is different. The first thing that comes to mind with older pets that have behavior changes is an underlying medical problem. It could be even a slight change like a little bit of arthritis or loss of hearing or eyesight and she could be reacting to it. A complete physical with a current blood work panel would be able to tell you if there is anything going on outside or in.
If all checks out physically, she may be reacting to you having been away. Sometimes older pets do get more easily stressed and are less accepting of a change even if they are familiar with it, like going to the sitter. Three weeks to us is about 63 days to a dog. Keep trying to encourage her to return to your room but on her terms and on her own four feet. Lots of attention, treats, maybe a new chew toy, what ever you think would make her want to go there. Maybe she would prefer to have her office bed in the bedroom. Keep trying, she may just need a little bit longer to readjust.
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Hello. My name is Pamela. I just joined and I am very excited about all that this site offers. I am not sure if I am doing this correctly, but here goes....
We have a golden named Beau. Beau is almost 3 years old. We bought him when he was 6 weeks old from a local breeder. Beau has been a great asset to our family. I am a single mom and bought Beau to keep my daughter (then 1 years old) and I company. Beau really bonded with my daughter Madison (now 3 1/2). They are "Best Friends" as Madison would tell you. Recently we bought a Black Lab female from a local breeder. We bought "Maggie" when she was 11 weeks old. She is now 7 months old. Beau didn't take to Maggie for the first 2weeks, then slowly they became best buddies. Beau is fine with sharing the attention with Maggie. Last week I has Maggie spayed and since the operation Beau has become VERY protective of Maggie. Beau will not let anyone near her and when Madison trys to pet Maggie Beau shows his teeth and growls (I really feel he will hurt Madison). I spoke to Maggie's vet about the situation and she told me that she could put him on some medication to stop the behavior, but I don't want to medicate him, I want to get him back to normal. He guards Maggie with his life right now. I know it is because he senses she is hurt, but I wanted to know if you had any suggestions. When we are not home, we put Maggie in her kennel and leave Beau out to rome the house. He instead lays right next to her kennel and gets her all stressed out.
Any advice would be welcomed.
Sincerely,
Pamela in Vegas
Hi Pamela, welcome! I am concerned for your daughter's safety first. I would recommend for you to consult with a professional animal behaviorist in your area. My feeling is that over time Beau will relax but in the mean time, I would separate Maggie from Beau and Madison so there are no worries about Beau being over protective.
A good way to reduce some of Beau's anxiety is to add some extra exercise to his daily routine. A longer walk or a new place to get a sniffer work out will help wear him out a little. Good luck and let us know how it works out.
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