Stafford With Anxiety Issue

[~SL~]

Hi Everyone

A friend of mine has a young stafford bitch I think she is around a year old. In the last two weeks they have moved house. Before they moved they had no problems with anxiety with her but have some problems now.

The other day they left for work, when they got home their girl had ripped apart the screen doors to get inside the house, while she was in the house she didnt do any other destruction. When they got home they found her out in the yard sitting in all the screen mesh shaking and looking very anxious.

They have tried everything they could think of to distract her, they have left her with bones, pigs ears, filled kongs and all sorts of different toys.

I asked if there were any dogs next door she said one dog whom she has gotten along very well with so she isnt distressed by the other dog from what we can tell.

She is an inside dog when they are home but they dont want to set her back with her toilet training by leaving her inside all day with no access to outside and she is used to being left outside while they are out or at work.

I have suggested they put a doggy door in say the laundry so if she is anxious about being in the yard she could retreat into the shelter of the laundry inside, they are going to see if that is a possibility.

Is there anything anyone else could suggest that might alleviate her anxiety, its obviously a new occurance and has to do with moving to a new home. Would an outside trainer be any help or is it going to be a case of letting her have the time to get used to her new home?

I havent had a stafford with that kind of anxiety before and thought there may be an obvious course of action that we may be missing that may help her.

[Cosmolo]

Would strongly suggest a behaviourist to help if the problem persists in another week or so- but i would consider trying PETark Calm and/ or Tranquil paste in the short term- may assist if it is just moving house nerves rather than full blown separation anxiety. Has the dog ever shown any even remotely similar behaviours before?

Edited February 18, 2009 by Cosmolo

[Erny]

Would an outside trainer be any help or is it going to be a case of letting her have the time to get used to her new home?

For some dogs, moving house is quite unsettling. It would be more beneficial for your friends to get in the help of a reputable behaviourist as nothing beats actual observation of the dog. In the interim of that, your friends should ensure that their behaviour towards their dog is calm but assertive. Don't know what their interaction with their dog is like at the moment, but following the NILIF program never goes astray. Please advise your friend to avoid reinforcing her dog's distressed behaviour by cooching to it. Be matter of fact and when the dog shows calm (or at the very least, improved behaviour that is reaching towards calm), then praise the dog (perhaps after it giving a 'sit' or something it knows and finds easy to give).

Your friend could try giving the Tranquil Paste (which works on enhancing tryptophan .... which in turn produces seretonin, which is the brain chemical that switches on the 'calm' part of the brain and makes us feel more relaxed) and this might help some, but I would also work what I've mentioned above.

Otherwise following as normal a routine as possible (including daily walks; play in the back yard; etc) and such like might also aid in your friend's dog feeling a bit more at home.

Edited February 18, 2009 by Erny

[~SL~]

Thanks Cosmolo and Erny I will print these suggestions out and talk with her about your suggestions. Cheers

[Sandra777]

We recently moved countries :-) and brought 3 Stafford bitches with us. Two couldn't care less, the third turned in to a total nut case. They are used to being crated/travelling and came on the same flight as us so basically we put them in their crates, the freight guys took them away and 5 hours later we took them out of their crates and put them in the car. One went to stay with people she knows the other two (including the fruitloop) went to kennels for 2 weeks until we got a house. This was in October and it wasn't until 2 or 3 weeks ago that the fruitloop began to settle down. This is her third move, one involved travelling 12 hours in the dog trailer (with stops obviously!) the other was only 10 minutes up the road.

In your friend's case I would check out what sounds there might be in the new neighbourhood. Mouse (the fruitloop) is very sound sensative. Have they moved closer to a main road? Is there an industry near by which produces an unusual noise? Even something like a neighbour having a baby or toddler which makes noises she's not used to or a pet bird which the dog isn't used to could upset her.

How many days were they together in the house before they left her alone all day to go to work? If they moved on a Saturday and went to work Monday am then the bitch probably imagines she's being abandoned in a "strange place". Staffords are strange creatures at times - all tough and rough on the outside but as soft as butter on the inside.

Personally I would NEVER leave one of my dogs loose in the backyard all day, Staffords are far too good and wreaking/escaping for that. What does she have in the yard with her? Familiar things from her previous house? Maybe they need to provide her with more familiar things?

[mmatsup]

Would strongly suggest a behaviourist to help if the problem persists in another week or so- but i would consider trying PETark Calm and/ or Tranquil paste in the short term- may assist if it is just moving house nerves rather than full blown separation anxiety. Has the dog ever shown any even remotely similar behaviours before?

Three weeks ago we got a 6 yo female staffy who is going through similar separation anxiety. She had been raised since a pup with the family we got her from, they had moved house 2 weeks before with no reaction from Candy, who is a very placid dog, except when we leave her. We take her with us whenever we can but if this is not possible, she chews chunks of wood off our window frames & french doors. I have considered putting a muzzle on her for short periods of time but it seems so cruel.

Candy similarly shows no interest in toys, kong, food, etc, at these times and we leave the TV on so she can hear it. We can tie her up on a running wire but she howls & wails like a banshee. She's not overly fond of other dogs so getting a mate is not the answer. She is not an inside dog but gets walked every day & receives plenty of attention and is, in other ways, very obedient, gentle & a wonderful pet who loves people of all ages.

I am getting desperate & considering some type of sedative as we are going overseas for 3 weeks soon and she will be in a boarding kennel. I hate to see her so stressed and would be very grateful for any advice anyone can offer. The previous owners said Candy has never behaved like this before.

[Erny]

... receives plenty of attention ...The previous owners said Candy has never behaved like this before.

Perhaps she is being over indulged with your attention?

Give her some 'work' to do. For example, follow the TOT progam (sticky at the top of this forum) and also the NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) program. Essentially the latter is merely about getting HER to do something FOR YOU, before you do something for her. Eg. Meals; treats; play; walks; car rides .... basically, anything that she enjoys. Also, when you return from an absence, avoid her initiating the contact with you .... make it so that YOU initiate the contact with her. IE "Tough Love".

It's not necessarily the be all and end all of it, but it can help. Might also help if you contact the original owners and ask them how they interacted with her on a general day to day basis and whether indeed she was left on her own very much at all.

[mmatsup]

... receives plenty of attention ...The previous owners said Candy has never behaved like this before.

Perhaps she is being over indulged with your attention.....she was left on her own very much at all.

Thanks very much for those suggestions Erny. I will be consulting with a behavioural trainer and will look into both the programs you mentioned when we return from holiday. I figure anything we try to put on place before we leave will go down the tube in our absence. Once again many thanks.

[Erny]

That depends on when you are going away, Mmatsup (welcome to DOL, btw ). No time like the present, as far as I'm concerned. Start it now and continue it from the moment you walk in the door on your return, that way your absence away can work a little like wiping the slate clean and can sometimes take the edge off your change of behaviour (from the dog's pov) and therefore easier to accept.