Dogs

[Cassie]

Oh bless her. It's like a puppy. Do you start by taking it to bed with you or start as you mean to go on? It sounds as if she is trying to rule the roost and wants to be with you at night. If she can't go up with you she's determined to get you down with her. You might be in for a few rough days/nights. Get some ear-plugs?  



I would keep her very busy today and don't let her sleep.

We've never let her up with us at night and she used to howl the place down. We just ignored her and quickly she realised she wasn't coming up. I think this phantom pregnancy has caused her anxiety and she hasn't been with us that long and she may be remembering her past owner or the months when she was left in the house on her own before we got her. It's like we're starting from square one, only this is worse now. My husband going for a run later and he's going to take her with him for a short part of it.

[T00ts]

Good advice. We are being firm, she still wakes us up though. I have some herbal calming pills for tonight!!! You wouldn't believe the noise one small dog can make. I don't know where she gets the stamina and lung capacity for it.

Oh bless her. It's like a puppy. Do you start by taking it to bed with you or start as you mean to go on? It sounds as if she is trying to rule the roost and wants to be with you at night. If she can't go up with you she's determined to get you down with her. You might be in for a few rough days/nights. Get some ear-plugs?  



I would keep her very busy today and don't let her sleep.

[Cassie]

Time to be firm? I only suggest this because sometimes behaviour can be encouraged by our well meaning kindness. I do find that dogs are almost telepathic, they understand more than we often realise, about how we feel. You know how kids having been ill and getting extra attention try to stretch it out? Well dogs can be the same.

I am assuming this dog is not in pain. If you are confident that she is fine then ignore her when in the same room, walk away gradually lengthening the time, reward her verbally/treats or whatever only when she is quiet. Give attention only for quiet behaviour or that which suits you. Be aware that eye contact with her will be read as attention. It'll be tough and might go against all your caring instincts but worth a try for several days.

It's important to appreciate that domination by dogs takes lots of forms. They should only approach us when invited. Paws/head on your knee asking for attention is all a power play. Howling if nothing is wrong brings you running. A light bulb goes on the the dogs head!

Good advice. We are being firm, she still wakes us up though. I have some herbal calming pills for tonight!!! You wouldn't believe the noise one small dog can make. I don't know where she gets the stamina and lung capacity for it.

[T00ts]

Time to be firm? I only suggest this because sometimes behaviour can be encouraged by our well meaning kindness. I do find that dogs are almost telepathic, they understand more than we often realise, about how we feel. You know how kids having been ill and getting extra attention try to stretch it out? Well dogs can be the same.

I am assuming this dog is not in pain. If you are confident that she is fine then ignore her when in the same room, walk away gradually lengthening the time, reward her verbally/treats or whatever only when she is quiet. Give attention only for quiet behaviour or that which suits you. Be aware that eye contact with her will be read as attention. It'll be tough and might go against all your caring instincts but worth a try for several days.

It's important to appreciate that domination by dogs takes lots of forms. They should only approach us when invited. Paws/head on your knee asking for attention is all a power play. Howling if nothing is wrong brings you running. A light bulb goes on the the dogs head!

[Cassie]

Dog had us up at 3, 4, 5 and 7. I hope she's not just slipping into the ways she had when we first fostered her. I'm shattered.

[Cassie]

So it's almost a separation anxiety. Sometimes a warm covered hot water bottle will help. Bless her she sounds as if she has really got herself confused. Do you cage her? If there was some way to cover her to give her a den that might help with her feelings of insecurity. Maybe under a table with blankets draped over the side or something if you don't have a cage. My rescue had a cage at first and the only time he felt ok was when it was covered overhead and all round at night so he couldn't see out. We have always done this with puppies too.

She doesn't like being caged, she howls and barks! She sleeps in a half of a travel crate that we brought our Beagle in from the US, I wasn't to put the top on that, but we have to dig it out from somewhere.



I don't think it's totally separation anxiety, but the phantom pregnancy has heightened the separation anxiety she came with, which we'd more or less eliminated. I had to go out of the room briefly and she started howling and crying.

[T00ts]

Sitting with her. As soon as I'm out of sight, she cries. She is full of anxiety. Poor little mite didn't need this on top of her traumatic year.

So it's almost a separation anxiety. Sometimes a warm covered hot water bottle will help. Bless her she sounds as if she has really got herself confused. Do you cage her? If there was some way to cover her to give her a den that might help with her feelings of insecurity. Maybe under a table with blankets draped over the side or something if you don't have a cage. My rescue had a cage at first and the only time he felt ok was when it was covered overhead and all round at night so he couldn't see out. We have always done this with puppies too.

[Cassie]

Do you think she's in pain? What stops her?

Sitting with her. As soon as I'm out of sight, she cries. She is full of anxiety. Poor little mite didn't need this on top of her traumatic year.

[T00ts]

She's still howling. I did manage to keep her quiet so that my husband could sleep on. Now he's gone to work, she's off again! After years of teaching, some children with challenging behaving I have more patience than he does.

Do you think she's in pain? What stops her?

[Cassie]

Oh dear poor you.

She's still howling. I did manage to keep her quiet so that my husband could sleep on. Now he's gone to work, she's off again! After years of teaching, some children with challenging behaving I have more patience than he does.

[T00ts]

I've been up an hour with the dog howling and carrying on I hope this medication will work soon!!!!

Oh dear poor you.

[Cassie]

I've been up an hour with the dog howling and carrying on I hope this medication will work soon!!!!

[Cassie]

She is a geriatric dog. It's a difficult thing to balance quality of life, expenses of vets, and likelihood of a good recovery. Didn't you have another problem with this bitch when you first took her on?

(I had to hide the screen from my ailing 16 years old cat whilst typing this - she is on my lap!)

She has a lesion on her face which seems to be getting better, but very slowly. She's also a very poor eater, I have to hand-feed her most of the time. You're right about the balancing thing, we could have put her under to have a proper poke around her face, but she's too old for that. She used to howl at night, but she's over that now, well she was, but the new holing is to the with the phantom pregnancy.

[Barry]

She is a geriatric dog. It's a difficult thing to balance quality of life, expenses of vets, and likelihood of a good recovery. Didn't you have another problem with this bitch when you first took her on?

(I had to hide the screen from my ailing 16 years old cat whilst typing this - she is on my lap!)

[Cassie]

Oh the joys of dogs! Glad she is improving.

We love her to bits, she is a bit odd at the moment though. I'm hoping another couple of days and she'll be back to whatever her normal is.