Something is wrong with my dog

[Tyla 3,179]

My 22 month old lurcher bitch has been acting very strangely. i cant work out what is causing it, unless its caused by her season, and would really appreiciate some advice. Before this started she was working well, obedient and devoted to me. i will list the facts/problems below.

 

She was in season over christmas and that is when she started to change

 

She has also been layed up with an injury for the past three weeks and has only just been allowed off lead

 

She seems unwilling to get in or out of the van

 

She seems to have lost interest in everything and just skulks about

 

She seems to be terrified of my fiance when out

 

She is either aloof, when out, or over clingy, at home.

 

She wont play with the other dog and although she still shows interest in quarry she is not sharp like she was

 

She has started to refuse to come when called and acts as if she is terrified, she then has to be cajoled back.

 

She has occasional bouts where she is back to normal but it dosent last long

 

Nothing bad has happened to her, shes not been punished or beaten. i wondered if she was injured somehow, maybe her back, other than the cut but shes been in and out of the vets getting her stitches in then out etc and they checked her and shes not tender any where.

 

im at a total loss what to do so any (constructive) advice would be welcome.

[furdy 0]

She must have been in season before and this didnt happen....

 

I wouldn't be sure mate but I do know, although it may not be totally relevant, When my old man used to bet on the dogs he always watched bitches out of season. He wouldn't bother until they were about 17 weeks out as he said they were indifferent and showed no interest.

 

It may just be something that is normal to your bitch. Sorry I cant offer more than that but I'm sure someone will be able to help.

[Malt 379]

Could be to do with her season. I asked the same thing a few months back, after my JRT bitch had her fist season.

 

Before she had it she was very dog friendly, even if they were strange dogs, but after she was totally the opposite, even with dogs that she'd known since she was 6 weeks old. She just seemed to become unsocial overnight.

 

She seemed a bit off for a few months after, but she's been fine lately.

 

I'll see if I can dig that old thread up, there were a few helpful replies, if I remember rightly!

[Tyla 3,179]

Thanks guys. This is her second season and she was miserable for a bit after her last one but this time she has taken it to a whole new level.

 

We are going to take both the dogs for a little shine tonight, the first since they got injured (cut their legs on the same day) so maybe that will cheer her up.

 

Any more advice?

[Malt 379]

Thanks guys. This is her second season and she was miserable for a bit after her last one but this time she has taken it to a whole new level.

 

We are going to take both the dogs for a little shine tonight, the first since they got injured (cut their legs on the same day) so maybe that will cheer her up.

 

Any more advice?

PM sent!

[Tiff 36]

are you sure your fiancee or someone else hasn't been messing with her?

[Tyla 3,179]

PM recieved. Thanks

[Tyla 3,179]

are you sure your fiancee or someone else hasn't been messing with her?

 

Yeah, we both work the dogs and she is as into them as me. No one else has been near them. The only thing that has happened was that as Amy, my fiance, unclipped her lead one day she trod on something that hurt her and ran off and wouldnt come back. She does tend to blame the nearest person for things like thorns or electric fences!

 

The only other thing is that she (the dog) usually comes to work with me but what with christmas and working on a different site since i started back she hasnt been able to until this week. Maybe she is spoilt and feeling neglected?

[skycat 6,174]

Sosme dogs are super sensitive: I had one that wouldn't come near me if I was in angry/fed up or whatever. She was empathetic to a ridiculous degree and read my moods as well as any barometer.

If you are at a loss I would strongly suggest getting in touch with someone like Jim Greenwood: he's a dog behaviourist/lurcher man/hunter: excellent guy. Sorry lost his website link: just google his name. Other behaviourists may be OK, but lurchers are sometimes on a whole new level to other types of dog.

 

This really is one case where whoever is helping needs to see the dog in the flesh as her problems may have more than one root cause: have you two been having relationship problems recently? Has there been a change in your lives, no matter how small? (It may have affected the dog more than you!)

 

Also: regarding the season: if she is a very subordinate, submissive bitch, as well as being hyper sensitive, and your other dog is dominant over her, it is possible that the bitch is worried about actually having been in season as she feels she has no right to be sexually mature.

 

If the problem is this bad I'd definitely get help.

[skycat 6,174]

Just to add: if the bitch is throwing a phantom pregnancy this could also affect her: making her unwilling to do much or leave the home if she thinks her imaginary pups are there.

Also: could it be that she has injured herself in another way: such as trapping a nerve/damaging tendonss or muslce when she originally injured herself: that would account for not wanting to get into/out of the van.

 

OR: did she get taken to the vet when she injured herself? Did you have to leave her there? And if so did that freak her out: did she get hurt (accidently) or frightened by a female vet nurse or vet? The possibilities of all these things are endless? You need to be a bit of a detective to try and firgure it all out!

 

You have pm.

[Guest hornman]

had the same thing happen to me and a few months down the line the dog started to have fits

[wexford Pa 84]

Did u ever think this could be the symptoms of Lungworm..

Symptoms of Lungworm include; depression, false heat, coughin, blood spots in faeces, fits..

Maybe all these arent relevent to your dog but its worth lookin into.

Id consult a vet n tell him/her that someone mentioned it could be this..

For you n your dogs sake i hope its not.. but good luck..

[Pignut 4]

I, too, am wondering phantom pregnancy.

 

My bitch (Patt) had her first season and was awful. Her behaviour went back to Step - resentful, disobedient and bad mannered. So I made the decision to get her spayed (other reasons too - demodectic mange as a pup) so she instantly had a phantom pregnancy before the op and was worse. Depressed, miserable, cringeing cur about everything.

 

Check your bitch's teats for milk. See if she is "nesting" - mine had a litter of tissues and took everything to her bed.

 

I think mine ended up having pills to stop the milk and the minute she was out of her "preghancy", I had her spayed. She has never looked back and is a bright happy, enthusiastic working little terrier again.