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musky
Dogsey Senior
musky is offline  
Location: Nr Clacton on sea, Essex, UK
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 551
Female 
 
08-09-2010, 11:01 PM

Why a sudden change / relapse in my Spaniels behaviour

The problem is that Poppy my Springer spaniel {aged 3½} has a sudden change / relapse in her behaviour, I say relapse because Poppy came to us in December 2008 because her previous owners could not cope with her behaviour, she practically ate their house and was she was very hyperactive, the first thing I did was change her diet from a dried complete food to tripe and terrier meal, it really seemed to make a big difference, I am convinced, like children dogs should not have e numbers and colours etc.
Although she is quite social with other dogs, she goes into instant hurt mode with other animals
She killed two chickens in the first few months and still has a bit of that predator mode when she is around the chickens ducks etc
She also wasn’t being walked regularly, only at the weekends, now she has a walk each day and exercise in the garden. She also has lots of her own things which she is allowed to chew on,
Poppy also would not allow anyone to groom her, this has took a considerably amount of time and gentle persuasion, but she very much seems to enjoy it now.
And we have found that her overall behaviour has improved considerably over the last 12 months. But this last few days are really concerning me as she has started pinching food and pinching things IE post / phone book to chew up, also she wants to spend time on her own outside in the evening, away from our other two dogs, which isn’t normal for her.
I just cannot put my finger on what could be the trigger for this recent behaviour
Sorry this has been a bit long winded, but I wanted to explain in full how far we have come with Poppy, we would never give up on her; I just want to try and understand her more and hopefully some of you more experience doggie trainers / owners may have an idea or two
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Hali
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Location: Scottish Borders
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09-09-2010, 06:36 AM
immediate thought would be the possibility of a season - that can affect a bitch's behaviour considerably.

Assuming that it isn't that, I would get her checked over by the vet as the other strong possible sudden change in behaviour could be down to pain/discomfort.

If there doesn't seem to be any physical reason, its possible that she's getting a little bored and needs more to challenge her mind. You mention about physical exercise, but not about mental exercise - springers do tend to need to work their minds as well as their bodies. 'Find it' games are often an easy way to do that, along with some short spells of training (which could be obedience, tricks or even jobs to help you around the house).
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wilbar
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Location: West Sussex UK
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09-09-2010, 06:37 AM
You are right to be concerned about sudden behaviour changes, particularly when there's no obvious reason.

Your first port of call should be your vet, just to make sure that there's no medical reason. Are Poppy's teeth & gums healthy? Sudden chewing could be a sigh that something's not right in her mouth.

Pinching food & things to chew on ~ perhaps you need to look at nutrition? Could it be attention-seeking? Have a think about your own reactions to Poppy's behaviour when she pinches things ~ is there any "reward" for her, e.g. a chase, attention?

As for taking herself off to be on her own, has anything happened to change the relationship between the dogs? Squabbles over beds? What happens just before she takes herself off? With my two dogs it's certainly not unusual for them to choose to sleep in different parts of the house, so maybe Poppy just wants some peace & quiet?

If the vet gives Poppy the all clear, then all I can suggest is that you are really observant over the next few days ~ watch her body language closely, watch your other dogs & all family members to see if there are any triggers for the changed behaviours, look at the whole way you look after Poppy, e.g. diet, feeding times, amount of exercise, amount of attention, whether you still do training, anything in your normal routine that has changed, new neighbours, noises, building work nearby etc etc ~ the list could be endless!

Good luck with Poppy ~ I hope you get to the bottom of it but if she's physically fine, & still eating well & is lively & responsive, it could be something as simple as just getting older, more self-sufficient & wanting a bit of time on her own.
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musky
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Location: Nr Clacton on sea, Essex, UK
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09-09-2010, 02:01 PM
Originally Posted by Hali View Post
immediate thought would be the possibility of a season - that can affect a bitch's behaviour considerably.

Assuming that it isn't that, I would get her checked over by the vet as the other strong possible sudden change in behaviour could be down to pain/discomfort.

If there doesn't seem to be any physical reason, its possible that she's getting a little bored and needs more to challenge her mind. You mention about physical exercise, but not about mental exercise - springers do tend to need to work their minds as well as their bodies. 'Find it' games are often an easy way to do that, along with some short spells of training (which could be obedience, tricks or even jobs to help you around the house).

Thank you for your suggestions, I never thought about the possibility of her season causing a problem with her behaviour, she is in her second week at the moment, maybe it's hormonal then, but I think i will also get her checked over by our vet {just in case} my old man says that i worry to much, but I know when something is not quite right, again many thanks
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musky
Dogsey Senior
musky is offline  
Location: Nr Clacton on sea, Essex, UK
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 551
Female 
 
09-09-2010, 02:06 PM
Originally Posted by wilbar View Post
You are right to be concerned about sudden behaviour changes, particularly when there's no obvious reason.

Your first port of call should be your vet, just to make sure that there's no medical reason. Are Poppy's teeth & gums healthy? Sudden chewing could be a sigh that something's not right in her mouth.

Pinching food & things to chew on ~ perhaps you need to look at nutrition? Could it be attention-seeking? Have a think about your own reactions to Poppy's behaviour when she pinches things ~ is there any "reward" for her, e.g. a chase, attention?

As for taking herself off to be on her own, has anything happened to change the relationship between the dogs? Squabbles over beds? What happens just before she takes herself off? With my two dogs it's certainly not unusual for them to choose to sleep in different parts of the house, so maybe Poppy just wants some peace & quiet?

If the vet gives Poppy the all clear, then all I can suggest is that you are really observant over the next few days ~ watch her body language closely, watch your other dogs & all family members to see if there are any triggers for the changed behaviours, look at the whole way you look after Poppy, e.g. diet, feeding times, amount of exercise, amount of attention, whether you still do training, anything in your normal routine that has changed, new neighbours, noises, building work nearby etc etc ~ the list could be endless!

Good luck with Poppy ~ I hope you get to the bottom of it but if she's physically fine, & still eating well & is lively & responsive, it could be something as simple as just getting older, more self-sufficient & wanting a bit of time on her own.
Thank you for your suggestions, it has given me a few ideas, but i will get her checked out by our vet.
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Hali
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Location: Scottish Borders
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Posts: 13,902
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09-09-2010, 07:26 PM
Originally Posted by musky View Post
Thank you for your suggestions, I never thought about the possibility of her season causing a problem with her behaviour, she is in her second week at the moment, maybe it's hormonal then, but I think i will also get her checked over by our vet {just in case} my old man says that i worry to much, but I know when something is not quite right, again many thanks
I'm pretty sure that will be it in then. Dogs are quite like women when it comes to their seasons - some are affected a lot, some not much, some get moody, some grumpy...etc. etc. But, yes, if you are at all ill at ease, I would get your vet to check her over.
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