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By David Codr
From Momaha.com
Dog Gone Problems is a weekly advice column by David Codr, a dog behaviorist in Omaha. David answers dog behavior questions sent in by our readers. You can reach him at dogbehaviorquestions@gmail.com.
Dog Gone Problems,
I’m hoping you can give me some advice regarding my dog, Rosko. Over the past six to seven months, he has been displaying some disturbing behaviors. Around the same time, we started giving him CBD oil as a cancer prevention (he was diagnosed with a sarcoma four years ago).
He is very sensitive to noises — anything from a diffuser to a humidifier — and will run and hide from them. During fireworks or thunderstorms, he will go and hide in the bathtub.
Recently during the middle of the night, for some unknown reason, he wanted to go outside. He did go to the bathroom, but then he went around to the side of the house and climbed into a flower bed and laid down. It was raining out, but he stayed there until I went looking for him and had to carry him into the house.
He seems to be getting worse and more anxious. He is 8 years old and lives in a house with my wife and I, and two cats. Do you have any suggestions?
D
Hello D,
I can certainly offer some tips to help your dog get comfortable with the different sounds and noises that cause him to become anxious. But I’m more concerned with his behavior of going to lay down in the flower bed in the rain.
CDB oil is a mild painkiller and anti-inflammatory, so I do not think it is a contributing factor in your dog’s behavior changes. It’s not uncommon for a dog to act differently when he or she is injured or ill. Showing signs of distress makes an animal a target to predators, so dogs usually mask their pain and discomfort. The thing to watch for is unusual behavior, things that are outside of how your dog normally acts.
Since your dog has been diagnosed with cancer, I would lean towards that as being the culprit. Make sure you keep a close eye on him and take him to the vet if he shows other unusual behavior patterns. Also, go and bring him inside as you did if he elects to stay outside in inclement weather.
It’s possible the sarcoma has grown and is now impacting him in new ways. Be sure to mention these things to your vet, as many people neglect to notate these changes, and knowledge can help you put changes in place to make your dog as comfortable as possible.
I’d recommend starting a daily journal. Write down the date, time and details — how active or sedentary he is, when he skips meals, when he lays down on walks, is lethargic, etc. Keep in mind lethargy and lack of appetite are often big wanting signs, so consider a trip to the vet when they linger.
Helping him get over his fear of unknown noises will benefit him tremendously, as these likely startle or scare him multiple times every day. Assisting him in getting over this issue will have a profound improvement in his quality of life.
This video details how to use the principles of counter-conditioning to help your dog stop fearing various sounds.
If you go slow and keep repeating the sound at low volume until the dog doesn’t respond before increasing the volume, your dog should be able to hear the sounds without fearing them for the rest of his life.
Good luck and remember — everything you do trains your dog. Only sometimes you mean it.
David
