dog decided to move outside

fathead82

We have a 5 year old terrier who was always a very nervous dog, she came from very bad circumstances as a 2 month old pup. She sleeps inside at night & will come in during the day if shes cold or its raining hard but she would rather be outside with the big dogs.
Over the last few weeks, she has been acting very strange. Nervous & edgy.when anyone walks past her bed, she would sit up & look as if she was terrified, avoiding looking at us & turning to face the wall. Now she is refusing to come into the house at all & looks to go to bed with the big dogs when they are being put in for the night.
4 weeks ago, my brother came to visit for the weekend, she knows him well & is always happy to see him but this time she hid behind my legs & wouldnt let him touch her.
iv been away for the last 3 weeks & wont be home for another 2 weeks.apart from that her routine hasn't changed & she definatly has not been hurt or abused in any way.Anyone ever come across anything like this before? She is eating & drinking fine & full of life when outside playing with the other dogs. Its upsetting to see a dog who has always been treated so well by us, acting as if we abuse her.

maggiepip

Gosh thats upsetting. Her change in behaviour is so sudden Id really think it could be medical or pain issue. She might be OK with your other dogs but might be wary a human will pet her or pick her up wrong and hurt her. My dog has a back problem and when it plays up she gets very nervy and doesnt want to be too close to people or be petted etc., sometimes thats the one and only sign that shes sore and a few days of upping her medication brings her demeanour back to normal. I would definitely bring her to the vet anyway and rule out any illness etc.

fathead82

I really dont think its anything pain related because she is still ok with me petting her. I will bring her for a check up when I get home, just to be sure.
She has always been a bit odd. She never greets us when she is inside, even if we have been away a long time, not even as much as a tail wag. Always happy to see us when shes outside, jumping, nipping, tail wagging. She freaks out if a lead is put on her, wets the floor if anyone makes a sudden move near her, makes a high pitched scream as if shes been hit if you move fast around her while shes stressed. I always ignore her when she acts like this but its obviously not working now that she has decided to move out of the house.

DBB

Jayney fathead, the poor wee thing!
First of all, a pat on the back to you and your family for not only taking this scared little dog in, but also for living with her, erm, idiosyncrasies! It's not every owner would have made room for an odd little dog :-)
Maggiepip is right in that a sudden behaviour change often indicates an underlying medical cause, which can be very subtle indeed. So I would just rule any problems out with your vet to be sure.
Also, is she spayed? If not this may be hormonal.
However, timid little dogs can take the most seemingly innocuous things to heart and really over-react to them in a way that most other dogs would shrug off. I have a timid, odd little dog too op, so I think I can get a feel for what your little lady might be like! For instance, if we're staying somewhere that's not home, something as simple as someone banging a dinner plate down onto a table will cause her to panic, try to get outside, and refuse to come in again. This never happens at home, but it does give you the gist of how something seemingly trivial can be a huge thing to a sensitive little soul :-)
So, when you're in with your vet, have a chat about using a natural but proven anxiety-reducing nutraceutical, something like Zylkene, which has been shown to be as effective as anxiolytic drugs, but without the side effects. Other anxiety-reducing gear which might help is an Adaptil diffuser beside her bed, or an Adaptil collar. Whilst a Thundershirt might be good for many worried dogs, her response to collar and lead, and general fearfulness would make me think she would not appreciate the body-wrap feel this bit of gear provides.

fathead82

Thanks DBB. Will bring her for a check up when I get home. She is neutered, was done at around a year old.
would the anti anxiety treatment need to be given every day for the rest of her life or just until she learns to relax? I cant see a thunder shirt working, putting a lead on her results in ear piercing screams. Shes happy to wear a collar as long as no one grabs/attaches anything to it.
Shes a great dog really, never once snapped even when terrified, loves to play with tennis balls & would spend all day running around the fields chasing birds.

DBB

The anti-anxiety stuff is a matter of suck it and see (not literally :-o)! Zylkene is based on the milk protein casein, which is one of the ingredients in milk that helps baby animals chill out and relax during and after a feed.
If it helps her, the idea is that she stays on it until she has learned to relax more, at which stage it can be cut down or cut out until needed again.
However, sometimes we can't force a round peg into a square hole! If she's so happy outside with the other dogs (do you have any theory as to whether her outdoor confidence happens when she's outside, or is it when she's around the other dogs? A bit of both, perhaps?), would it be the end of the world if she was to live as she seems to prefer? Assuming the vet finds nowt wrong, that is.
I'm wondering too, as a matter of interest how do you think she'd be in the house if there was another dog there?

fathead82

DBB wrote: »

The anti-anxiety stuff is a matter of suck it and see (not literally :-o)! Zylkene is based on the milk protein casein, which is one of the ingredients in milk that helps baby animals chill out and relax during and after a feed.
If it helps her, the idea is that she stays on it until she has learned to relax more, at which stage it can be cut down or cut out until needed again.
However, sometimes we can't force a round peg into a square hole! If she's so happy outside with the other dogs (do you have any theory as to whether her outdoor confidence happens when she's outside, or is it when she's around the other dogs? A bit of both, perhaps?), would it be the end of the world if she was to live as she seems to prefer? Assuming the vet finds nowt wrong, that is.
I'm wondering too, as a matter of interest how do you think she'd be in the house if there was another dog there?

her outdoor confidence seems to be a bit of both the other dogs & being outside.she used to love coming in for the night & would run ahead of me & do a little dance on the doorstep to be let in.she is a bit more confident in the house when one of the big dogs is in.
Iwas thinking about letting her stay outside & bring her back in when the weather gets cold again or getting another terrier that would be happy to live inside.
The kennels for the big dogs are very cosy & she is very close to our old retriever & sleeps curled up with her.
You are right, its prob best to let her live as she chooses but I feel like I have failed her.not many dogs choose to move out of their home.

gctest50

You are right, its prob best to let her live as she chooses but I feel like I have failed her.not many dogs choose to move out of their home.

You havn't failed at - just being animal
Have a tomcat - all he wants is to eat and sleep loads then drag you outside on some killing mission
You can see the "but y u not come along and i show u hunting" by the wayhe carries on

hth

DBB

Ah jayney no, I wouldn't view it that way at all. You've said that she has always been happier outside, and always happier with the other dogs, one of them a really good pal.
You've also said she's timid, scared of lots of things particularly relating to proximity with humans inside the house, and a bit odd :-)
So, she's always been inclined to do what she's doing now, and maybe it's a case that forcing her to stay inside would be the wrong thing to do, when she's happier and more relaxed outside... That's where she feels safe... And remember that this preference is not one of your making. She came to you with this tendency.
If she interacts better with you outside, and is so happy outside, then you'd have to conclude that for her, letting her be is optimising her welfare. Living inside all scared is not, and could result in her falling into anxiety-related ill health.
I know we have a very pro-inside thing going on here, but in every single discussion on the topic, there's always someone with a much-loved, very well cared-for dog who simply prefers to live out! Indeed, I know several really super rescue groups who insist on their dogs being indoor dogs, but have had some dogs who they stipulated need and want to live out.
Sounds like your little lady is one of these. So, if a vet visit and/or anxiolytic meds don't make a difference, well, maybe just leave her be? :-)

fathead82

When I get home, after the vet visit, ill let her choose herself what she wants to do. Her bed will still be in the kitchen anyway because the cat uses it too. I often come home to find them both curled up together asleep. Im sure when the cold weather returns she will start coming back inside again!

fathead82

Update on our odd dog!
I got home a few days ago & she went crazy when she seen me,jumping,licking & tail wagging. As I went through the normal night time routine that night,she ran ahead of me & & started doing her dance on the doorstep to be let in.
I went back to work the next day & she refused to come into the house for anyone else & wouldnt go in with the big dogs either,when i got home from work(1am) she was asleep in the shed but came out & looked to come into the house.
She wont come into the house for anyone except me,I dont even ask her in,I just open the door & let her decide for herself. I have not got a chance to bring her to the vet yet but it looks like shes just a very strange little dog!

mymo

She's clearly loves you!
Our animals all have favourite people, some have odd behaviours, but we love them anyway.
It seems like she wants to be with you or the other dogs before everyone else, hopefully there isn't anything medical, glad to hear she's better now you're home.