[jenni]

My 2 1/2 year old mixed breed, Reiley has been acting oddly for the past few months.

I rescued Rei when she was only a few weeks old. For a little more than two years it was just thew two of us, she got all of my attention and has been my "little girl". In late July, we moved from my one bedroom apartment to a 4 level townhouse with my boyfriend.

The change was pretty dramatic and Reiley went from being by my side a lot to practically gluing herself to my leg!! Sometimes she wold tuck herself between my leg and the kitchen sink. It was really beginning to worry me. Reiley generally loved people-including my boyfriend, but now she would run to me whenever she sees him.

My boyfriend has a 3 year old son that he sees everyother weekend. Reiley plays with the little boy and I thought she was getting used to him, but the last three weekends he has been here she threw up or peed in the kitchen. Something she has never done before!

When she displayed this behavior 2 weeks ago, I took her to the vet who ran some tests and put her on a low dose of Prozac-to calm her anxiety.

This week we discovered that she had gone to the bathroom twice in the little boy's room!!! I am very anxious to find out why this is happening all of a sudden...

Could it be that the door has always been closed and now that its open (to let in the heat), she doesn't see it as a familiar (no potty) area? Or is it something else? Also, now that it has happened, how do we prevent it from happening again? My boyfriend doesn't want me to put a baby gate in the hall by his sons room (for safety reasons) or close the door. She is crated during the day and after being walked when I get home, she is usually with me so I don't even know WHEN it could be happening.

I would appreciate any advice!

[german sheep]

A child is not totally accepted by a dog till the age of ~12- 14 years, a child has not a clear position in the "pack" from a dogs point of view.

Your one room appartment was a "space" she could handle and felt quite nice with you there.
Then after you moved the room around was more than she could work with and she had to share your attention with another person. This made her feel uncomfortable.

The little child with all the uncoordinated body movements are scaring her and from your oppinion the playing time between dog and child for her is pure stress. She isn't get used to it.
To handle the situations she needs you! Take her on the leash and train the little boy how to "play" with your dog. Give him instructions what the dog needs and what is not dangerous for the dog.

To show your dog that living together with a child does not mean she has to sort things out of her own but to feel that new situations are controlled by you. Don't leave her alone during this days.

And there has to be a time where she knows that she can come down and is untouchable, exept you.

LG
gs