[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!

[don.atello39]

Originally Posted by 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!

Well, first off- I would think that the sudden move in July, was so sudden for her, that she's having a hard time adjusting- it's only November, so it is possible for her to still be trying to calm down, relax, and adjust to her new environment.

When I rescued my dog in December of 2008, it took him many many many months for him to feel comfortable to do anything without me "holding his hand" so-to-speak... He's much better now, changes to his routine still affect him, but not nearly as much.

Using the same theory that she's still trying to adjust; With your husband's son coming and going, it could be that she's confused with all the commotion; Although it may not be "commotion" for you, to a dog that's stressing, it could be amplified; I would continue to wait out the next couple weeks, and give the Prozac time to build up in her system before trying to come to any conclusions.

What kind of "safety reasons" limit the use of a baby-gate? They also have smaller, quite fashionable and functional gates that are actually like a swing-gate you can post in your hallway- That way the young boy can come and go freely without tripping or anything...

Is your dog "pushy"? As in, is she comfortable pushing doors open with her nose? Because if you can't close it all the way, at least leave it open a crack, just shy of being wide enough for her to fit through...

My dog isn't pushy at all, and even if he could stick his head past the door he's still uncomfortable using his body in anyway to open doors.

Other than that I'm kind of out of ideas... Good luck!