Dog "afraid" of the downstairs?

fuzzy · 08-10-2011

Hi! I have a 9 year old female mixed breed (best guess is a Belgian shepherd/Husky) as well as an 8 year old male border collie mix. The female has done some weird things in her time but I can usually figure out why... but this latest one has me stumped, so I was hoping someone can help!

Last year we moved into a new house, and it's 2 story. This is the first time my dogs have lived in a 2 story house. For the past few months, my female dog has taken to spending almost all of her time upstairs, and she seems extremely anxious when she has to come downstairs (food/water/bathroom/walks). They have a dog door to the backyard, but she rarely goes outside. In fact when she needs to "go" she will sit at the top of the stairs for a while, as if deliberating if it's "worth it". Then she will run at top speed down the stairs, out the door, does her business, then blasts back upstairs. If we call her downstairs, she doesn't respond right away and we usually have to call her more than once... then she will slink down reluctantly. The whole time she is downstairs, she seems really anxious, constantly glancing at the stairs like she can't wait to go back up. When I come home after being gone, IF she greets me at all, she will only greet me for 2-3 seconds at the door and then run upstairs. This is unusual because in the past she was always an enthusiastic greeter.

As far as I know, nothing "traumatic" has ever happened to her downstairs, and I try to give her treats, praise and pet her, etc. when she comes downstairs to make her think it is a pleasant to be... but it's not working. Any thoughts? Oh, by the way, my other dog has no problem with either floor and spends as much time downstairs as upstairs. Thanks!

cigwyllt · 08-10-2011

While you are downstairs can you hear the movement of people upstairs? When I was a child we lived in a bungalow. When we went to stay with my grandparents our dog would be terrified of the noise from the floorboards upstairs and would spend the entire time underneath my parents' bed. It was only holidays and so she never really got used to it but it might be a similar thing with your dog?

fuzzy · 08-10-2011

There might be a creak or two but nothing much. I have never seen her react to creaking, and it's actually louder upstairs than downstairs. Plus we are usually downstairs anyway (there are only 2 of us) so there usually wouldn't be anyone upstairs when she was downstairs.

CorkyMax · 08-10-2011

Wow! That is really strange and quite a mystery. If it wasn't for your other dog not being affected at all--I would wonder if there was a ghost downstairs!

You said you moved into this 2 story house last year and your female dog just in the past few months has been acting this way--So I take it that she wasn't this way in the beginning when you 1st moved in? If that is so---Did you do any remodeling--laying new carpet or anything else that may have changed things downstairs about the same time she started wanting to only be upstairs?
Think back to try and think of any changes that could of taken place about that time.

What are her habits while she is upstairs? What does she do? Is she nervous and looking downstairs a lot or does she just go lay down somewhere up there and is relaxed? Or is she pacing up there at all?

Do you think she may have something wrong physically that might be bothering her? She is now a senior and should be having wellness exams yearly or even every 6 months---maybe something will be found amiss--esp. if blood work is done. Physical problems can cause mental problems sometimes.

I imagine you take her for walks? How does she act while you are walking her? Is she nervous or upset with the outside environment? Is it noisy in this neighborhood---more so then the old house? Is she maybe afraid of another dog or something in the neighborhood?

If you don't walk her--maybe you should try to see how she reacts and if she gets upset---when and where are you at that time outside---maybe there is a clue in checking this out.

You have to be a detective! Please keep us updated on this mystery---Hope you can figure things out so she can be 'normal' again and join her family.

fuzzy · 08-10-2011

All good points!

I can't remember exactly when she started doing it. She did used to lay downstairs quite a lot (part of it is tiled and cooler to lay on than the carpet) but now she never does. We haven't done any changes or remodeling because it's a rental house. I can't think of any changes at all... we haven't even rearranged the furniture.

When she is upstairs she seems pretty relaxed and kind of lays around, mostly. She does seem interested in what is going on downstairs - i.e. stands at the top of the stairs with her ears perked if there is something going on downstairs. It is only when she is physically downstairs that she starts acting anxious.

I had her checked at the vet twice in the last year including one senior wellness exam in May. Other than being a tad overweight they said she is in great shape.

We do walk her 1-2 times per day. She loves walks and is very excited to go. She doesn't act nervous at all and she willingly comes downstairs when we get her leash out - but as soon as the leash comes off at the end of the walk, she disappears up the stairs again...

CorkyMax · 08-11-2011

I was hoping we could solve this mystery/problem! I have no more ideas but was just talking to another member on the phone and she made a couple suggestions---- Make the upstairs off limit so that she has to be downstairs----Guess you'd have to put up a gate/barrier at the bottom of the stairs and not the top as she'd prob. go to the top of the stairs otherwise. Start out making it extra fun/pleasurable for her to be down stairs as she hopefully in time will get over having to be upstairs. Play with her, treat her--distract her from the stairs. If this doesn't work---but give it enough time----maybe see a dog behaviorist.

cigwyllt · 08-11-2011

You could try a DAP diffuser - it releases a pheromone that many dogs find relaxing.

mih · 08-11-2011

I'm sorry for you..I hope you can find a good way to fix this problem

fuzzy · 08-11-2011

Thanks for all the great responses! We did block off the stairs a couple of times, but she was so desperately unhappy, I felt like I was being terribly cruel! She just hung around the barricade, in obvious distress, panting and eyes bulging, trying to figure out a way over or around it. So after a couple of days of this, I took the barricade down... but maybe I should have just kept at it. Our bedroom is upstairs, though, so I do want to let her upstairs at night so she can sleep in our room.

Lunareclipse · 08-12-2011

Have you tried giving the pooch a crate downstairs. Someplace safe that it can go into and feeel more comfy downstairs. The dog trying to back upstairs repeatedly after you blocked it off sounds a lot like the kid that says 20 times in 1 minute "I wanna watch tv. I wanna watch tv. I wanna watch tv." Sometimes the answer is just plain no.

fuzzy · 08-12-2011

We don't have a crate for her. She hasn't been crated since she was about a year old. She never like being crated, unlike our male dog who loves his (he sleeps in it every night). It never mattered because she is such a well mannered dog who has never messed anything up in the house, so we haven't needed to keep her confined.

As far as "I wanna", there is no relationship between that and the severe anxiety she displays. I am trying to find out the reason she is acting this way.