[Pocket_Pitbull]

Hello,

I'm aware there's apparently a 1 hour hold before I can post new threads - but I've apparently signed up months ago.

I need some advice in a situation wherein most of the "standard" methods have not worked and I can't seem to be able to ask my question. I know this is more appropriate probably in the 'Dog Training' Section - but I apparently don't have the permissions to post, or even reply to a post there.

In fact, I'm apparently not even able to edit my profile - the site tells me I don't have permission for that either.

Can anyone advise what to do?


I suppose while I'm here I'll post what's got my head in a pickle.

Scenario:
1 Adult dog (5 years old) - potty trained and kennel trained, regular vet visits for health.
She is walked several times a day, played with several times a day and goes for dog daycare at least once per week to ensure socializing (and off-leash beaches otherwise).

Time of incident: 4 weeks ago, decided that waking up at around 2-3 am and banging on the kennel for no reason (we have taken her out and she had no reason to go. She just happened to be awake). We took her to the vet. No infection, no illness. She started chewing on her kennel bars and now has fractured her teeth.

We are trying to have her sleep on a dog bed outside her kennel.

2 straight weeks - no potty incidents, no issues.
Suddenly - Urinating and defecating at night, eating feces before we get up (we see the crumbs). But not every night... just random nights.

I know the standard questions:
Is she a new dog to you? No - we have had her since she was 12 weeks old, and she was better potty trained back then
Do you praise her when she goes outside? YES - pats, praises everywhere consistently
Do you give her a potty break before bed? Yes - yes we do. about 15-20 minutes before official bed time
Do you establish a routine so she understands it's bed time? Yes - we establish a routine, we use the same call, it's the whole "It is now bedtime" setup.
Do you get up and establish the get-up routine and potty-break routine? Yes - we get up at the same time every morning give or take 10 minutes and the first thing we do is feed her and walk her
Do you cut off her water after a certain time/not cut off her water? We have tried both. We leave the water out she just drinks and sips a bit throughout the night - we tried emptying the water out 2 hours before bedtime, makes no difference, just one night she'll let it all go everywhere some nights all is well in the morning.
Do you live in a building where sudden loud sounds occur: No, it is a very quiet building and we have very quiet neighbours that sleep very early and wake up rather late.

Please for the love of gawd, help. Please.

 

[AddieJade]

Sounds like shes hungry or something. What kind of food do you feed? I would also deworm her because normally when a dog eats poo it's a sign that there lacking something in nutrition.

 

[Pocket_Pitbull]

Halloo!

Thank you for the response! Okay - let me try to be as comprehensive as possible (no plot holes, no omissions).

Her diet is actually really balanced. She's fed Hill's Prescription Diet t/d - they're these HUGE kibbles wherein each one looks like a full on dog-cookie. We consulted the vet when she started getting frequent UTIs when she was a young-adult... the result? She doesn't do so well with protein rich and it stops her up (so we had this constipated dog with frequent UTIs... you can imagine how much I aged during THAT period).

She's fed twice a day, slightly less than 12 hours apart.

We did experiment with feeding her more often - result: puking
We tried feeding her more kibble - result: Puking
We tried giving her snacks in between - Result: puking unless we're *REALLY* careful and make sure the snacks are reeeally spaced out or super tiny.
The eating of poop is seriously not because she's hungry - when she was a puppy (less than 8 months old) she would try to eat her poop out of her bottom... about 30 minutes after she'd eaten a full meal of kibble 'n' snacks. It's a nervous habit with her. She has a weird fear-obsessive relationship with her, uhm, her uhm... her anus. She is scared of the things that come out (she now poops and runs away like the devil is after her) or she investigates it after she passes gas (which happens while she does her dog-yoga stretchums)
We actually finally figured out that if we give her 15 of these ginormous kibble per serving it is enough to satisfy her but not overfill her to where she ends up puking.

Also - now, as an adult, she actually bites/crunches her food (somehow between the ages of 1 & 2... she managed to swallow those things whole... they're like the size of those rubber bouncy balls. I don't know how...)

When we walk her she no longer tries to "go after" her poop to munch on it... and we noticed that when we left her alone (ie: we're not kidding 30 minute grocery run. I timed it.) in a kennel, she'd poop 'n' snack (ie: we found crumbly evidence). Vet stated 'Anxiety. She sees a closed kennel door as a time to panic' *strangely enough* (knock on wood) we started leaving her outside the kennel for short periods of time (15 minutes here... 10 minutes there... up to an hour after a week of this, now it's up to 5 hours, sometimes 6 if we absolutely have to... we're not really party people). and 9/10 times... we come home... no pee... no poop, no crumbs...

In fact... usually... sleeping... 9/10 times... no pee, no poop... no crumbs... just a big warm spot (not wet, just warm from her body heat) at the front door (where there's a mat) that she chooses to sleep (because obviously the coolgel memory foam dog bed is good enough to nap on in the day, but not sleep on at night...).

It's just been the last... week (out of 2 straight months) that she's been more frequently having these... weirdo accidents - and we haven't changed anything! Our routine has been the same! Her routine has been the same! Yes, the weather's been weird and Hubby and I are super stressed about moving... finding a new place ... but... we've been... consistent? In fact she's been overall and wholistically been better and more mature - also thanks to the help of guided medication. The vet brought in a behavioural specialist, had the other vet look... and our dog has anxiety issues (no reason... she just.. is a nervous nervous dog) - she used to whimper/whine/freak out when my husband would take the recycling out to the recycling depot (ie: I was still home. She was not alone... and he was gone for about 20 minutes or less - but she would just run in circles and freak... but didn't do it when he would leave for work for a 10 hour day - she is a mystery).

So under medical guidance we have her on a low dose of anti-anxiety medications and we practice "self-sufficiency" moments for her every day - some days she is home alone for 5 minutes (I run downstairs to get the mail) - sometimes I'll leave for an hour, but the husband comes home 30 minutes or so into my absence... etc. etc. - and *generally* she's doing very well. Which is why I'm all discombobulated. This just doesn't seem to FIT.

I understand that one might think my husband's and my sleeping habits might have something to do with this... but no...

I have a history of insomnia/anxiety - so I'm *stupidly anal* about my sleep hygiene - meaning I have a whole routine and my bedtime does not vary by more than 30 minutes unless something BIG is happening. So routine for dog? Present. Husband's pretty routined too. The man works 10 hour days... no sudden all-nighters for him either. We're kinda like clockwork.

Oh - sorry and to reply to the deworming - she's been through all the tests - no worms. No parasites/infections/illness/mutations/defects... other than her anxiety (which caused her to chew the kennel bars which lead to her mild tooth fractures, which meant goodbye to her bones!) she is physiologically in perfect health according to the vet.

 

[AddieJade]

I havnt met any dog that liked hills science. If it was my dog I would switch to a chicken a rice formula (I feed 4 health, sold at tractor supply)

Also if shes puking it means it's either not agreeing with her or shes eating to fast and her fascination with her butt may be her poop is to hard and hurts coming out.

Try to soak her food in water for a minute to soften it up and maybe even get a slow feeder bowl.

 

[LittleFr0g]

First off, regarding this:

I'm aware there's apparently a 1 hour hold before I can post new threads - but I've apparently signed up months ago.

You may have signed up months ago, but you did not post an intro post in the new members sub forum until yesterday. That one hour delay starts from the time you make that post. Until then, you won't have posting privileges, no matter how long ago you signed up.

As for your dog, I know you said you took her to the vet, but given that the behaviour has begun again, you really do need to take her back, or possibly take her to a different vet for a second opinion. This sounds medical, not behavioural to me.