My dog is almost 5 years old, and just for some context, she was literally the perfect dog after the puppy stage was over. No behavioral issues, the biggest cuddler, just an easy dog. In August, I got married and we moved in with my husband and his puppy. She picked up a couple of bad habits, like jumping and roaming too far when playing in the yard, but nothing too serious. Well, I left her with a trusted sitter for the first time for 5 days and we picked her up 2 days ago. Now she’s doing things she’s literally never done before, and I’m starting to wonder if dogs act up out of retaliation? I know she hated that I left her somewhere new, but it sounded like she was good with them and she was excited to see me when we got back. When we first picked her up, she started screaming and freaking out when my husband got out of the car for a couple of minutes on the way home. Yesterday, she pulled one of her blankets out of her crate (she’d never done that) and was not interested in sleeping in her crate even though she usually loves it. This morning, she whined and whined for ages, and I couldn’t figure out why. While I was doing laundry, she chewed up a rug (hasn’t had issues with chewing since she was just a few weeks old). I thought maybe she wanted back outside, so I let her out. She pulled all of her bedding out into the snow and left it there. When I saw what she did, she was already acting ashamed before I even said anything. She knows these behaviors are wrong yet keeps doing them. Is she mad that I left her? Did she pick up some bad habits while I was gone? I genuinely don’t know what to think; she’s not acting like herself at all. She’s a very emotionally intelligent dog, and people say she acts almost human-like with how emotional she can be, which I fully agree with but have never had to correct her like this.
That sounds really tough… dogs can definitely pick up on changes in their environment and emotions.
Jules said:
That sounds really tough… dogs can definitely pick up on changes in their environment and emotions.
Thanks! It’s just so confusing because she was always so well-behaved.
@Nuri
Totally get it. Maybe she’s just adjusting to the change in her routine?
Sounds like she’s feeling insecure after being left with someone else. It might take her some time to settle back down.
Hollis said:
Sounds like she’s feeling insecure after being left with someone else. It might take her some time to settle back down.
I hope that’s all it is. I just want her to feel safe again.
@Nuri
For sure! Just give her some extra love and patience. She’ll come around.
It might help to reinforce her good behaviors with treats or praise. Sometimes they just need a little reminder.
Xan said:
It might help to reinforce her good behaviors with treats or praise. Sometimes they just need a little reminder.
That’s a good idea! I’ll start doing that more consistently.
@Nuri
Great! It’ll help her feel more secure and remind her of the positive behaviors.
Dogs can definitely feel abandoned or insecure when their routine changes. She might just need some time to adjust.
Taylor said:
Dogs can definitely feel abandoned or insecure when their routine changes. She might just need some time to adjust.
Yeah, I really hope that’s it. I just hate seeing her like this.
@Nuri
It’s hard! But she’ll probably bounce back once she feels comfortable again.
Maybe she picked up some habits from the other dog? Sometimes they learn from each other.
Sage said:
Maybe she picked up some habits from the other dog? Sometimes they learn from each other.
That could be true. I didn’t think about that! I hope it’s something we can fix.
@Nuri
Definitely! With some time and training, she’ll be back to her old self.