Helping my unhappy hound?

SaddlePsych'D

SaddlePsych'D

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Ivy has been in a funk over the last week to two weeks. I strongly suspect she has seen hot air balloons out one of the back windows because she keeps looking out at the sky with a scared look on her face, and she is refusing evening walks which seems to be the time they are most likely to be out. Annoyingly we got her out after dark one evening and then there was a bloody firework (or something which sounded a lot like one) so she swiftly brought us home again.

I've now moved her food and water because she won't go to where they usually are in the kitchen, and that is very unlike her to be fussy with her food. Plus she's not drinking her water - I moved it out and she absolutely gulped a load down so she was clearly thirsty. Morning walks with OH seem to be going okay and we're doing our best to get her out later in the day but evening toileting is an issue; she's never liked the back garden as it is and now our walk round the block for bed-time toilet is difficult because of the firework thing. She just lays in her bed ignoring us.

If I hadn't had such a lovely few days with her staying at my mum's house last week, I would be even more worried but at least she was her happy self there. When we have got her out away from home she's got bounce in her step which is a relief to see.

Mid-long term we are planning to move house (not specifically for this reason!) and short-term I've moved her food and water, put her crate back up, am keeping windows closed where I can, and bringing the blinds down a bit.

Would it be worth considering an Adaptil? Or any other tips? We're trying to just be normal like we would be when there's fireworks but obviously not nice knowing she isn't particularly happy in her own home.

Pic of her royal pointy-ness just because...

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skinnydipper said:
Instead of walking her from home on an evening, could you take her somewhere by car?
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We have managed that most evenings but does mean she's then not going out again from around 8/8.30pm until 7.30am. OH does the morning shift so I can ask if he can swap things round to walk her first to shorten the time for her going out to toilet.
Spotherisk said:
Can you get out of routine completely? Random walks in different places and at different times. Can you tempt her by carrying something like Primula so she wants to come with you?
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There's no tempting her, she will absolutely not move unless I move her bed when she's in it but I don't think that's a good idea.
 
SaddlePsych'D said:
We have managed that most evenings but does mean she's then not going out again from around 8/8.30pm until 7.30am. OH does the morning shift so I can ask if he can swap things round to walk her first to shorten the time for her going out to toilet.
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Will she toilet in the garden if you stay out there with her?
 
skinnydipper said:
Will she toilet in the garden if you stay out there with her?
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If I pick her up and put her out there, stand with her and close the door she'll maybe have a wee. In fairness to her the garden is now pretty unusable as OH has just dug out all the concrete and paving, but she already didn't like it out there so we started walking her round the block to a mini-park that she much prefers.

We've been dithering about putting our house on the market for months now, perhaps it's her way of helping us get a move on to find a place in a quieter neighbourhood and a nicer garden! It's why she likes my mum's house so much. I don't want to push our luck on dog-sitting though.
 
Would definitely try adaptil - I do know someone who used it for fireworks a few years ago and it certainly helped her. Might also be worth looking at dorwest herbs, scullcap & valerian tablets or maybe give them a ring. Have always found them helpful with advice and not pushy.
 
I feel your pain-it seems to be that when a pointy nosed one gets stubborn, they really, really embrace it! I spent a year getting mine over the one day he was slightly car sick 🤦🏻‍♀️
Could you try almost new puppy back to basics for toileting? So teach a new command and tons of praise especially if it’s at your Mums where she’s comfy? Then see if you can get her to go in your garden? I would also very gradually move the bowls/bed back to kitchen (as in literally cms). You’ve time before autumn to get a good firework noise cd, it used to be free on the dogs trust and see if you can desensitise to a manageable level.
I have occasionally been a bit ‘this is happening my friend ‘ with mine, particularly with the car. It’s really hard when you just want them to be happy but I find it makes for a more positive energy, and makes the sad eyed moping a bit less. I used to tell mine that ‘I go to work to buy you pretty things and non-essential crap like food for me’. 😂 It’s maybe worth thinking about the possibility that Ivy might take exception to the next house so finding ways of averting sad face would be good. Unless you can take her on viewings 😁
 
paisley said:
I feel your pain-it seems to be that when a pointy nosed one gets stubborn, they really, really embrace it! I spent a year getting mine over the one day he was slightly car sick 🤦🏻‍♀️
Could you try almost new puppy back to basics for toileting? So teach a new command and tons of praise especially if it’s at your Mums where she’s comfy? Then see if you can get her to go in your garden? I would also very gradually move the bowls/bed back to kitchen (as in literally cms). You’ve time before autumn to get a good firework noise cd, it used to be free on the dogs trust and see if you can desensitise to a manageable level.
I have occasionally been a bit ‘this is happening my friend ‘ with mine, particularly with the car. It’s really hard when you just want them to be happy but I find it makes for a more positive energy, and makes the sad eyed moping a bit less. I used to tell mine that ‘I go to work to buy you pretty things and non-essential crap like food for me’. 😂 It’s maybe worth thinking about the possibility that Ivy might take exception to the next house so finding ways of averting sad face would be good. Unless you can take her on viewings 😁
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I have before now picked her up and plonked her out in the garden and waited until she's gone but the garden is out of action since my OH dug up all the concrete (it's a small garden and a lot of it is a trench at the moment!) which is just pants timing for this predicament.

The firework thing was just crap timing and unexpected for the time of year. On actual fireworks night she doesn't like them but we cope pretty well by setting up the crate in the right spot; she's not happy about them but will settle. The hot air balloons are trickier to predict and I think she may actually be more bothered by them than the fireworks!

There seems to be a little improvement this week, she's eating in the kitchen again and been making good use of the crate in the dining room looking chilled out in there rather than worried. OH is taking her out a bit earlier in the morning and although we'd like to get her out later in the evening still we have at least got her confidence back with walking early evening.

When we first had her and she did a lot of freezing on walks, a friend with lots of dog owning experience gave us some tips (treats, being confident and energetic) and I was like 'have you met a Greyhound who does not want to do something?!' 😂
 
Wow just reading this back as looking up Adaptil to see whether to invest ahead of fireworks night and need to put in an online order for Rheumocam anyway.

Poor Ivy! What a pickle we were in with the house! I forgot how tricky it was at times but lovely to see how she is doing so much better living in the countryside (as are myself and OH!) Still hates the balloons but we don't see them all to often.

Humungous military aircraft low flying directly over head? 🤷‍♀️

Hot air balloon miles away in the distance (or indeed, a particularly large moon that looks suspiciously like it could be an air balloon)? 🙅‍♀️
 
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