Look further than the obvious! I was given a labradoodle to retrain for a lovely young couple. This dog had become very anxious, diagnosed with Separation Anxiety by the vet, treated unsuccessfully for 12 months with antidepressants, displays over excitability, barks all night and his whining is constant. They have had to replace their back door several times due to his destructive behaviours! I offered to take him for a few weeks and do some retraining for them, as they were at the stage where they were seriously thinking of rehoming him because he was such a difficult dog to live with. The first thing I noticed about this dog was the uncomfortable way he walked, a little hunched over and stiff. He also splays his legs out behind him, like a frog, when he lays down. After a 2.5km walk he was more tired than he should have been and he squatted to urinate. He also worked hard to make a blanket nest to lay in to be comfortable. I took him to a wonderful chiropractor who has worked on some of the most famous race horses over the years and Ive taken some of my dogs to him as well (hes terrific for people too, the only chiropractor that my GP will recommend!!) and he diagnosed this dogs issues immediately. He has Scoliosis in his spine and a rotated pelvis! No wonder he was so destructive and vocal! This poor dog has been in pain now for 3 years!!! He had the first of three manipulation and laser sessions and hes almost a different dog! Hes moving more freely, lifted his leg to pee (which his owner says hes never done), lay on the floor with his legs to one side and....he hasnt whined once!! What have I learned from this dog and his situation? Dont just look at the obvious issues in front of you! If you see a behavioural problem developing, look at the dogs health first. Is there something you are missing? As our dogs are start to age we may see changes in their gait, coping skills and reactions. Be aware of any changes in the way your dog lies down, if he doesnt want to go up and down stairs as spritely as he used to, gets irritable more easily, jumps or shies at things down the street, becomes more anxious around other dogs. Little, subtle changes are the hardest to notice, but by being vigilant about our dogs health, we can help avoid any behavioural issues creeping up as well. Changes in behaviour can very often be attributed to changes in health. If you are concerned, ask your vet to give your dog a full health check to ensure that there are no underlying medical issues influencing his behaviour. Put yourself in your dogs place. If you suffer from chronic pain, like arthritis, toothache, headaches, etc, how well can you concentrate? Do you get irritable and antisocial? Do you want to learn? Can you cope well with additional stresses? Youd probably answer no, or not well, to any of these questions, the same can be said about your dog. the only difference is that your dog cant complain to you if hes experiencing pain or stress, but he will show you by changing his behaviour and reacting differently to what could be considered as normal. Update on this particular dog, on his second trip to the chiropractor, we can report on a 70% improvement in his condition!! Instead of struggling during his manipulations, he was much happier to lie down and allow us to work on him, so even he could appreciate the relief it brought him! He may only need one more treatment and his spine alignment will be corrected. He still has some behavioural issues, which are a result of habit, but he is learning his lessons well and is listening more now, so the reduction in pain and discomfort has improved his focus and he can now learn and retain his training much better. He is also more willing to learn because he is comfortable maintaining position. Hopefully now he can become a much more calm and pleasant family member without the behavioural issues that made his and his familys lives a misery.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 22:21:56 +0000