Recent, sudden onset of fear of certain areas of the house

[SuzanneMcEwen]

Hi, I have a 5 mth old Miniature Poodle whom I've had since 3 mths with no fears or problems.

He recently developed a skin irritation due to what neither the vet nor I can work out. He was biting & chewing himself around his private parts & stomach to the point of  becoming infected. The Vet put him on a course of antibiotics & cortisone cream. This eased the situation but didn't stop the biting & chewing. The vet subsequently decided a short lasting cortisone injection might help. Apparently the cortisone depresses the dog & they forget what they were biting. Unfortunately this hasn't worked & not only do I have a dog still biting himself, albeit only in the evening when I cannot distract him 100% of the time but he is now scared to walk on the tiled floor in certain areas. I am trying very hard to distract him & not making a fuss about not walking in certain areas of the house, with no result. The only thing we can think of is that in the areas he won't go the tile are a little loose & make a noise when  you walk on them. He also will not drink out of his usual water bowl, a dark blue inside ceramic dish, but will drink out of either of two stainless steele dishes outside. I have since put a stainless steel dish inside & he has drunken out of that which is good for the times I have to leave him alone.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions, one for distracting him from hurting himself & two for getting him to roam the house as he had done from day one. I have a Kong, a dental chew toy & a treat ball all of which distract him for 5-10 mins. As for going into areas he resists, I still put his food down but further into the kitchen & put a little a short distance away from the dish to entice him to go to the bowl. One further thing he does not have as much interest in his toys as he first did. I have remove a couple & introduced new ones to give variety but I'm not sure if anything I am doing is correct or exacerbating the problems.

As a matter of interest I was warned by a couple of people that re;brown poodles can have behavioural problems I didn't believe them & I'm still not convinced this is  the reason for my current problems. My vet also tells me he is very large for his age & breed 10.2 kg & between 14 & 15 inches at the shoulder.

I apologise for the long winded explanation but figured the more you new the better it would be to help me & my beautiful Tanner. He is 4 mths in the picture

[Adrienne]

Hi Suzanne,

I appreciate the details, the more the better.

This must be so frustrating! I can't imagine how awful it must feel for dogs ( and their owners) going through the whole itching and chewing, especially when nothing seems to be working. When I hear about dogs itching on their belly and private parts, I always wonder whether products used on carpets, rugs and floors can be a trigger if the dog lies down exposing the belly on these surfaces. Food allergies can also be a common culprit for major itching. I hope with the help of your vet you can get to the bottom of this! He is so young!

With all this itching and meds, I wonder if these new behavior issues may be related. As the Latin saying goes "a healthy mind in a healthy body." In humans with eczema we can see what impact this skin condition can have on mood, causing stress and depression and there have been recent studies showing that dogs with itchy conditions such as atopic dermatitis may be paying in terms of behavior issues popping up in them too. 

With the fear of the floor, you may be right that the tiles moving can cause some startling effect when he walks on them. Another possibility is that he may have slipped on them and maybe he became shocked by experiencing sudden poor footing. However, since it seems like he is avoiding in particular the area with the tiles moving, I think you are on the right tract. Any chance the shifting tiles can be repaired? That would be the easiest, less labor-intensive fix. 

The other option is placing some books, boxes or other bulky items on these tiles so that he can avoid them and hopefully forget about their existence for some time.  

The other option is to use a program focusing on desensitization and counterconditioning. That is making the dog face his fears gradually and by associating the area on the floor with good things. This is the most involved option and takes time, patience and commitment and may not be worthy of enduring if the tiles will be fixed eventually. If fixing them any time soon is out of question, let me know and I can provide some examples, but it would involve eventually getting your dog to walk on them, at your own dog's pace ensuring your dog is comfortable throughout the process. 

 

To reduce the itching at night, you can try the following:

• A late evening walk or outdoor time in the yard or on a car ride may distract him and tire him out. 
• Try to feed his evening meal in a Kong Wobbler
• Engage him in brain games such as the Bottle game, Treasure Hunt Game and Muffin Tin Game
• Sometimes, letting dogs wear a shirt or men's boxers to cover the belly area/privates can reduce the itching/chewing (out of sight, out of mind)
• Will he play fetch with you? This can work as a distraction and hopefully tire him out
• Ask your vet about omega fatty acids and whether your dog may benefit from Benadryl  to help calm him down in the evening. 
• If this problem persists despite several vet visits, you may have to see a veterinary dermatologist to get to the bottom of this. 

I hope your boy starts feeling better soon! Keep me posted and let me know if you have any questions. 

Best,

Adrienne

Disclaimer:  if your dog is showing signs of a medical problem, please discuss with your vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. Always consult with your vet before trying any supplements or over the counter medications for safety, to avoid interactions and for correct dosing.