Dog unsettled after operation and now refusing to sleep downstairs and sticking to me like glue

[Partridgewell]

Hi all,

My dog is 5 and has always slept downstairs in the kitchen. She was not allowed upstairs and didn't really try after initial puppy training.

In early July, she got a grass seed in her paw and couldn't get in her crate with the collar on after her operation. She started barking throughout the night. Eventually, unable to take the noise, I allowed her to sleep in the living room. This was absolutely fine and lasted as long as she had the collar on.

Once the collar was off, I put her back in the kitchen at night but she absolutely would not settle and became very distressed. So she was allowed in the living room again. She started sneaking upstairs to sleep on my son's floor.

She then started jumping up onto his bed, which he doesn't want. He would bring her to me at 3am and I would go and sleep on the sofa.

Last night I decided enough was enough and slept upstairs in the spare room with her. I actually got some sleep but would much rather sleep with my husband than my dog. He has asthma so doesn't want her on our bed.

So this is all quite stressful. Coupled with this, she has become a complete velcro dog during the day. She's absolutely fine if I leave the house entirely but she follows me about much of the time otherwise. This is making me feel really trapped. She used to occasionally follow me into the kitchen to see what I was cooking but now won't settle on her bed in the kitchen at all.

I am at the end of my tether with her. I'm sure she's probably picking up on this. I don't think it helps that she hates the heat and she hasn't been properly walked for ages because of her operation and then the weather.

I do think I'm at least part of the problem. She stayed for a week with her usual dog boarder in the midst of all this and slept in the kitchen at her house as normal and her behaviour was as it used to be at home - settled and calm on the whole.

At the moment I am focusing on ignoring her when she shadows me and giving her treats when she settles away from me. She's usually absolutely fine when I'm sitting on the sofa. I feel like her dream life is me either sitting on the sofa with her, or out for a walk with her or out of the house entirely.

Has anyone been through anything similar and got any ideas? I really want my chilled dog back.

One thing that might help....get up early and give her a decent walk before it gets hot. She's gojng to be restless if she's not walked.

It sounds like she’s had a lot of upsets and changes to routine recently. Honestly I would say give her some of the attention she is craving, and when she is more settled try to rebuild the routine. I bet when she’s getting regular walks and is feeling fully well she will be more independent.

She clearly got very stressed at the vet and then being in pain staying somewhere without you. What breed is she ?
I think she needs reassurance but in a way that doesn’t cause more clingyness. Keep to your usual routine as much as possible. Can your dh tolerate her in the bedroom as long as she isn’t on the bed ? If so can she go into her crate in your bedroom, then move the crate back downstairs and stay with her there for a night or two, then you go back upstairs when she is settling again downstairs?

Lots of stress for her recently, she only feels safe at the moment with you

you can keep reassuring her and as time passes she will likely settle.

The clingy behaviour will pass, she just feels unsafe & unsettled because of the health issues and disruption to routine, and is wanting comfort. It does pass ❤️ don't take it too seriously she just wants mum while she's out of sorts but before you know it she'll be back to herself x

Oh my God, I actually can't tell you how much better I feel. She's my first dog and I just feel way out of my depth. Reading it back, it's pretty obvious she's just had a lot to deal with recently. I'll try to keep calm about it and be gently reassuring. Also get her back to full exercise now it's cooling down.

Put a sheet on your bed/have her sleep there, if there isn't enough room, you can put a raised bed beside it.

You need to walk her - if it’s hot that means going out at 10pm or getting up at 5am but you can’t just not take her for a walk and then expect her to just settle and act normally.

For four weeks after her operation she was only allowed very short lead walks. After that I have been walking her either very early or very late but not the usual route through the woods, as that doesn't feel safe at those times. I've been taking her to a field, which I often do if I have a busy work day, or for her four previous summers and she's been absolutely fine.

I had a really good chat with DH and he agreed to her sleeping on a bed next to my side of our bed. This worked ok - she did try to get on the bed a few times but she resettled quite quickly on her own bed. Thanks everyone for the suggestion.

In fairness this has been a very long, hot summer so what has been okay for a few days in previous years maybe isn’t okay for such long periods - I would be getting up early and taking her out late, and finding ways to occupy her in the daytimes too if it’s too hot for walks - can she go swimming for example, or do some training indoors?

I've been doing puzzle toys and place commands but have upped that over the past few days. She seems much calmer today, I think because the temperature here has dropped right down. About to take her for a 10k jog. Well, I'll do 10k, she'll probably do about 15, running all over the place.

Fingers crossed it's sorted now :)