im pregnant and my dog has become a nightmare

Question
hello, my dog, murphy, is a staffie/labrador cross who has lived with us for about 4 years now, we took him on from a young mother who could not cope with him. we trained him and he became a well loved member of our family (my son is now 15) however, he has recently been making my life a nightmare. i am 5 months pregnant with twins and for the last 6-8 weeks his behaviour has changed radically. he displays anxiety symptoms and has been messing in the house because he refuses to go in the garden when he previously had no trouble with. he refuses food and can go a full day without drinking, he just sits on his bed panting. (which drives me nuts) he seems to 'hate' me and lowers his head when im near. the only time he is alert and 'happy' is if he is out on a walk (he gets 2 per day) my vet prescribed zylkene for anxiety which worked for about 5 days but now he seems even worse. im concerned how he will react to our house move in 3 weeks and more so how he will react to our new babies arrival when his attention will almost certainly be reduced. help!

regards and best wishes
jen

Answer
Hi, Jenny,

I don't think this is something that can be adequately addressed through email.  

His behavior could be due to "signals" you're giving (if you're stressed about the move) or perhaps a change in your hormones, due to your  pregnancy, is causing your "scent" to be different, or he senses your anxiousness over his anxiety.  His lowering his head sounds more like worry or fear than hate.  If he hated you, I would expect to see growling, teeth baring, etc.  A change in environment, like the move to a new house, is also stressful on pets as well as humans.

I would suggest contacting a trainer in your area to help with the pre- and post-move and what to expect after the twins are born.  If you give me your city, state and zip code, I can try to locate some trainers in your area.