Very well-behaved dog suddenly acting rebellious!

Question
Hello,

I have a question about my dog's sudden strange behavior. Avery is almost 6 years old. I rescued him at 3 mos, and he has always been a very intelligent, well behaved dog. He was very easy to train and corrected his behavior quickly when reprimanded. In the last few months, he has started acting out. It's almost like he's a puppy again, and I'm not sure what's causing the change. He constantly tries to steal food, though he won't do that in front of me or my roommates. He'll wait until we leave the room and then sneak in. He has gone as far as to try to get up on the counter (which he's never done) and doesn't listen very quickly when I call him. I haven't changed his routine or his food - in fact, nothing has changed. We have only lived with roommates this year, though, and we (Avery and I) are on the road most of the time. I am afraid that he views my roommates as higher in rank than me...it's the only thing I can think would be causing his behavior. But they don't really show him affection.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm confused...my well behaved, loving dog is suddenly ignoring my calls and acting out. Please let me know what you think I can do for him! Thank you!

Answer
Whenever a dog's behavior changes suddenly, I always suggest a vet check with bloodwork, including a 6-panel thyroid test and tick borne disease panel. If he's a large dog, it could even be the beginning of Canine Cognative Dysfunction (similar to Alzheimers in humans)Middle age is also a time when a lot of anxieties such as storm phobias and separation anxiety become more severe.

The other possibility is just that his rules and training have been allowed to slide, because he was always such a well behaved dog. If you don't use it you lose it, and with more people in the house, I'd imagine there may be more opportunities to scavenge. I doubt it has anything to do with rank or status, but just that he's discovered that counter-surfing is highly rewarding, and more humans means more stuff available. If he's acting like a puppy again, I say, treat him like a puppy. Daily training sessions, re-introduce rules (possibly even teaching him the kitchen is off-limits) highly reinforced happy recalls (be sure you don't call him when he has the option to ignore you, or for stuff he doesn't like (like going in from play) and manage him when you can't supervise him to keep him from rehearsing bad habits. One thing that can be useful for counter-surfing is to get the clear plastic carpet protector that has little pokey grippers for the carpet - put it on the counter pokey side up and it will be uncomfortable to put his feet on. And of course, try to keep edibiles out of reach. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com