Nikita and Coco

Question
Two of our three dogs is refusing to eat, drink or go outside when we are gone.  We have a professional pet sitter who loves them dearly.  We tried to go over night on our anniversary and she became so worried about Nikita that in the a.m. she took her to the vet.  The vet was very impressed on our sitter and the care she showed with Nikita.  But Nikita didn't want to go out and laid between the main door to go out side and would not eat or drink,  The vet checked her out and found nothing wrong and was quite supprised that Niki wouldn't eat, drink or go out side for her also.  This time we were only going out for about 12 hours so we had the sitter come over let them out and feed them.  Now both Nikita and Coco refused to eat, drink or go out.  In between these two episodes we had the sitter over for dinner and we stayed home and they were fine.  We were hoping that they would see when the sitter comes over its not when we are gone for a long time.  We do not know what to do and wanted to leave for about 15 hours to visit relatives for Christmas and do not think we can go if they will not eat, drink or go out side.  MIki is 9 yrs old. and Coco is 8 years old.Coco is fixed and has had breast cancer.  Niki has been fine.  Can you help us?

Sincerely,

Maureen

Answer
Dear Maureen,
Thanks for the question. I can help, but I'm not sure how to address the situation without knowing more about the environment and the dogs.

What is your assumption on why they won't eat or go out? Do they ever refuse to eat or go out in any other circumstances? If so, how do you respond?

What do they do when you leave during the day?

How readily will they go out when you are with them?

Do you take them for leashed walks?

What is their feeding routine when you are home?

Is food always out for them or are they fed on a schedule? Exactly what brand / type of food do they eat?

Do they like to play any games? have a favorite toy?

Have you tried using canned dog food?

Can the sitter take them out on a leash?

Healthy dogs can skip a day's worth of meals but do need water. During your absence, consider feeding them canned food (contains lots of water) and tell your pet sitter to attach a leash and lead them outside to exercise.

Treating them would require enriching their environment. For example, Get a Kong, place a strip of duct tape over the small opening to seal it. Fill it with some dog food and a few treats, add a couple of tsp. of chicken broth and fill it up with water. Place it upright in your freezer and let it freeze. Remove the tape and give them a Kong when you are home. DO this a couple of times. Once they learn about the Kong Game, use it for short periods ONLY WHEN YOU ARE GONE.

Teach them how to relax in a number of situations, slowly building up to situations that include your absence.

I hope this helps. If they have any other issues like fear of storms, it is likely that the other seemingly-unrelated issues are actually related.

I have lots more ideas, but unfortunately it takes me at least three hours to educate a client when we are face to face and I have all the pertinent information. You might consider contacting a professional that has experience with abnormal canine behaviors. Visit http://www.apdt.com

Happy Training!
AT