Pit Bull behavior change

Question
I have a 6 year old, female pit bull named Cookie. She is a very well-trained wonderful dog, except for the fact that she gets spooked all the time and does not like males (except for my fiance) we have chalked this up to she must have been abused by a previous owner as we got her about 6 months ago. Recently though she has been showing signs of what seem to be panic attacks. We have come home a couple times and she has scratched the heck out of our back door. Some symptoms she has shown while we are home is hiding in small places or behind one of us, the whites of her eyes turn pink, she has recenlty made the bath tub her safe haven when one of these episodes hit. She runs back and forth throughout the house, pants VERY heavily, shakes, won't eat a treat, jumps at the door like she wants out, but when we take her out she just trys to find a place to hide. I don't know what to do. We have been crating her for the past 2 days so she doesn't destroy the house or hurt herself and so we get some sleep (because she will wake us up at night) Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Beth Stadtmiller & Cookie

Answer
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the question. Cookie sounds like a wonderful dog!
The behaviors you describe are Cookie's responses to stress. Thunderstorm phobic dogs and dogs with separation anxiety exhibit the same symptoms as your Cookie. Is it possible that during these episodes a storm was approaching or you were preparing to leave the house?

Start a log of these episodes. You are a investigational journalist now-;) record everything that occurs before during and after these events. Your task is to identify triggers for these behaviors.

If you cannot identify any triggers, it will be tough to teach her how to relax when the triggers are presented. If there are simply no triggers and the behavior is random, it is likely to be a genetic, medical or neurological problem.

The "fact that she gets spooked all the time and does not like males" is something that should be addressed and is more than likely due to the same underlying emotional and physiological factors that contribute to her "panic attacks".

Here are some steps you can take to "take a shot" at helping her right now.

For three weeks- feed a dry diet of 18% protein and feed low protein treats only. Look for "senior" dog foods. Subtract about 15% of the food from her dish and replace it with white rice(try the rice for about a week and then just use the 18% food without the rice). The goal is to decrease her intake of protein and increase her intake of carbs. If this is to be helpful, you'll notice the difference within three weeks.

Go to http:///www.anxietywrap and order one for her. Or you could fashion one from a sweatshirt. Place this on her when she is stressed and see if she settles. Give it 10-40 minutes before you decide.  

Buy the book, Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual by Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt. Follow the instructions.

By the book, The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell. Follow the instructions.  

I'm sorry your girl is stressed and anxious. In addition to the tips I've offered, it would be best to choose a diet that has no corn fillers and no by-products. Check the label on the low protein (senior) dog food and read the first four ingredients. If it has corn "anything" or by-product listed as one of the first four ingredients, this is not considered a high quality diet.

Provide her plenty of exercise. Games like fetch and  find-the-xyz are great for exercising her body and her brain.

Provide her playtime with other dogs. It's tough to simulate the stimulation she gets by romping with other canines!

The bottom line is that her immune system is being hammered and she needs extra care to ensure that her internal and external environments are well-balanced.

When she has these episodes, use the wrap and massage to try and get her to settle. Don't tell her "it's OK", because it's not ok. The only time she hears those words are times when she is terrified. After a few pairings of "it's OK" with her state of fear, the words could actually become  contributors to increased fear. IF you used the phrase "it's OK" when she was normal and happy, you could use that phrase to help her become normal and happy.

There are other things you can do to help her learn about her environment and learn how to relax, but explaining them on this board is not possible. You may need the help of an on-site professional. At the very least, buy those two books I recommended. Order them now! :)  

Thanks again, happy training.
AT