why this strange behavior

[vivb53]

i would like to know why my female chit zu, who is now 6 yrs old has started chewing things up,also if she accidently get shut in a different room she starts howeling. she cant be pregnant as she has been spayed, thank you.

[vivb53]

hi ginger,thanx ever so much for ur reply,,the thing is,,i hardly ever go out,,as i have very poor health,i could understand ,if i was leaving   her  frequently and for long periods, but im not,and she only chews things while im gone,,so im not ther to catch her and stop her,she used to eat her own poo when i first got her,but i took a vets advice,,and got her out of that,,she does seem to want to be in control,i love her ,but i will not let her control me,its like a battle of wills,if u like,,but she gets alot of love and attention,,not only from me,but family and friends,,also,,,sometimes,,il let her in the garden ,to relieve herself,but she wont,,she just sits ther looking at me,after awhile i bring her in,,she will then wee on the hall floor,,she has already ruined my carpet ,so now iv got vinyl.as iv said i suffer alot of pain and cant keep running round cleaning up after her,,so all this is start to get me down abit.

[ginger899]

I know she's a Shih-tzu, not a wolf....but always remember, her cousins are! (wolves, that is!) Howling is a 'Pack-rallying' call. Dogs have not forgotten how to howl.
Wolves locate other pack members over quite large distances, by howling. Howling is acoustically quite amazing. The sound travels beautifully over distance.
So....she's doing that because she's feeling separated from her 'pack' (ie you, or you and the rest of your family. Yes, it's a form of separation-anxiety.
My opinion is that the howling when shut in a room by herself isn't necessarily indicative of any very bad thing, (you can always go find her, and bring her back to the room where you are) -but it could just show the tip of an iceberg of separation anxiety, which can be stressful for dogs.
With my dog, I always make it quite clear when she is being left (if I have to go out and can't take her with me for example....and never for very long at a time) I use a certain tone of voice which is kindly but firm, which she is used to. I tell her "I have to go out now. You have to stay. Get on your bed (which she does) Stay on your bed. Good girl."

Before I started doing that, I used to wait outside the back door and listen, to see how she was when I went out. She used to whinge and make noises. When I started the verbal routine with her, she calmed down. I once sneaked round to peek through the front window (she didn't see me, there are bushes there) -and she was peaceful and had stayed on her bed.
I am sure all she needed was to know what was going on. My routine shows her exactly what is going on. I go out/she stays on her bed/I come home after a short time/nothing horrible happens. Communication counts for a lot.

But as for the chewing things up, that is downright dangerous. One day she could get an intestinal blockage from some inappropriate thing she had chewed up and swallowed. I believe it is a sign of some form of anxiety, and it may well be related to the separation anxiety. That will have to be stopped.
But exactly how to do it?? Well I am not certain as I have no experience with that. My method would be to say a firm "NO" and stopping her, as soon as she goes anywhere near looking as if she might chew something. The important thing is catching her "right in the moment" and not afterwards, as she won't relate what you are saying to past behaviour, even if it's only half an hour ago.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help about this.

I hope Jaybay comments on this thread because she is the best person to ask about most behaviour issues.