Sudden behavior changes in my 10 year old Chow

[wlai3]

First a little background, my dog is about 10 years old, and is half Chow, and its other half is escaping me at the moment.  He's at my parents house, who likes to keep the house very clean.  During the day he is free to run around a large backyard, but is usually left alone.  They bring him in at around 9 at night and chain him to a crate for the night until they let him out again the next morning.  This seemingly did not have much effect on him.  Until recently, when we have noticed a change in his personality.  Whenever my parents turn the lights off and go to sleep he starts whining, breathing hard, and gnawing at his surroundings.  His chain, his crate, table legs, etc.  He recently chewed out the back of their couch, and started to bleed from the nails that were in the wood; all without any complaining from the wound.  My immediate reaction suspects separation anxiety, but my parents have been doing this for years, would it start to effect him now, after that long?  I also notice his legs have started to shake a bit.  It's not a constant, all the time thing, but when it does happen, they shake a lot.  Perhaps the 2 are related in some way?  Thanks for any help you can provide!

[Jaybay]

This is such a terrible situation for the poor dog.  Your parents are not going to change their views on dog care, so you may want to seiously think about rehoming him.  I know it's a horribly difficult decision to make, but your dog needs more care and attention than the people in his life can provide.

[ginger899]

If he must be crated, he needs a proper dog crate, that he can make a snug den out of, and feel safe in. A 5" high bin doesn't sound quite right.....

[wlai3]

Sorry, my mistake again.  I guess I thought something else when I thought of "crate".  It's more like a large bin, with sides about 5 inches tall.  So there's nothing to close and he can easily step outside of the bin which consequently means they chain him.  Although they have used different bins throughout the years, it's been the same practice for years.

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Try posting a question in the Ask A Vet Expert forum under Pet Behavior.  One of our veternarians or behaviorists might be able to give you some other ideas on how to reduce his anxiety.  

I am still at a loss as to why the chain is needed...can't they just shut the crate?

Also, is the crate something new for him?  Did you utilize a crate when he was younger?

[ginger899]

I can see that you are doing your best with him. Yes, it does sound as if he has separation anxiety. He was with you, then you have had to go away. Then you come back, and he will be overwhelmed to see you! Then you have to leave again.....It's hard for him to understand I guess.

I am not really sure what to do for this, as I'm not strong on dog behaviour issues!
But you need some good advice about how to handle this.
You could try a search on here in the archives, and see if any posts come up about how to deal with separation anxiety....or you could try a google search, there may be some advice online from dog behaviourists.

[wlai3]

Just to clarify, I didn't mean he was literally chained TO the crate.  He sits in the crate but the chain is connected to the wall right behind it.  The reason for the chain is because they do not want him walking around getting the house dirty when unsupervised.  Whenever I've been home lately (I recently moved away to college) I've tried giving him walks and spending time throwing a ball around with him, but the nightime episodes still occur.  Besides taking him to the vet, which I will hopefully do this week, my question is what else can I do now, if this behavior continues despite my efforts to spend time with him during the day?  Thanks again

[ginger899]

Good tips. I'll just add a little....
That poor dog must be terribly lonely. He gets little if no -social interaction, by the sound of it, with either other dogs or humans.
Dogs are amazing at just "getting on with it" and bearing the strain of not-so-ideal-circumstances. It's in their nature to adapt to whatever is going on, so long as they are fed, watered, and have a bed to sleep in, and are not too cold or hot.

But dogs cannot be really fit and well, mentally and physically, without: proper exercise (and that doesn't just mean being left out in a yard alone all day) -that means decent walks...play...etc. and : some kind of meaningful social interactions, with both their own kind, and with humans. Being alone all day, and then alone again all night, and chained up (whether inside, or outside a crate is irrelevant) is bound to cause some maladjustment, if continued over time.

I am so sorry. I do not mean any disrespect.

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

It's definitely a good time to take your dog into the veterinarian for a thorough physical examination and possibly even bloodwork/urinalysis.   Senior pets can exhibit signs of dementia and even cognitive dysfunction, including signs of separation anxiety.

My question to you is this:  Why don't they put him IN the crate rather than chaining him up TO the crate?  Keeping him in the crate would stop the damage to the furniture and the injuries to him....