is my dog having a psychotic breakdown?

Question

he is 2 yrs old he is a border collie he was potty trained and was a very good dog but recently something has changed he refuses to go outside it seems to scare him he has strated using the bathroom in the house again and he has become very skiddish he used to be in the way when iclean now if i walk into the room holding the broom he runs and hides and i have never hit him with it or anything he seems very depressed and last night we left thehouse and put him outside but left the garage door open incase it rained he went into the garage and scratched a whole allthe way through the screen and wood door that leads to the house ina n attempt to get inside the house what is wrong does anyone know a professional i could get a hold of to ask

Answer 1

It is obvious that someone or something has scared and possibly harmed your dog. Is it outside in general that he is afraid of or just the back yard? Does your neighbours have kids? Do they tease your dog through the fence? Ask your neighbours if anything has happened that you are not aware of. Is there any construction going on around your home? This sounds like something that happened to my dog many years ago when she was a puppy. We were renting a basement appartment. One night we came home and found our dog cowering under the bed. She would alwasy come to the door when we got home so we knew something was wrong. She screamed when we tried to get her from under the bad. She would refuse to go outside to the bathroom, therefore she would go in the house. I later found out our landlord had come into the appartment when we were not home. He had scared our dog so bad she had peed at his feet. Then he yelled at our dog and smaked her. She was scared of him and wouldn't come out of the appartment incase he was there. Needless to say we moved right away.
You need to raise your dogs confidence. It is something I had to go through with my dog, and it made me want to become the behaviorist I am today. There are a few things you need to do. Frist, find out the reason he is acting this way. There is always a reason. If he is scared of going outside then something happened outside. Next you need to start "Amichein Bonding" It is a process that establishes you as the 'leader', and being the leader your dog will feel comfortable in your protection. With you to protect your dog, he will relax and regain his confidence.
For More help email me at: [e-mail]
P.S. My dogs are Border Collies too

Answer 2

I would first take him to the vet for a check up, including a blood panel to rule out anything that needs to be treated medically. If that proves to be fine, then you should contact a Positive based trainer through the APDT website. It sounds that perhaps something scared him, and since there were fireworks last night, that very well might be the problem. If that is the case, then he will need a lot of reassurance that it is safe outside, with you being there to provide safety and assurance.

Answer 3

Have you had fireworks going off in your area? Some dogs get really freaked out this time of year.

I used to have a Keeshond who refused to go in the backyard for quite some time because my boyfriend turned the sprinklers on one day when I was letting him out.

Maybe just sit with him in the backyard some to help him relax. I wouldn't leave him out there alone if he is that freaked out. He could hurt himself.

Could it be that someone has abused him in the yard?

Answer 4

I use a service call bark busters, I believe they are all over the united states. They have helped me with a lot of behavioral problems I have had with my dog. Check out their website www.barkbusters.com

Answer 5

Sounds like he has been the focus of some kind of abuse?meter reader or mailman kick his butt???any crazies in the neighborhood??kids??? it takes all kinds but there are some nutz who abuse animals!! he could have separation anxiety?? my jack russel will do some real wierd stuff if we leave him alone for awhile?good luck some meds might help ask your vet?