Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 11/28/2006

Question
We have a standard poodle who we adopted, when she was 6 months old, from the Humane Society.  This was about three years ago.  Despite a rocky start (she was hard to housetrain, she got into everything, and still likes to eat everything), she blossomed into a great dog: calm, sweet, friendly, gentle.  However, all of this changed recently when we moved to a brand new house and it seems to be getting worse.  She has become anxious, fearful, and growls at people, like the groomer, who she always loved before.  She often has diarrhea and vomits.  Every move and noise makes her jump and cower as if she thinks someone is going to hit her, which we have never done.  We took her to the vet and they can find nothing physically wrong and put her on Elavil and meds for the diarrhea.  We can't figure out what happened to our sweet dog.  She has all the same toys, dishes, bed, crate, and the same routine as before.  We don't think there's anything poisonous in the yard.  We brought her to the new house many times as it was being built and after.  However, we did kennel her for a couple days during the actual move, but the kennel has a good reputation and they reported no unusual events.  Any insights?  Thank you

Answer
Dear Jill,
Thanks for the question. Sorry to hear of your troubles.
Dogs are very adaptable. Outside of house training mistakes, a new home with the same people, the same routine, et cetera would not usually be cause for a drastic change in behavior.

Diarrhea and vomiting are signs of a medical issue and medical conditions can cause sudden changes in behavior. The first thing to do is to get a full physical checkup at your vet clinic.

Please get her a full, thorough  checkup including complete blood count, thyroid measurements, blood chemistry profile.
At the very least the vet can help you determine why she is vomiting and has diarrhea.

If, after you straighten out the medical issues, she is still fearful, you'll need someone to help you that is familiar with fearful dogs. Check 0ut http://www.apdt.com for a trainer near you.

Happy Training!
AT