Submissive peeing?

[Prin]

Jemma gets submissive and pees when she needs an estrogen pill. Lately, she's been more submissive than ever and the pills aren't helping (thus low estrogen is probably not the cause).

My man is home these days and as a result is not in bed early.. Usually, around 9 they fall asleep together on the sofa and then around 11, they go to bed. Jemma and my man were on the same sleeping schedule. This week, she hasn't been sleeping at her usual times (because he isn't) and I think that could be affecting her. She's way crabbier, more moody and more submissive than usual.

What do you think? Is it possible? Could the disruption of her sleeping pattern cause so much melancholy in my doggy? We're not really doing anything different. We haven't yelled at her or changed anything else really...

Any ideas?

[jiorji]

I think that's totally possible....that she may be so attached to him that she's irritated by the sleeping schedule. I don't think animals understand that if schedule changes you still love them and you're not intending on neglecting them, which i'm sure he's not.

I don't know what to say, I wish i could read animal's minds, but she's probably crabby cos she's not getting her preferred human interaction the way she used to. hehe it almost sounds to me like she's jealous that her human isn't spending that time with her anymore.

[OntarioGreys]

Sometimes just disruption of routine, it can throw their confidence off, Christmas holidays with lots visitors really knocked Nikki for a loop, I found that playing games and letting her win much of the time right afterward eg tug of war or go after a toy but let her grab it first, would give her confidence a good boost to get her back on track again. (not recommended for dogs who are confident or dominant)

[toby's tracy]

I am becoming a firm believer in the idea that disrupting routine leads to behaviour change. I'm sure a lot of Toby's latest issues have to do with our move.

It would be interesting to see how Jemma reacts when her nightly routine is back to normal. Keep us posted!

[Beaglemom]

Prin, I agree with the others. I too believe that routine changes can affect some animals more than others. Dogs in particular like routine and if it is changed, even slightly, some sensitive individuals can take it hard and react differently. In Jemma's case, she may just become more submissive because she isn't quite sure what is going on, why her schedule has changed.

[Prin]

Thanks you guys. That's what I thought, but we don't really have a routine otherwise, so it took me a while to figure out that it could be this. He spends all day with her almost- much more time than usual, but that's not sleeping time.

Last night I forced her to sleep with us... Well, not forced, but I made sure she didn't get off- she gets off the second we move (she was kicked out of bed in her previous home). Anyway, she seems a lot happier today. We'll see.

The other thing I noticed is that because he's awake, she can't sleep. She has to be awake to protect him, so it's like working overtime every day. She doesn't sleep at all if he's home and awake.

[jiorji]

Originally Posted by Prin

The other thing I noticed is that because he's awake, she can't sleep. She has to be awake to protect him, so it's like working overtime every day. She doesn't sleep at all if he's home and awake.

aww isn't that the cutest??? i love how animals protect their owners like that and can't calm down unless the human is calm. I find that sort of bond truly amazing.

My kitties do the same. They check up on me from time to time to make sure i'm still here and ok.

[Prin]

Yeah, but he's calm- just not sleeping. She's funny. If I bug him when he's sleeping, she climbs on top of him and protects him with her body.