Strange Behaviour?

We have two "children", Milka, our Toy Poodle and Abby, a Pekingese/Shih Tsu mix. Abby was my parent's dog, we adopted her recently after both my parents passed away within weeks of each other. Abby is a lovely wee thing, she has really latched on to me, loves my wife but can hardly bear being parted from me. Milka is incredibly patient with her despite her trying to be the boss!

Since being clipped a couple of days ago she has started behaving strangely, she will hardly come out of her bed, when she does come out she seems unsettled, dashing around the room, rubbing herself against the furniture and can't get back into her bed quickly enough, she will not eat her meals in the kitchen as she did before. I can't see it being anything from the clip irritating her skin, once she's back in her bed she settles down. I've been with dogs most of my life but haven't seen behaviour like this before, trouble is we haven't had her with us long enough to really know her habits/idiosyncrasies, for all we know she might have reacted like this every time she has been clipped? We are even wondering if it is something as simple as she feels cold after being clipped, after all, she's a tiny wee thing?

Anybody come across anything like this before?

poor wee love! It sounds to me as if she has been upset by something about the clipping. She is staying in the one place she feels safe...her bed. You should have been told if anything untoward had happened while she was away from you. Obviously that has not happened. Take things gently with her, even giving her feed in her bed. You need to build this little ones trust again. Hope this helps.

i can see it being cold, but check her coat see if everythink is ok if ok she will settle down.

She is so attached to me I was concerned about leaving her. It's not where she was used to being clipped when my parents had her, she had an appointment there but we missed it when both my parents had passed away within a couple of weeks, obviously we had other things on our minds. I contacted the groomer and was basically told to get stuffed as we'd missed an appointment, no consideration for the circumstances.

They were both desperately in need of a clip but the only place we could get them into within reasonable time was the local Pets At Home. I wasn't entirely happy about using them but the need for a clip was getting serious, poor little Abby looked like a floor mop and Milka's hair is so fine you can't stop it tangling, especially on his legs, when it gets too long, his hair has never gone wirey as Poodles are supposed to, it's so fine it's like cotton wool! I took Abby to be clipped in her small cage which she is used to travelling in but she wasn't happy at all when I left her and when I picked her up the only thing the girl mentioned was that she had wet her bed so she'd obviously been very upset.



I have to admit they did a good enough job of the clip but I think leaving her there was a bit too traumatic considering what has happened to her. She has been through a lot, first my father disappeared from her life, then my mother as well. You don't know what's going on in that wee mind.

"i can see it being cold, but check her coat see if everythink is ok if ok she will settle down"


I cant see anything amiss with her coat. I had thought something they used may have irritated her skin but no sign of anything. I suspect that with everything else that's happened to her recently being left at the groomers has been a bit too traumatic to just take it in her stride.

The same thing happened last week with my poodle/JR cross,

She keeps doing a weird shivering thing and opts to sleep in her bed rather than on the furniture.

I think she just feels a bit naked and exposed?

Just carry on your routine as normal....you don't want to be messing around and encouraging your dogs to be neurotic. Groom your dog regularly - clipped or not - it gets them used to be handled.

agreed

She's had a lot of changes recently. I'd bear with her, but as TTT says, don't cave and 'mother' her too much or she'll start to learn that it will get her attention. Keep to the routine you've established and let her just get on with it. Hopefully she will get over it soon.

Pleased to say she's getting back to herself again, think getting clipped was a wee bit traumatic, especially with it not being the place she was used to.

could you not find a mobile groomer next time so it can be done in your home .