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My border collie mix just turned 14. She's doing really well save the start of vision problems and some arthritis in her back. She still mostly acts like a dog of only 6. We also have two other dogs, a 7 year old dachshund and the 1 year old xolo service dog.
Recently my roommate came downstairs and noticed a hole had been dug in the wall next to the front closet, on the short wall where the stairs come down. Mind, I've had dogs chew/claw walls before but always at entrances or doorways if they're locked in somewhere, never at a non-egress seemingly random wall. Her first reaction was that the puppy had done it, esp since the xolo was playing with some paint chips.
Then, I noticed a similar hole gouged in the upstairs hallway beside where the washer/dryer cubby is. The dogs are not allowed upstairs unless we are gone, in which case they are gated in the upstairs hallway...and the puppy is crated. Which means it was not the puppy.
So my next logical leap was that it was the doxie. But that evening, as I let the dogs go upstairs on the way to bed (they sleep in my room at the end of the hall) the border collie immediately zeroed in on the spot that was torn up and promptly began clawing and chewing on it. I stopped her immediately, but each time now when we go up to bed she returns to the same spot and tries to go after it again. We tried blocking it off like we did the hole downstairs, and she simply tries to move the blockage. She tries to move the blockage downstairs also when the thought occurs to her.
It's just these two spots of the house. She displays no other signs of anxiety. She can be dead asleep, wake up, wander over and start trying to prod at the wall. There's no anxious body language, no whining...she seems almost bored when she does it (she's not a bored dog, she has tons of toys, the attention of three people, and goes on daily walks. She's always been a laid back dog).
We have no idea why she's doing this. At first we thought there was something in the wall she was smelling but that doesn't seem as likely with two seperate spots on two opposite sides of the house. And it is only those two spots. She sleeps unrestrained in my room at night and has made no attempt to chew or claw any walls.
Thoughts?
Recently my roommate came downstairs and noticed a hole had been dug in the wall next to the front closet, on the short wall where the stairs come down. Mind, I've had dogs chew/claw walls before but always at entrances or doorways if they're locked in somewhere, never at a non-egress seemingly random wall. Her first reaction was that the puppy had done it, esp since the xolo was playing with some paint chips.
Then, I noticed a similar hole gouged in the upstairs hallway beside where the washer/dryer cubby is. The dogs are not allowed upstairs unless we are gone, in which case they are gated in the upstairs hallway...and the puppy is crated. Which means it was not the puppy.
So my next logical leap was that it was the doxie. But that evening, as I let the dogs go upstairs on the way to bed (they sleep in my room at the end of the hall) the border collie immediately zeroed in on the spot that was torn up and promptly began clawing and chewing on it. I stopped her immediately, but each time now when we go up to bed she returns to the same spot and tries to go after it again. We tried blocking it off like we did the hole downstairs, and she simply tries to move the blockage. She tries to move the blockage downstairs also when the thought occurs to her.
It's just these two spots of the house. She displays no other signs of anxiety. She can be dead asleep, wake up, wander over and start trying to prod at the wall. There's no anxious body language, no whining...she seems almost bored when she does it (she's not a bored dog, she has tons of toys, the attention of three people, and goes on daily walks. She's always been a laid back dog).
We have no idea why she's doing this. At first we thought there was something in the wall she was smelling but that doesn't seem as likely with two seperate spots on two opposite sides of the house. And it is only those two spots. She sleeps unrestrained in my room at night and has made no attempt to chew or claw any walls.
Thoughts?
I'll check it out.
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