A Shift in Behavior
As we know many pets are all about having and following a routine that we often knowingly set or not. That pattern can be that we feed them when we get home from work or even, they get fed after the family does. Some pets have exact time frames, others are within a two-hour window. For some dogs, they go for a walk shortly after their people awake or later in the evening. The pets often associate these as part of a cluster grouping several of our activities or actions together that for them makes up a typical scenario.
Our lives shift and these routines are disrupted – most often not realizing the effect on pet family members. Depending on how often these changes occur, pets can experience it as no big deal, anxiousness or different behavior showing up when we are there or when we are away. Identifying the shift that caused a new way of behaving can be about going back to when it first was recognized and reviewing your life for what types of things were being discussed, new things you or other family members were doing, illnesses, or people moving in or out. Any changes in routine big or small can cause changes in behavior.
In my years as a pet companion, I have experienced pets suddenly bringing gifts into the house and learning the family had discussed major changes that would affect some members of the pet family. In another case, a pet whose person went off to college and she was left with the parents began destroying a garden that the mother was giving lots of love and attention…the pet was missing those same attributes and connection from her person. A pet missing the companionship of an animal sibling that passed began verbally speaking with his person all the time. We do not always hear pets talking with one another, but if you have ever seen them seemingly staring at one another - they are communicating. When one passes, we can learn just how much they all were talking with one another and the power of that connection.
After ruling out medical issues that can cause changes in behavior, tracking down the reasons in the environment starts with what has changed in your life. Then looking at how those can affect your pets and identifying solutions.
