Can owner illness spark anxiety?

QMY son has had radical cancer surgery. Since the operation, no amount of coaxing will induce his eight-year-old female German shepherd to enter the house, even though his owner is now recovered.

AALTHOUGH it is intriguing this issue coincided with your son's treatment, the problem may not be directly attributable to it.

Dogs have fantastic sensory perception, particularly smell, and some have been trained to detect cancer in humans. But I wouldn't expect the cancer to directly induce anxiety which may be the dog's problem.

The anxiety caused by your son's diagnosis and the inevitable change of routine may have been a trigger factor for the behaviour. For example, the dog may have been walked less and got used to being outside. In the recent warm weather it will have been pleasant and perhaps reinforced his behaviour. If he has a kennel in the garden he may prefer to stay there.

Another trigger could have been something happening in the house without you realising, for example slipping on the floor. Make sure flooring is non-slip and have a vet check to rule

Our vet David Grant works his animal magic

out leg or spine problems. Refusal will be made worse by trying to drag him in by the collar. Dogs generally respond to treats and a gradual programme of encouraging him may work best. A qualified canine behaviourist would help with this.

● David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital for Animals. Write to him at Express Yourself, 10 Lower Thames St, London EC3R 6EN. He is unable to enter into individual correspondence.