Dog suddenly fearful and agitated!

[Kooshdakhaa]

Hehe...I see her sleeping in her kennel over yonder! Big improvement from a couple nights ago when she would be all agitated and hanging around my feet while I was on the computer!

And I see she's carried a few pieces of kibble into the kennel with her! Yay, more normal behavior!

 

[strollingbones]

girl she has finally react to your break down by having one of her own.....everything changed for her....everything....from your happiness to the daily walks..she doesnt understand why....jake is right...dont over do but comfort...a place to nest is always a good thing....sometimes the smaller the better...many people use those thunder jackets with success...

 

[Darkwind]

Poltergeists...

 

[strollingbones]

o stop that.....this may sound off but as child..i was terrified of the mere thought or mention of poltergeists

 

[Darkwind]

o stop that.....this may sound off but as child..i was terrified of the mere thought or mention of poltergeists

Its really not that far fetched. And I'm not talking about your childhood phobia...

Dogs and other animals are sensitive to a lot of the world around us we cannot see, hear, feel, or touch.

 

[strollingbones]

o great ..the wind just began blowing....its snowing outside...i had a nightmare and woke up screaming now this...thanks dark

 

[strollingbones]

but i would agree that dogs sense things we cannot

 

[Darkwind]

o great ..the wind just began blowing....its snowing outside...i had a nightmare and woke up screaming now this...thanks dark

Well, if I have to take account of every persons neurosis who posts on these forums, I may as well not bother posting at all because I'd not be allowed to say a thing......that is a telling indictment of the mental stability of this forum....

But your welcome....................

 

[strollingbones]

o great ..the wind just began blowing....its snowing outside...i had a nightmare and woke up screaming now this...thanks dark

Well, if I have to take account of every persons neurosis who posts on these forums, I may as well not bother posting at all because I'd not be allowed to say a thing......that is a telling indictment of the mental stability of this forum....

But your welcome....................

and werewolves dont leave them out...i grew up in alaska and my father was an avid hunter...one of my most vivid memories was of a 'wanted' poster for a werewolf that my father and his friends had....

i never said consider everyones neurosis only mine

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I am going to try some behavior modification this weekend. Sometimes she acts normally. I will reward her for that. When she acts fearful I will not pay her much attention. To start comforting her at that time just validates for her that there is reason to be fearful. When she's fearful I will just be calm and cool as can be as if everything is just fine. That's how an alpha would act...in control and in charge.

That might sound mean, but actually I think it will be comforting to her. That's what Cesar Milan always says, anyway, you shouldn't coddle them when they're fearful, it just feeds their fear. They want their alpha to be strong and fearless, so I can see why my continual crying for 84 days might be getting to them.

Sounds like something has really frightened him.

We had a vet who said we should scold our dog for being afraid of lightening. We dumped the vet.

Seems to me that comforting him in his fear is a very alpha thing to do. It seems to me to be "parental" and in charge. Either way, that's what I would do. To not comfort him seems cruel to me.

If you discover what caused this, let us know, would you?

No, comforting them in their fear is not an alpha thing to do. Maybe a quick pat, something like that, but no "Ooooh, you poor widdle thing. Come here you poor widdle doggie, are you scared???" etc. etc. That just reinforces their fear.

Alpha's are not necessarily "parental." They are "da boss." And they shoulder much responsibility for their pack. So, when there is danger they must be the strong one. And if there is no real danger, they shouldn't act like there is.

Sometimes alpha's can be very stern, but they are also fair. She needs me to be strong, right now. Doesn't mean I can't cuddle with her, though.

She's not getting worse...and maybe even a little better.

You describe much like what I meant. I don't talk baby talk and make a big deal about their fear. I do however, touch, talk, pet - just behave in a reassuring way. And, IMO, "cuddling" is very definitely a comforting act.

I just saw that you've been upset and crying. I would suspect that's a huge a contributing factor.

I hope she continues to feel better.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Cynthia seems pretty much back to normal.

Oddly enough...we had a new neighbor move in next door right about the time Cynthia developed this fearful state. I wonder...might he have kicked her through the fence or something? I'll have to keep an eye on him. He was living at a local homeless shelter and my neighbor arranged for him to move into a small silver trailer she has on the property right next to my house. Whenever someone new moves in there my dogs bark at them at first until they get used to the person living there. Some people take great offense to that.

I usually go out and strike up a conversation with the new neighbor, that makes the dogs realize the person is not a threat. So I did go talk to this guy the other day, let the dogs see me talking to him. I said "Sorry if my dogs bark at you...they'll stop once they get used to you." and he said, "They don't bother me a bit!" He also said he thought I was Sarah Palin when he first saw me. Not sure I like that, but he meant it as a compliment.

God help anyone who ever hurts one of my dogs and I find out about it. I will make their life miserable in every legal way I can.

 

[Gracie]

Glad to hear she is doing better. She was just worried the guy was encroaching on her turf, maybe.
Anyway....thanks for letting us know!

Meanwhile....I finally got a visit last night. Just when I had given up and stopped wishing for it..it happened. Not an earthquake either. Karma was on the bed. Cat was outside. Moki under the bed. My chair kept being bumped. Just like it did when Gracie would scrunch under my pc chair to lay under the keyboard drawer. At first, I thought it was Karma. It finally dawned on me that karma was on the other side of the room on the bed. I asked softly "Gracie?" and I put my hand down on the side of my chair and I could swear I felt a warm breath on my wrist. So I didn't say anything more. I just left my hand there...and I smiled. After awhile, the bumping stopped. She finally came to let me know. She was at my feet for a short while, then the chair bumped once more and she was gone.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

Another thing is me...my doberman Greta died 84 days ago today and I've been having crying fits every day since then. I wonder if I'm getting to her. Seems unlikely, she's not all that sensitive or caring about me...as long as she gets fed, she's cool.

[...]

Regardless of how she "seems," if she has bonded with you at all and if she depends on you she is sensitive to your moods -- a characteristic which accounts for the exceptional affinity between humans and canines. While I doubt you are being visited by Greta's ghost I have no doubt this new dog is reacting to your crying moods, which project apprehension as well as a dismal state of mind. The dog probably feels that something bad is about to happen.

Try assuming an upbeat mood in spite of your sadness and see how that affects her.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Glad to hear she is doing better. She was just worried the guy was encroaching on her turf, maybe.
Anyway....thanks for letting us know!

Meanwhile....I finally got a visit last night. Just when I had given up and stopped wishing for it..it happened. Not an earthquake either. Karma was on the bed. Cat was outside. Moki under the bed. My chair kept being bumped. Just like it did when Gracie would scrunch under my pc chair to lay under the keyboard drawer. At first, I thought it was Karma. It finally dawned on me that karma was on the other side of the room on the bed. I asked softly "Gracie?" and I put my hand down on the side of my chair and I could swear I felt a warm breath on my wrist. So I didn't say anything more. I just left my hand there...and I smiled. After awhile, the bumping stopped. She finally came to let me know. She was at my feet for a short while, then the chair bumped once more and she was gone.

Gracie, I just finished reading this book "Hello from Heaven" about ADCs (after death communications). Throughout the book I was wondering, "What about animals? Do animals ever return to visit us?" Finally, when I was almost to the end, there was this paragraph:

Many people have asked us whether deceased pets ever return to visit their masters. Yes, they do! We've heard several reports of ADCs involving beloved animals, including dogs, cats, a rabbit, and even a horse. We'll gladly devote an entire chapter in our next book to this subject if we receive enough valid accounts.

I pray for an encounter with my Greta some day. It would change my life. As it stands right now, the way I feel right now, I hope never to love anyone as much as I loved that dog again. It hurts too much to lose them. Everything feels altered, and not in a good way.

(I'm going to post this quote from the book over in the thread about being contacted by deceased loved ones, too).

 

[waltky]

Mebbe she seein' a ghost...

... or sensin' a earthquake about to happen.