Dogs acting weird

Tracy Rimmer · #21 12/20/10, 03:27 PM

Tried that, Angie. Typically, you say "what do you want?" and she'll lead you to the bin where we keep her treats, or if it's meal time, she'll go to her dish. If she needs to go out, she'll go to the door. This time, she just keeps saying "please", or paces.

I'm wondering if she's not feeling well. Wrex, the lab, is asleep on their mat right now, so I'm wondering if he was reacting to her this morning with his restlessness. I'm keeping a close eye on her, but her nose is cool and wet, and she ate her breakfast okay, had her normal morning "constitutional", so I don't know quite what it would be.

jill.costello · #22 12/20/10, 03:42 PM

My dogs have been "wired for sound" for 3 days, I have been blaming it on the cold snap, but it really IS getting out-of-hand!

The female who lives inside is doing exactly what you're describing: wanting OUT, but full of nerves when I take her OUT and scooting for the door!

The 3 boys who live outside are barking and fussing at every little thing.

It's making ME nervous and paranoid, which can't be helping......

beccachow · #23 12/20/10, 03:51 PM

OMG, all 3 of mine!!! Now IO am starting to get wierded out.

JuliaAnn · #24 12/20/10, 04:06 PM

Is she defecating and urinating freely? Could she have an impacted bowel or bladder problems? Just trying to figure out what could be causing her distress. If she keeps saying 'please, she wants you to understand something. Will she let you comfort her?

Are your kids ok?

Hope everything is ok. It's terrible when your pups can't tell you in words what's wrong.

Tracy Rimmer · #25 12/20/10, 04:38 PM

All processes seem to be working properly, although when she squats to pee, she's still on "full alert", if you know what I mean -- ears cocked and looking around. She did her normal "morning" routine this morning, so no worries there.

She'll let me cuddle her for a minute or two, snuffles my ear (her version of a kiss) and then goes back to pacing. She's whined at the door a few times, went out and stood looking to the SW. Right now, she's standing in the kitchen with her chin on the windowsill looking out. She's been there for about five minutes, and hasn't hardly moved. Every little noise -- the kids moving around upstairs, the washing machine changing cycles -- has her barking.

She's been drinking fine, and ate her breakfast without a problem. I gave them each a treat a while ago, and she ate it, wagged her butt (she's naturally docked, and when she wags her "tail", her whole backside wiggles), then went back to her pacing.

The kids are fine. Youngest has the sniffles today, but it's not slowing him down any.

Minelson · #26 12/20/10, 04:43 PM

My 3 are acting REALLY strange. And it IS because Santa is coming. Shep is acting the strangest..I think because he is older he has more practice of knowing Santa.

JuliaAnn · #27 12/20/10, 05:01 PM

What is located to the SW of you? Your barn or another building? Big tree? Another farm? Power plant? Large city? Missle silo or otehr gvmt. installation? Woods? If she keeps looking in that direction I'd be (and I'm sure you already are) wondering what lay in that direction.

When you go outside, can you hear anything in the distance, or is there wind or other noise that would interfere with what you can hear? I'm wondering if she is hearing a person or another animal in distress? Any strange smells?

Geeze, now I'm worried, and I'm not even up there...

shanzone2001 · #28 12/20/10, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracy Rimmer

Another weird thing -- we taught her to say "please" when she wants something. She comes up to you, sits down and brings a paw up and paws the air. That means "please".

She's been coming to me all day and saying "please".

That is creepy. Dogs sense stuff...any possible tornadoes, hurricanes, etc?

Now that I think about it, my son said he couldn't sleep because our dog was whining all night, which she never does.

fordy · #29 12/20/10, 05:09 PM

.................She maybe experiencing some kind of internal pain that keeps her in constant motion , I'd take her too the vet ! , fordy

shanzone2001 · #30 12/20/10, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuliaAnn

Maybe spirits of some sort? Couldn't hurt to invoke the name of Jesus Christ and banish whatever might be present.

My son said the same thing.

Bearfootfarm · #31 12/20/10, 05:17 PM

Quote:

My dogs are acting weird today too, really restless and they wont settle

I heard George Bush is spraying Chem Trails of MSG in your area

ArkansasLady · #32 12/20/10, 07:22 PM

I would have to agree that something is out there that has her disturbed, the only other thing I can think of, is this..are any of your family epileptic, some dogs can sense the onset of seizures.

But I would really think wild animal since she is so skittish about outdoors

SilverFlame819 · #33 12/20/10, 07:29 PM

Any chance you can put her on a leash and walk with her in the direction that has her alarmed, to see what her reaction is? There is probably something out there she's hearing that is out of your hearing range.

SilverFlame819 · #34 12/20/10, 07:33 PM

I think I read in one of your early posts that at one point she was alarmed at a certain direction, then a second direction, now this is the third direction? It could be that she was trying to get her bearings on where the sound was coming from outside, and it was hard to tell from indoors... or whatever animal/person/thing is out there, it could have circled your property and then headed to the SW, so that's the location she stopped at...

My main concern would be that she doesn't want YOU outside. So whatever is out there has her spooked. Perhaps a smell she isn't familiar with... or someone giving off bad vibes? Whatever the case, I'd rethink the idea to take a walk with her in the direction that she is bothered by. Any chance you could take a ride in the car in that direction, with both you and her securely locked inside?

BetsyK in Mich · #35 12/20/10, 08:22 PM

Any chance you might have a big cat or a bear around. From what I understand they both are inclined to make a circuit for several days in a row, probably be about the same time of day. Do you have chickens or an other easy prey type critters that would draw a cat. Several years ago my aussie/shelty cross was restless about the same time in the evening several times. The outside border collie, who NEVER wanted to come in the house was at the back door. Heard a few days later that people were seeing a mountain lion/cougar in the area. All the years I'd lived here I had never heard of any big cats around. I don't think the dogs knew what it was but knew it was trouble and acted just like your describing you dogs behavior. Are they still acting strangely?

Honorine · #36 12/20/10, 08:24 PM

Well its the full moon, winter solstice and lunar eclipse all rolled into one

http://www.almanac.com/content/sky-watch-december-2010

December's full moon is also called the Wolf Moon, so who knows what the dogs are feeling. They'll probably settle down after tomorrow.

naturelover · #37 12/20/10, 08:39 PM

Maybe the dog is hearing the crackle and pop of northern lights and getting zapped by electrical brush discharge. Our dogs used to hate that sound and the accompanying electric shocks on their hair.

http://www.----interesting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora

Oh darn, that link won't work, the forum edited out the 'darn' word in the address.

Quote:

If conditions are right, you may hear some unusual noises. Earwitnesses have said the sound is like radio static, a small animal rustling through dry grass and leaves, or the crinkling of a cellophane wrapper. Inuit folklore says it’s the sound of the spirits of the dead, either playing a game or trying to communicate with the living.

It’s the sound of the aurora itself. And the cause is currently unknown. Understanding the phenomenon is made more difficult by the fact that though there are many anecdotal reports, the sound has yet to be recorded.

Aurora displays are caused by the solar wind interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. Because these interactions happen at altitudes of at least sixty kilometers, the sounds heard cannot be made by the aurora directly. Even if the air up there were dense enough to support sound waves, they would disperse and fade long before they reached the ground.

The sounds aren’t common, and there doesn’t seem to be any consistency in their occurrences. What’s more, one observer of an aurora may hear the sounds distinctly, while another observer of the same display– even at the same location– may not.

The sounds could also be due to what is known as brush discharge. According to this theory, the ionization effects that produce the aurora are technically reaching ground level, but the intensity at low altitudes is not strong enough to produce a visible display. This causes a buildup of static electricity on nearby objects, which intermittently discharges into the atmosphere. In effect, this produces microscopic bolts of lightning. If this theory is correct, the sound the observer is hearing is the result of thousands of these tiny sparks. The effect would be strongest on long, thin, dry objects such as grass or frizzy hair, which are best at bleeding off excess charge.

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Tracy Rimmer · #38 12/20/10, 08:59 PM

She finally settled after DH got home. She's sleeping at my feet right now -- no napping today, as she's used to, so I think she's tired out from all that pacing

I called my neighbor to the SW -- closest neighbor we have and a mile away. She said nothing was going on that she knew about, so who knows? Beyond that neighbor, about a mile further on, is a marsh, so it might have been something over there, but I don't know.

I poked around the property a bit today, no tracks or anything, so I don't think it was a critter. Yes, we have livestock that might draw predators, but no tracks that I could find, so

I'll keep an eye on her this evening -- she ate her dinner like normal, went out and did her business after dinner, and we'll see how she reacts at bedtime, but whatever it was appears to have passed.

JuliaAnn · #39 12/20/10, 09:34 PM

I bet she's worn out from fretting all day. Maybe she'll sleep well and tomorrow will be free of whatever was bothering her today. She sounds like a very good girl.

NickieL · #40 12/20/10, 10:02 PM

Are there any solar flares coming? Mabey the poles are about to shift?