Doggy panic attakcs? What's wrong with my dog?

[Cavedweller]

In the past 6 months or so my dog has developed a troubling behavior. Sometimes when I approach to pet him he growls and starts trembling. I have no idea how to respond to this, so I have just been giving him some space and talking to him in a normal tone of voice until he calms down. A minute later and he's back to his normal cuddly self, pawing at the air until I pet him.

Any idea what's going on??? How should I handle this behavior?

Background: This dog was a stray for the first 2 months of his life, but after that he's only lived in loving households. He's very skittish and startles easily, so I make sure he knows I'm approaching before I pet him.

 

[Toxoderidae]

Dog might be experiencing bad memories, my pitbull (also a stray for a while, but was abused aswell) will freak out at random things, or just people raising their hand. Just be calm with your doggie, and remember to do everything you can to help him.

 

[Cavedweller]

Dog might be experiencing bad memories, my pitbull (also a stray for a while, but was abused aswell) will freak out at random things, or just people raising their hand. Just be calm with your doggie, and remember to do everything you can to help him.

Yeah that's what I thought too, but the strange part is he didn't do this for the first 6 months or so that I had him. I also knew him from the time he was first adopted (he was my neighbor's dog first, I took him when they moved and couldn't take him) and he didn't do it then either. Any idea what could have caused this to develop later in life? He's about 2 1/2-3 years old now

 

[Toxoderidae]

I'm not sure. Sometimes odd things will trigger my dog. Honestly, you can't really tell since it's something inside the dog mentally, so the best thing to do is comfort him.

 

[Hobo]

Secretly carry some treats in your pockets (or a toy, or whatever else that makes him jolly, if food isn't his thing), and randomly drop one as you approach to pet him.
Eventually, whatever it is that is triggering his fear response to your approach will instead trigger happy feelings of anticipation for a yummy treat.

You also might want to give him a once over, just in case he has some kind of hidden injury that is painful to the touch.

 

[Cavedweller]

Secretly carry some treats in your pockets (or a toy, or whatever else that makes him jolly, if food isn't his thing), and randomly drop one as you approach to pet him.
Eventually, whatever it is that is triggering his fear response to your approach will instead trigger happy feelings of anticipation for a yummy treat.

You also might want to give him a once over, just in case he has some kind of hidden injury that is painful to the touch.

I already do this, but I could try increasing the treat frequency?

Yeah, I was wondering if he's got an injury too, but he doesn't seem to have any pain or trouble while roughhousing with my other dog.

The weirdest part is he only does this when my mom is visiting. My mom lives with me part-time, when she's outta town the dog goes back to normal. Mom's theory is that he gets confused and overwhelmed with two people in the house.

 

[The Snark]

Have him tested for epilepsy/similar. Common in certain breeds. Certain odors and/or lighting can cause it or enable it to be triggered.

The symptoms you describe were exactly what a friends Scotty did. The incidents increased in frequency and severity as it grew older. The odor of fish being fried helped to trigger it. The odor or light can be anything. The triggering is that particular part of the brain being stimulated in certain ways.

 

[PanzoN88]

I've never had a dog act like that, although my shih tzu refuses to go near trees on windy days after a large branch nearly fell on him. If it is not a health problem and it is behavior, you may definitely want to look into cesar milans books ror reference.

 

[Cavedweller]

Have him tested for epilepsy/similar. Common in certain breeds. Certain odors and/or lighting can cause it or enable it to be triggered.

The symptoms you describe were exactly what a friends Scotty did. The incidents increased in frequency and severity as it grew older. The odor of fish being fried helped to trigger it. The odor or light can be anything. The triggering is that particular part of the brain being stimulated in certain ways.

I took a quick refresher on canine epilepsy and rage syndrome. My dog's issue definitely looks fear-based/behavioral in nature rather than neurological, but he is on the affected breeds list (he looks to be a german shepherd/basset mix). I think you're right that I should get him checked out just to be sure. I'll schedule a vet appointment.

I've never had a dog act like that, although my shih tzu refuses to go near trees on windy days after a large branch nearly fell on him. If it is not a health problem and it is behavior, you may definitely want to look into cesar milans books ror reference.

Any book in particular you'd recommend?

 

[The Snark]

There are dozens of neurological or pseudo plus similar disorders. From Rare after effects of puppy distemper through Lymes disease, tumors, toxins, renal diseases and on out. Best is obviously to have a good vet do a full workup.

 

[Tigrosa]

I was gonna say... lots of dogs suffer from some form of seizure disorder. It's a result of over ten thousand years of selective breeding.

While all domestic dogs are theoretically susceptible to seizure disorders, some are affected worse than ever, and every case is different. A more minor seizure may not be debilitating, but could definitely scare the tar out of the poor guy... which could definitely cause something that we may describe as a panic attack.

I've never had a seizure, but I'd imagine it's a scary experience. If you're epileptic, your doctor will (hopefully) explain seizures to you and help you deal with them safely and effectively. Dogs can't understand it. It must be terrifying to them, ever time.

My friend got badly bitten by his poodle mix once because of a doggie seizure. The dog fell over and started seizing, and my friend rushed over to help. The dog came to in his lap, and in the moment he was fully conscious and mobile again, he chomped down on my friend's wrist and left a pencil-width hole on both sides of his wrist. I'm not saying that's definitely the case with your dog... as stated by others, he could have some trauma from an earlier life experience. The conclusion that I agree with the most, however, is that... because of the ambiguity of his behavior (symptoms?), he should probably be seen by a medical expert. If he gets a clean bill of health, perhaps a call to a dog behaviorist is in order.

 

[cold blood]

Sounds fear based, or trust based. Living feral can do that. When you approach and the dog responds in this negative manner, are you looking at him, talking to him? IME dogs like this prefer to do the approaching rather than being approached. I'd first avoid eye contact, as a former feral, he likely sees that as an unwanted challenge. If its his affection you want at the time, don't directly approach, but rather walk to the side of him, without eye contact or directly paying him attention and sit (not facing him). You can even offer a hand in his direction, but just offer as you sit (while still not looking directly at him). He will do better if the contact/approach is his choice.

You gotta think, even though he was only a stray for a relatively short time, it was during his formative time, so he learned to be wary of everything. Trust will take a long time with a dog like this, never give up. Being jumpy and untrusting was probably what kept him alive as a stray.

I'm guessing mom tries to make an effort with the dog, ironically, ignoring the dog completely would probably be more endearing to him in his state.

 

[Cavedweller]

I did my homework and it doesn't really look like a seizure. His eyes don't get unfocused at all, he seems totally lucid when it happens, and it looks like regular fear-trembling rather than seizure spasming (though I've only witnessed one seizure in person). But if it continues I'll have a vet look at it.

I finally realized he only freaks out when I approach him, so now I'm sticking to beckoning him over instead. It's only been a couple days but it seems to be working much, much better. You were right on the money, cold blood. I also periodically approach him and give him a treat. I have no idea how long that will take to get improvement, so I better stock up on treats, hahaha.

I talk to him as I approach, because he startles easily so I want him to know I'm there. I'll try using less eye contact, thanks. He's actually real chill about my mom visiting, he spends the whole visit sleeping on her bed.

This poor dog is so skittish. For a couple weeks I've been trying to desensitize him to the hairbrush. He runs away even if I'm just brushing the other dog. I've taken to leaving the brush by his foodbowl, which has worked out pretty well. He doesn't seem to even notice it anymore, but I'm worried I'll lose what progress we've made if I move on to the next step.

Thanks for all the help, guys. I hope you accept cute dog photos as compensation. (The one on the right is the dog in question)

 

[craze horse]

Did your too soft , and start handing out treats when the dog is having a funny moment it will learn this and start doing it for attention and treats. I've not seen your dog obviously but you could try putting him in his bed so he knows that it's not acceptable behavior. I had massive issues with my 55kg malamute he had awful dominance issues with just me. But that's a very long story .....

 

[Coconana]

Hey there! My fiancé is an accredited dog trainer that would love to talk to you about this dog and offer some helpful advice. If you're interested, please PM me and I'll drop his number for you.

You've got a very sweet looking dog, and I hope that you're able to get this figured out and worked on. Best of luck!

 

[Cavedweller]

Did your too soft , and start handing out treats when the dog is having a funny moment it will learn this and start doing it for attention and treats. I've not seen your dog obviously but you could try putting him in his bed so he knows that it's not acceptable behavior. I had massive issues with my 55kg malamute he had awful dominance issues with just me. But that's a very long story .....

Oh no, I mean I am just randomly walking up to him and giving him a treat before he starts freaking out. I definitely wouldn't give him a treat while he's growling. He's way too big to pick up, I just giving him space until he calms down. Oh man that sounds awful to deal with in a dog that size. Sled dogs are pretty headstrong too, aren't they? That sounds like the kind of thing you'd have to call in a specialist to deal with.

Hey there! My fiancé is an accredited dog trainer that would love to talk to you about this dog and offer some helpful advice. If you're interested, please PM me and I'll drop his number for you.

You've got a very sweet looking dog, and I hope that you're able to get this figured out and worked on. Best of luck!

That's so generous, thank you!

 

[tuko]

you should call your dog by name and wait until he responds before approaching him. Also always reach out with your knuckles. I dont know what's up with abused dogs and human palms. Do you notice if he is in the same spot when he is growling? I have dealt with strays and abused dogs from staffies, pitbulls and american bullies and fortunately these has worked for me. Best of luck

 

[Cavedweller]

you should call your dog by name and wait until he responds before approaching him. Also always reach out with your knuckles. I dont know what's up with abused dogs and human palms. Do you notice if he is in the same spot when he is growling? I have dealt with strays and abused dogs from staffies, pitbulls and american bullies and fortunately these has worked for me. Best of luck

Yeah, I've been calling him over by name now, it works much better. He doesn't seem to ever get startled when he's the one approaching. I didn't know about the palm thing, I'll have to remember that, thanks! I don't think there's any particular place he freaks out at being approached more than others.

Our current trial is working past his fear of the hairbrush. A few days ago I was able to put the brush next to him on the bed without him running away, progress at last!

 

[PanzoN88]

I know this is a few days old, but if i remember correctly, ceasars way may have information (i will have to find my copy to confirm).