My emotional dog

My dog is generally very timid and freaked out by life, he pulls on the leash and is curious and will move towards other dogs but bark at them and play a little game of advancing and barking, then backing up... and then he'll get scared by a garbage can or a bunch of balloons and stuff like that. He came from a shelter and may have had stuff happen to him before that resulted in some emotional problems, although he was a puppy when we got him (4 months) he was at the very least transported up from a kill shelter in Tennessee before we got him from North Shore.

Anyway, I included that just in case it winds up being relevant to my current concern. He is now doing this thing where he wakes up and takes off running from his dog bed and runs into our "office" and hides under the desk. If he would relax and lay down I wouldn't care but when we realize and find him he's like, still standing up cowering under the desk, so he's obviously frightened, sometimes for a half hour. Could this be from nightmares he's having? Or does he just have a lot of anxiety? We are very loving and take great care of him and he relaxes and falls asleep in our lap, sleeps in our bed, but I wonder if he's freaked out by his dreams or just has anxiety. It's very immediate, he abruptly wakes up and then runs out of his bed and into the other room. When he started doing this I was studying in the office (a few weeks ago) but now he does it whether someone's in there or not.

If anyone has had any similar experience with their dog please share. He is a gentle giant and I just want him to be a happy dog! We love him so much He is generally very happy and relaxed except for this.

Message edited 1/12/2011 5:55:17 PM.

Re: My emotional dog

I don't have any advice... it sounds like maybe he is scared, perhaps from experiences in the shelter. I would hope that with time and love he will come around though! It sounds like you have given him a great home.

Hopefully someone else can offer some more insight!

Re: My emotional dog

Awww the poor guy!!! I can't even imagine what it would be that scares him so much?!

Irwin had a similar problem. He used to get scared at night if it was windy and the basement door would rattle. But since we knew what the problem was we would bring him over to the door with us and show him that it's okay, there's nothing behind it and pet him and eventually he learned to live with it. Is there anything that could be making a noise or something while he's sleeping to freak him out so much? If not, it could be his dreams. Have you ever noticed if he was twitching in his sleep before he bolted?

Re: My emotional dog

Yeah, I mean sometimes he twitches and whimpers in his dreams in our bed, so I gently wake him up and remind him where he is and that he's with mommy and daddy lol. But I don't know about when he's in his dog bed (it's in our living room), sometimes I don't hear his sleep noises but I'm not sure if he's actively dreaming. I just feel bad and wonder what the F he's dreaming about! It could be anything, but I worry it's about bad stuff that might have happened as a puppy. The running into the office thing is just so weird. We coax him out most of the time and get him to relax but it's just so weird. He spooks easily but it's nothing external during the times he runs like that.

I thought it was his butt bothering him, because he was going outside and not doing any "business" and running around like a rocket with his butt tucked down and tail between his legs, so I brought him to the vet to have his anal sacs expressed... they were full so it probably gave him some relief but now I'm pretty sure that experience gave him new nightmares lol.

Re: My emotional dog

I would have nightmares about having my anal sacs expressed, too. Poor baby! Though honestly, we should probably have that done for Lucy. She does the same running thing.

Hmmm is there a door to your office? I wonder what he would do if you closed the door at night. I know it sounds mean, and I don't wanna torture the poor guy, but it's just so bizarre! Poor guy!

Re: My emotional dog

I sware this might be crazy but it sounds like your dog has gas .. My dog gets freaked out when she farts .. She gets so scared .. The only way you can tell is to get close to her but and take a littl whiff the next time it happens.. HTH

Message edited 1/13/2011 3:29:10 PM.

Re: My emotional dog

My dog (got at NSAL) is scared of his own shadow.....hates loud noises, has dreams but I let him sleep.

He is just a scaredy cat. I got him as 10 weeks so I doubt too much happened to him I just think that is how he is.....but he is not afraid of people or dogs so I laugh at his jumpiness.