Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> 2006 General Board Posts >> strange dog behavior
        
(Message started by: JenniferD on Mar 15^th, 2006, 7:15am)

Title: strange dog behavior
Post by JenniferD on Mar 15^th, 2006, 7:15am

can someone give an explanation for this?

My sweet Charlotte, (golden retriever/australian shepherd mix) Queen of the House and Diva Dog is 14 years old and we believe mostly deaf now.

In the last 2 weeks she is doing this more and more:

she lays in the hallway (normal behavior) but stares at the wall with her nose about an inch from the wall. Just laying there, head up, not resting, just laying there staring at the wall.

I'm thinking sound might be bouncing off it and she is trying to hear. I dunno, it has me stumped. Just strange behavior for her. Is some kind of doggie dementia starting?

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by chewy on Mar 15^th, 2006, 7:20am

Have you ever had a problem with mice in the house?

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by JenniferD on Mar 15^th, 2006, 7:36am

nope, and I think doggie #2, Zoey, would be the one freakin out over it if we did. Zoey- who notices ANYTHING out of the ordinary - never goes near that spot. Charlotte doesn't make any response to that section of wall, near the base of the stairs, just stares, not sniffing, ears not up or straining. its really strange.

And when we go to her and pet her and give her attention, she kinda snaps out of it like, "oh HI, good to see ya" and wags her tail like she was just zoning out, but hey, I'm back now.

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by pattik on Mar 15^th, 2006, 8:22am

Jennifer, My sweet old labrador, Tasha is almost 14, and I see that same behavior with her. Her hearing isn't what it used to be, although she still seems to hear what she wants to hear. ::) But the staring thing--she does that almost every day over the last few months. I'm thinking senility or mini-seizures or something like that. When I get her attention after a period like that, she's her old self again. I'm going to ask her vet about this during her spring checkup.
Pat

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by maffumatt on Mar 15^th, 2006, 8:25am

I used to have a bulldog that when he got old and was almost blind, he used to stare at the floor with his ears perked up, come to find out, about all he could see was shadows, thats what he would be stareing at. Put a light behind him and put a shadow on the wall with you hand, move it around and see if he follows it.
Matt

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by cootie on Mar 15^th, 2006, 11:24am

'Sumtimes' mild seizures will be the cause......can't say for sure in her case but that happens and they can sit and STARE like in a trance for a bit then jump up and go run around like normal or act normal. She mite be feeling or hearing something in that particular spot that is either bounceing off a wall or in the wall or floor.....dogs have keen hearing and maybe even if goin partially deaf they may be able to hear more then us or feel more as far as vibration or bounceing sounds. Mice sqeek real high pitch......just about everyone has them in walls ect one time or anouther they could hear or even FEEL climbing thru a wall or chewing or breeding whatever....or even a nest of babies. But if ya don't have any of them it could just be some sort of sounds and since she doesn't hear well she isn't sure how to process what she does hear or feel. My cats do that but they hear sumthin IN the wall I can't.....they will sit and stare for a half hour and I know it's either a mouse nest or area one is digging around or climbing thru or eating sumthing. Dog by nature Pam

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by zwibbs/Scott on Mar 15^th, 2006, 11:28am

Jennifer, When dogs get old they become fixated on different things. A 14 year old dog staring at a wall is not anything to worry about. They sometimes feel their breath and in some strange way it fascinates them. When they become blind they still can tell exactly where you are. Their sense of smell is tremendous

Title: Re: strange dog behavior
Post by Dragnlance on Mar 15^th, 2006, 10:19pm

I had an Irish Setter that used to sit and watch imaginary bugs, going back and forth in front of her. She would jerk her head to one side or the other, then try to bite at it. I sat next to her once to see what she was after, found, not a thing.
Humans don't have the market on being Nutz. ;;D