My Dog Has Turned Into....

[shyfig]

This is going to sound a little weird but bare with me please.

For 4 nights in a row.....at 12 midnight each night....Jed starts barking non-stop, sounding like he's growling (more like a gargling sound) and turning head side ways when he looks at me. He doesn't bare teeth but keeps backing away from me. Meanwhile his tail wags.

The first night that this happened was before going to bed whilst I was sitting at the kitchen table. It was like he had not seen me before.

The following nights it has happened after we have gone to bed. Jed sleeps on the end of my bed and is tethered so he can't wander unsupervised. This has worked well for the 6 months in which I have had him. Never has there been any major problems with him settling to sleep before.

When he starts this new barking "behaviour" nothing....and I mean nothing has settled it down except when I tether him outside our loungeroom door (where I feed him) and he has immediately stopped barking and settled for sleep. (This was discovered through frustration on the first night after 3 hrs of barking). I of course have slept on the lounge with the door open so I can keep an eye on him.

The barking has gone on for between 3 hrs (night 1) and 1/2 hr (night 4) stopping only when I have tethered him outside the loungeroom door on the side verandah.

My two questions are:

1/ what can anyone make of this bizzarre change of character and

2/ does the description sound like he is being aggressive or just challenging?

Jed is now 11 months old and apart from food and toy guarding (from cats) that I have posted about he is a beautiful, cheeky and responsive BC. This new behaviour has left me perplexed and a little worried.

Opinions appreciated please!!

Edited March 24, 2011 by shyfig

[dancinbcs]

I can only think of two things that might be causing the bizarre behaviour.

1. He can hear something that you can't and he is worried about it. No idea though why he would stop when you put him outside.

2. He has a neurological problem of some sort. I would get a vet check and ask for a referal to a neuro specialist.

How old is he and where his parents clear for CL ?

I would also get a crate or puppy pen for him and stop tethering him. A tethered dog feels vulnerable, a crated dog feels safe. Also I never ever advise tethering Borders because quite a few manage to hang themselves. I never even leave collars on mine because it is a very real danger with them.

[shyfig]

I can only think of two things that might be causing the bizarre behaviour.

1. He can hear something that you can't and he is worried about it. No idea though why he would stop when you put him outside.

2. He has a neurological problem of some sort. I would get a vet check and ask for a referal to a neuro specialist.

How old is he and where his parents clear for CL ?

I would also get a crate or puppy pen for him and stop tethering him. A tethered dog feels vulnerable, a crated dog feels safe. Also I never ever advise tethering Borders because quite a few manage to hang themselves. I never even leave collars on mine because it is a very real danger with them.

Jed is 10mths old and his parents were cleared for CL...the Dam by genetic testing and the Sire by parentage although somewhere in the Sires "family tree" I think may be a carrier. I have actually researched CL and so far this does seem to fit the bizzare behaviour. (Tonight begins night 5...right on the strike of midnight!).

I am tethering until I can manage to get a crate and there is absolutely nowhere he can hang himself. Tethering only happens for nightime sleeping and whilst he eats a bone...so maybe every 2nd or 3rd night. He has the full run of the yard and house all other times. I acknowledge your concern however and say thankyou.

The point about a tethered dog feeling vulnerable compared to a crated dog feeling safe is an angle I had not thought of.

We may well be looking at a visit to the vet.

[dancinbcs]

Ok, it won't be CL because he is too young for symptoms and he only needs one parent to be clear to not be affected, so you can rule that out.

Is there anything in the room where he starts that could look a strange shape to him when the lights go out, or a street light shines in ? He is at the age where they sometimes go through a stage of seeing scary monsters that are not really there. Most of mine at that age have become worried by a family crest we have on the wall. With the lights out and just the dim light from the streetlight it does look a bit like a face. Despite it being there all their lives my puppies have nearly all barked at it in terror at some stage until I take it off the wall and show it to them. After several nights of showing there is nothing to worry about they ignore it again. I have also had them become scared of walking past letter boxes and garbage tins for a few weeks before getting over it. No idea why it happens but I call the scary monster stage. Laughing at them and making a point of touching whatever they are scared of seems to get them over it in a few weeks.

If you cannot find anything he might be reacting to, then a vet check would definitely be a good idea. I had one with brain damage from meningitis that used to want to go out at the same time every night and bark at the same spot on the back fence. In hindsight though, it was one of several odd things he was doing.

[Loraine]

I have absolutely no advice, but I feel your pain. My 7 yr old Wire Foxy started midnight whinging, digging, biting the metal gates about a year or so ago. He is now on 5mg Promex every night and sleeps through. No idea what the cause of his strange behaviour was. Tried behaviourist to no good.

Good luck with finding out whatever is causing your young 'un to have these moments.

[possum86]

Maybe a ghost comes visiting you in the night?

[Isabel964]

Yeah, I was thinking a ghost or spirit might be being seen by the dog too. ... you never know.

If it was me I would go to the vet, and assuming the vet finds nothing ask the vet for a behaviourist - and I would do it fast, because if it is a behavioural issue (medical too actually), the sooner you get onto it the better.

Hope it works out ok. I have never experienced this.

Oh...last thought, perhaps try rescue remedy as it gets into the evening....might help, can't hurt.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Sky

[shyfig]

I took Jed to the vet this afternoon and she is very perplexed as well about this bizzare behaviour. The vet is going to make some further enquiries re: inherited disorders. I will arm myself tonight with the camcorder and try to shoot some footage to assist in getting some answers. Tomorrow night Jed can have a sedative which will hopefully ensure that I get my first decent night's sleep after 5 without.

Monday the vet will contact me re: next steps.

Thanks everyone who has replied....and I welcome any further input.

[dancinbcs]

I took Jed to the vet this afternoon and she is very perplexed as well about this bizzare behaviour. The vet is going to make some further enquiries re: inherited disorders. I will arm myself tonight with the camcorder and try to shoot some footage to assist in getting some answers. Tomorrow night Jed can have a sedative which will hopefully ensure that I get my first decent night's sleep after 5 without.

Monday the vet will contact me re: next steps.

Thanks everyone who has replied....and I welcome any further input.

I have been on the hereditary diseases sub-committee of the BCC of NSW for about 25 years, was one of the team that organised the research that led to the development of the CL test and I have never heard of any hereditary condition that could cause those symptoms at that age. It could be an infection or tumour in the brain. I do know of a dog that had a tumour started by a infection, after he inhaled mould spores. Exposure to toxins can also affect the brain as well.

The other possibility I didn't think of was that mentioned by some others on here. Could your house be haunted ? Dogs and horses pick up on supernatural energy long before humans do and can be very spooked by it.

[shyfig]

I took Jed to the vet this afternoon and she is very perplexed as well about this bizzare behaviour. The vet is going to make some further enquiries re: inherited disorders. I will arm myself tonight with the camcorder and try to shoot some footage to assist in getting some answers. Tomorrow night Jed can have a sedative which will hopefully ensure that I get my first decent night's sleep after 5 without.

Monday the vet will contact me re: next steps.

Thanks everyone who has replied....and I welcome any further input.

I have been on the hereditary diseases sub-committee of the BCC of NSW for about 25 years, was one of the team that organised the research that led to the development of the CL test and I have never heard of any hereditary condition that could cause those symptoms at that age. It could be an infection or tumour in the brain. I do know of a dog that had a tumour started by a infection, after he inhaled mould spores. Exposure to toxins can also affect the brain as well.

The other possibility I didn't think of was that mentioned by some others on here. Could your house be haunted ? Dogs and horses pick up on supernatural energy long before humans do and can be very spooked by it.

CL can appear as early as 12 months according to some information and the vet is preferring to contact OptiGen just to try and verify some info re Jed's parentage on the Sire's side.

As far as any "paranormal" activity...it would have to be related directly to me as all his energy and responses are directed straight at me for the entire time...It is like Jed is saying "who the hell are you?"...."I recognize the house, the cats, the kids but you I have never seen before..get out!!". Perhaps I am possessed

Wow...perhaps I need:

A vet

A geneticist

A behaviouralist

An exorcist

[dancinbcs]

I took Jed to the vet this afternoon and she is very perplexed as well about this bizzare behaviour. The vet is going to make some further enquiries re: inherited disorders. I will arm myself tonight with the camcorder and try to shoot some footage to assist in getting some answers. Tomorrow night Jed can have a sedative which will hopefully ensure that I get my first decent night's sleep after 5 without.

Monday the vet will contact me re: next steps.

Thanks everyone who has replied....and I welcome any further input.

I have been on the hereditary diseases sub-committee of the BCC of NSW for about 25 years, was one of the team that organised the research that led to the development of the CL test and I have never heard of any hereditary condition that could cause those symptoms at that age. It could be an infection or tumour in the brain. I do know of a dog that had a tumour started by a infection, after he inhaled mould spores. Exposure to toxins can also affect the brain as well.

The other possibility I didn't think of was that mentioned by some others on here. Could your house be haunted ? Dogs and horses pick up on supernatural energy long before humans do and can be very spooked by it.

CL can appear as early as 12 months according to some information and the vet is preferring to contact OptiGen just to try and verify some info re Jed's parentage on the Sire's side.

As far as any "paranormal" activity...it would have to be related directly to me as all his energy and responses are directed straight at me for the entire time...It is like Jed is saying "who the hell are you?"...."I recognize the house, the cats, the kids but you I have never seen before..get out!!". Perhaps I am possessed

Wow...perhaps I need:

A vet

A geneticist

A behaviouralist

An exorcist

Ok, was just clutching at straws because I know of several incidences of dogs and horses going nuts in places that are supposed to haunted. That is really bizarre if the behaviour is directed at you. With CL they don't seem to even acknowledge that there is a person there and react to nothing at all.

There is no point in contacting Optigen because they don't have the CL info for Australian dogs. The test was developed here at the Uni of NSW and all the data is stored there. Optigen are just licenced to do the test in Nth America.

15 months is about the earliest that I have ever heard of CL symptoms, but if Jed's dam is CL normal by testing, he cannot possibly be affected by it, no matter who his father is and what his DNA status is. If you want more info on CL you need to contact Prof Alan Wilton at the School of Biochemistry, Uni of NSW.

Edited to add - CL in other breeds like English Setters, can occur earlier but it is a different form of CL to the one in Border Collies.

Edited March 25, 2011 by dancinbcs

[dancinbcs]

duplicate post

Edited March 25, 2011 by dancinbcs

[dancinbcs]

and again

Edited March 25, 2011 by dancinbcs

[Kirty]

Have you changed your hair? Have you started doing something recently that might make you smell different? What is his eyesight like? I take it he has been checked for a problem with his eyes?

[shyfig]

I took Jed to the vet this afternoon and she is very perplexed as well about this bizzare behaviour. The vet is going to make some further enquiries re: inherited disorders. I will arm myself tonight with the camcorder and try to shoot some footage to assist in getting some answers. Tomorrow night Jed can have a sedative which will hopefully ensure that I get my first decent night's sleep after 5 without.

Monday the vet will contact me re: next steps.

Thanks everyone who has replied....and I welcome any further input.

I have been on the hereditary diseases sub-committee of the BCC of NSW for about 25 years, was one of the team that organised the research that led to the development of the CL test and I have never heard of any hereditary condition that could cause those symptoms at that age. It could be an infection or tumour in the brain. I do know of a dog that had a tumour started by a infection, after he inhaled mould spores. Exposure to toxins can also affect the brain as well.

The other possibility I didn't think of was that mentioned by some others on here. Could your house be haunted ? Dogs and horses pick up on supernatural energy long before humans do and can be very spooked by it.

CL can appear as early as 12 months according to some information and the vet is preferring to contact OptiGen just to try and verify some info re Jed's parentage on the Sire's side.

As far as any "paranormal" activity...it would have to be related directly to me as all his energy and responses are directed straight at me for the entire time...It is like Jed is saying "who the hell are you?"...."I recognize the house, the cats, the kids but you I have never seen before..get out!!". Perhaps I am possessed

Wow...perhaps I need:

A vet

A geneticist

A behaviouralist

An exorcist

Ok, was just clutching at straws because I know of several incidences of dogs and horses going nuts in places that are supposed to haunted. That is really bizarre if the behaviour is directed at you. With CL they don't seem to even acknowledge that there is a person there and react to nothing at all.

There is no point in contacting Optigen because they don't have the CL info for Australian dogs. The test was developed here at the Uni of NSW and all the data is stored there. Optigen are just licenced to do the test in Nth America.

15 months is about the earliest that I have ever heard of CL symptoms, but if Jed's dam is CL normal by testing, he cannot possibly be affected by it, no matter who his father is and what his DNA status is. If you want more info on CL you need to contact Prof Alan Wilton at the School of Biochemistry, Uni of NSW.

Edited to add - CL in other breeds like English Setters, can occur earlier but it is a different form of CL to the one in Border Collies.

We sot of know that by doing the genetic sums for CL Jed is not affected but the vet is in fact contacting Prof Wilton regarding this plus some additional checks more as a process of elimination.

Of course I would rather it be a haunted house than any neurological problems that might cause him suffering.

[shyfig]

Have you changed your hair? Have you started doing something recently that might make you smell different? What is his eyesight like? I take it he has been checked for a problem with his eyes?

Vet attempted to check his eyes yesterday but wasn't too successful as all Jed wanted to do was kiss and cuddle her!

She will have to sedate him to examine him properly.

No other changes re: me.

[Kirty]

I would try not to sedate him to check his eyes. I'd leave the room and get a nurse to help. Dogs are often more calm when the owner is not in the room.

[anniek]

This is going to sound a little weird but bare with me please.

Jed starts barking non-stop, sounding like he's growling (more like a gargling sound) and turning head side ways when he looks at me. He doesn't bare teeth but keeps backing away from me. Meanwhile his tail wags.

No real advise, other than to say this is what my old boy does at 9:05pm at night if he hasn't had his walk.

He gets up close, growls and barks into my face, clacking his teeth while his tail does helicopters. Then he slowly backs away.

I just tell him to shut up and he goes and lies down.

It does sound similar except for it going on for hours.

Annie

Edited March 26, 2011 by anniek

[bedazzledx2]

My 12yr old BC does this for his dinner...unfortunately he is now forgetting that he has had his dinner and we're getting this more and more! At least I know what it is and can manage it a bit.

To the op...can you video the behaviour and post it somewhere?

This is going to sound a little weird but bare with me please.

Jed starts barking non-stop, sounding like he's growling (more like a gargling sound) and turning head side ways when he looks at me. He doesn't bare teeth but keeps backing away from me. Meanwhile his tail wags.

No real advise, other than to say this is what my old boy does at 9:05pm at night if he hasn't had his walk.

He gets up close, growls and barks into my face, clacking his teeth while his tail does helicopters. Then he slowly backs away.

I just tell him to shut up and he goes and lies down.

It does sound similar except for it going on for hours.

Annie

[shyfig]

Thanks everyone for your advice and sorry I haven't responded for such a long time.

The good news is I opted to try a Thundershirt before going down the path of a behaviouralist (which the Vet recommended) and it is working wonders. I have had it since last Friday and have put it on Jed either when he starts barking or when we go to bed. The longest barking session we have had in a week is one night of 15 minutes...with plenty of pauses and Jed eventually stopped himself and went back to bed.

I've had a couple of nights with no barking at all...and the other nights some barking and very quickly Jed has stopped and resettled himself.

A big difference from the 3 hrs plus non-stop barking and growling sessions.

A very good outcome for us :D