Dog acting weird

[tigerusthegreat]

So I've been up for the last two nights or so with a dog acting extremely unusual for his normal temperament. So I'm going to vent/seek advice about this.

I have a 5 year old ****zu, who is normally very calm and complacent. He really is a great dog, clearly signalling when he need to go outside, and letting you move him and staying put once you do. However, about four nights ago, he woke us up, being very anxious and agitated. He sleeps at the foot of our bed, and climbed up over us to sit on the pillows at our heads. After moving him several times, and even caging him, I finally took him outside and he did his business and was fine after that (this is not his normal signal, he normally would jump off the bed and whine).

Two nights ago, he was very agitated before going to bed, pacing around the table without laying down, trying to climb to the top part of the couch (which he never does). When I took him outside he would squat for a quarter of a second, and be done (I couldn't tell if he actually did anything or not). He wouldn't sleep or calm down. I played with him a little and even took him for a short walk in the middle of the night, and eventually he slept for about an hour. Later that morning, after my wife went to work, he slept for another two hours in our bed without issue.

Tonight, he is doing the same thing, giving clear signs of agitation, not settling down, and climbing. It is clear something is bothering him, but I cannot tell what. He feels somewhat hot, but he has access to both fans and cool water that he is not trying to take advantage of.

One very disturbing thing I saw was my wife swatting him with a rolled up newspaper for climbing up the bed, and grabbing him by his collar to correct him. I am a very positive-reinforcement kind of person, and saw the reaction my dog had to being treated this way (namely, he was scared, and tried to crawl under the bed to get away from her rather than listen and sleep at the foot of the bed). In any case, I am exhausted and welcome any ideas.

[GnomeFighter]

Positive reinforcement is all well and good, but cannot be the be all and end all with dogs. Dogs still think they are wolfs, no matter how small and sometimes they have to be shown who is in charge. I don't agree with hitting a dog, but grabing it by the scruff of the neck and reminding it who is boss is needed from time to time when they push it to far. Don't get being scared confused with being submissive. It needs a balance between positive reinforcement whilst ensureing that the dog realisise that you are the alpha dog and pack leader.

Dogs thrive on structure and consistancy. Has anything changed in the house?

Second, has he been neutered? It could be hormonal.

[tigerusthegreat]

Been neutered for a very long time, and there's no noticeable change in structure except the weather getting warm.

I have no problem showing dominance or correcting bad behavior, but what bothered me is the rolled up newspaper when he is clearly agitated and scared. It just increased his anxiety several fold, which does nothing to help him.

[MonkeyBusiness]

While I agree that positive punishment (swatting with a paper) is in certain circumstances useful, it is counterproductive when the animal's behavior is due to fear. It will only produce more anxiety, and hence, more of the unwanted behavior.

On the other hand, for positive reinforcement to work, you must reinforce a *desired* behavior. Right now you are reinforcing the *undesired* behavior: when dog is unruly, you play with him.

I am glad to hear you are taking the dog to the vet. If the dog is in discomfort, this tends to become worse at night, which is one potential explanation of the anxiety. If the exam does not reveal anything obvious, ask for blood tests. Also, make sure the vet expresses the dog's anal glands. It's nasty, but those glands do get clogged, and cause not only discomfort but sometimes a sense of needing "to go".

Five is the age when a dog begins to feel more comfortable asserting itself within its pack. It might be that your dog is testing you. Even if this is not the case, and the dog is upset because of pain, you don't want this to become a habit. So you might put the dog on a leash during television watching time, so he can cuddle with you but you can prevent him from climbing everywhere. And I'd cage him at night, but also work to make the new sleeping arrangements: maybe give him some toy he will find rewarding and soothing.

Most of all, I'd recommend that you and your wife decide how to handle this and future behavioral issues. This will resolve faster, and the dog will relax, if everyone is on the same page.

I hope all goes well at the vet. Please let us know how the dog fares!

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[Grinner]

While I agree that positive punishment (swatting with a paper) is in certain circumstances useful, it is counterproductive when the animal's behavior is due to fear. It will only produce more anxiety, and hence, more of the unwanted behavior.

On the other hand, for positive reinforcement to work, you must reinforce a *desired* behavior. Right now you are reinforcing the *undesired* behavior: when dog is unruly, you play with him.

Being struck on the head doesn't strike me as being very positive...

[sktarq]

Do you live in an earthquake zone? You DO!?!?!? Pack a bag, and a carry box for the little tyke and run. Head for the hills!!!!


on a slightly more seerious note. Id recomend a tripto the vet. Anal glands, kidneys, or just age based development could be an issue. Also check his appetite closely for any changes.

[tigerusthegreat]

I took him for a very long walk, where he did his business several times (which is usual for him on a walk), and closed the windows downstairs so they wouldn't make noise and he has been fine since. The vet said to keep an eye on him and let her know if anything changes. The weather has also cleared up, so maybe that's why.

[MonkeyBusiness]

Being struck on the head doesn't strike me as being very positive...

This is a term that confuses many people. It confused me when I first learned about it, beacause most people assume "positive" is intended to mean "pleasant". It does not.

What "positive" means in behavioral training is that the subject receives something, either as a reward (praise, treat, a raise, throwing a tennis ball, money pouring out of the slot machine) or as a punishment (whack with rolled up newspaper, points on your license, etc ). Think: "positive" = "adding".

"Negative" on the other hands, does not mean cruel or evenn unpleasant. It simply means something is taken away. Again, both rewards and punishments can be negative. Being grounded or having a privilege revoked is a negative punishment; being let out of your jail cell or kennel is a negative reward. Think: "negative" = "subtracting".

The trick with positive punishment is that to be effective, it has to occur nearly simultaneously with the behavior it intends to correct. That's why those invisible fences work so well.

Also, positive punishment needs to be not cruel: not only because cruelty is wrong, but because it tends to make the subject anxious, which actually impedes learning.

As someone else noted earlier in the thread, it's good to use more than one type of reinforcement. Both positive punishment and negative reward are used in training horses, for example: the "punishment" is extremely mild (slightly annoying pressure from the rider's leg on the horse's side) and the reward is mild as well (when the horse turns, the rider ceases the pressure). Since horses tend to be nervous critters (they are prey animals, after all) making learning anxious or dramatic tends to be counterproductive.

That's my two cents on the subject.


Anyway: Tigerus, I am so glad your dog seems calmer now. I hope you all have a good night's sleep tonight! :smallsmile:

-Monkey



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[thubby]

could have been a minor urinary tract thing. little dogs tend to have those sorts of problems

if you live in the US the weather has been pretty crazy lately. has he ever had sinus or allergy problems? the pressure shifts can be unpleasant for those sensitive to them.

[tigerusthegreat]

Whatever it was its gone now, slept like a baby through the night and we didnt have to cage him (I hate doing that at night bc he spends about 8+ hours in it during the day while we are both at work, and what kind of life is 16 hours in a cage)