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So, I have a question for all you dog people out there. What do you do to stop absolutely crazy frenzied barking? Esp. if the dog is so worked up he can't focus on you at all, or if the dog simply won't be redirected?
Last night Toby went outside around 10 and started with some really agitated barking, the kind that he does when he feels threatened by something. I figured there was an animal in the yard--we've had coyotes before, once years ago a bear, and the last time I heard this kind of barking from him, there was a very large bull snake in the yard. So I went to investigate, but he was running all over and barking, not focusing on any one spot, so if there had been an animal it was gone.
I got him in my usual way--bribing him with cookies. So far, so good.
Then he starts barking in the house. Same crazed barking. I try distracting him, and this works for awhile. More barking. I put him in his crate. More barking. In the meantime I took my little hunting girl Shiba out, and she sees absolutely nothing of interest in the yard except for her usual fascination with the gopher holes. No barking from her. NO barking from neighborhood dogs. Even the coyotes were quiet.
Toby crashed out for awhile, but when he woke, he began barking again. It got really bad when I went to bed, because he would not stop with the crazed barking. I came downstairs, put him back in his crate. Still barking like crazy. I came down again, put him in the sunroom (simply because it made it slightly quieter upstairs) but he was still barking like a maniac. He'd stop if I was in the room with him, and start up immediately if I left. I was so frustrated I tried my old aversive with him--spraying him with water--and he'd stop when I held up the spray bottle, so I didn't actually have to spray him, but then he'd begin again. I thought about giving him a valium at that point (I was SO tired and frustrated!), but took it myself instead, put in ear plugs and turned on a loud fan and went to bed.
He barked steadily ALL night long. From 3 am to 8 when my husband got up. And it was his high pitched alarm barking, not a boredom bark (which he rarely does anyway).
I hope not to have to deal with this again, but I wondered what people would do with this kind of crazed barking, esp. if the dog is in the house and simply will not settle down. And he's 6, you know, and not a barker, so this was not at all typical of him.My life revolves around two Shibas and an American Akita puppy
Is it possible that he injured himself when he first went out? Maybe he stepped on something or got a bug bite? If it didn't swell, it might be hard to detect but still cause him pain. It really sounds like he's trying to tell you something. Sudden, atypical changes in behavior often mean illness or injury. Could he have a urinary tract infection, anal gland issue or ate something he can't pass? I assume that's why he went out?
Hmm... Never had to deal with this, as my dogs usually obey the 'okay, that is enough' command when barking.
The best suggestion I have for you is to maybe try and give him something to distract himself... Bully stick, frozen kong, whatever keeps him busy.
And I agree that it is possible that something was wrong with him. I would give him a good rub down and check his teeth, ears, etc. If he keeps it up, I would take him to the vet as soon as possible.
Hope all is quiet tonight, though!Casey with Bella (shiba) and Nola (shiba) hanging out in the mountains of Virginia.
I would check around your house carefully. Would look for any traces of intruders, either two footed or four footed. Don't know where you live, but sometimes if the coyotes are quiet, that means a cougar is in the area.Owned by the "Odd Couple", Sukoshi and Hoshi
A helicopter flew low over my house last week and my dog barked for quite a while. It's the reason we have started learning a hush command! Hope it doesn't become a frequent thing for you!!
I don't think he was hurt or anything. He was acting fine. Just barking. I did check him over, and saw nothing wrong, and tonight he's acting like his normal self.
I do think he saw something scared him, and then he couldn't shake that off, somehow, because he seemed ok when I was in the room with him, but he began barking as soon as I left, and it did have that fear bark edge.
Cougar! Yikes! Could be, actually. Or a bear. We don't usually get them on this side of the highway (there is a big state forest not to far from us across that highway), but we did get a bear in the yard once. And I know people get cougars not too far from here, so it could be....I didn't see any signs in the yard, but there could have been something in the area.
I don't know why I didn't think of giving him something good to chew on...that's a great idea. Thanks! It's a more longer lasting distraction than the ones I tired.My life revolves around two Shibas and an American Akita puppy
You might want to contact local Fish and Game folks and find out if there have been cougar sightings in your area. Cougars tend to be nocturnal hunters, though not always. You may want to be cautious about letting the Shibas out after dark or in early AM.Owned by the "Odd Couple", Sukoshi and Hoshi
So I just found out that the week that Toby was barking like crazy, THREE black bears were sighted in my area. One large male was eventually shot after charging someone who came out and found the bear in the trash. Another was darted by Fish and Game and taken to be rereleased, but died in transport.
I suspect the bear was prowling around here, even though, luckily, we didn't have any encounters.
I'm sorry the bears were killed....a lot of bears have been killed around here already this year. That said, I know bears can be dangerous, too.My life revolves around two Shibas and an American Akita puppy
Hmm. If Toby does the "crazy barking", I would sure pay attention if you have that sort of wildlife in your area.
As a puppy Sukoshi once refused to walk into a wildlife/park area we frequented. She planted her butt, sniffed the air, and refused to budge. In this case, I followed Sukoshi's "lead" and we did not go into the park. I found out a couple of weeks later that deer carcasses had been found nearby and cougars had been sighted in the area.Owned by the "Odd Couple", Sukoshi and Hoshi