what could cause a dog to get seriously upset/wet himself and bark at something in the room that isn't there?

Question

Dog started barking at something on ceiling, but nothing was there. It got so bad that he wouldn't sleep in his bed and would only sort of settle on our bed. Yet barked several times in the night at this same area on the ceiling. He got so upset that he was physically shaking and looked like he had been scolded, this got so bad that he wet twice on the carpet. He has been taken over to my parents house and has now showed signs of relaxing.
I am therefore curious what could have caused such an outburst, does anybody know of any likely causes?

Thanks for your answers, a bit more info - we have a flat roof (so no loft space) - but there was nothing on the roof as he was still barking at the same point in the morning and living in Britain there is no real chance of an earthquake or tsunami, etc

Answer 1

You have a poltergeist. I would recommend exorcism - or bleach.

Answer 2

One of your responders suggested that your dog may have seen a shadow on the ceiling. This, combined with something that may have frightened him at the time (IE, a loud noise, another dog barking, a light going on or off unexpectedly) could have put him in a mind set that generated an intense, on-going fear of the ceiling, especially if this is the only area in the house where he becomes hysterical. You might try distracting him by offering a "high value" treat (IE a piece of chicken or steak) the minute he looks at the ceiling. Every time he looks up, give a treat. Withhold the treat if he begins to bark and take him out of the room. Take him back in a few minutes later and try the treat again. If he doesn't bark, treat again. Keep repeating this and see if there is any improvement.

Many people thought the problem might be a ghost. Doubtful, not because I don't believe in them but because this behavior sounds as though it wasn't there and suddenly it was. Also a good idea to have him checked for Diabetes.

Answer 3

If anyone in the house smokes he could have seen small amounts swirling about just beneath the ceiling. A Border Collie owned by a friend was apparently staring at nothing on the ceiling until someone realised what the dog was looking at.

If you have a flat roof a bird may have caused a slight noise and startled the dog.

It could have been a reflected light glancing off something shiny in the room.

It could have been a shadow.

It could have been outside your house completely , like fireworks but the dog may have focused on that point when he heard the noise.

I'm sorry it is such a mystery and has obviously had a profound effect on your dog.

My advice is to stop worrying about what caused the problem because you may never find out and try to concentrate on building up his confidence.

All the Best!

Answer 4

I believe the answer lies in the fact that you have a flat roof: my friend's home has a flat roof and he often is disturbed by noises, most are caused by birds, particularly when they are cracking snail shells; your dog's hearing is probably more acute than yours and he will pick up noises that you and other humans can't hear, of course if the noises are caused by birds they have most likely flown by the time you look: The other thing is that, after the first couple of times that it happened you became upset by his odd behaviour and he picked up on this which in turn made him more upset, so starting a vicious circle and explaining why he calmed down once out of your house: I would suggest that if you can, you allow a very laid back, calm friend to take over the care of your dog for a week in your home, but without you being there, you may find that without the interaction of his nervousness sparking off yours and vice versa, he will forget what started it in the first place, then if he does start again at some time in the future, you will know not to react.

Answer 5

There is an outside chance that he had an epileptic fit. One type of epilepsy can cause hallucinations, peeing, and make him feel upset just in the way that you described. So first thing to do is get him checked out by your vet. The sooner you catch it the easier it is to treat.
Another possibility that doesn't involve a paranormal episode is that he was hallucinating for some other reason.
Or else he really did hear something that was outside your range of hearing, or was reacting to an electromagnetic field. I've no idea how you'd find out though, or what it could have been to produce such an intense response rather than just mild interest.

Answer 6

Neither of the above

Its more than likely a previous setting in its life which the dog remembers that becomes unsettled

Some dogs run and hide when fireworks go off
Some dogs are petrified to go near water

Etc Etc

Again you was reffering to when you was trying to sleep
Maybe he/she isnt too comfortable in the dark.

Try getting so dimmer switches, turn the lights gently down and leaving the lights on over several months but after a week move the dial down a bit more

Until the dog becomes familiar with the dark and happy to sleep.

PS:/
Remember also dogs see Black & White only
So try doing some tests by taking your dog to a park, throwing a stick and then whilst its running away, call it back

Your dog may be deef and if it is deef it may depend on visual images for its safety


Edited PArt:_________________________
After reading some posts after mine,
It could be rotting flesh as dogs do have stronger sences than humans (or more sensitive sences)
But that is extremely unlikely , unless there may be a dead rat in your ceiling (Depending if concreate or wodded floorboards)

But Again I would say dog being deef and scared of the dark.
Try taking her or him to the Vets who will confirm it for you
Again Im no vet with no pets so I cannot say this is the defenate answer

Answer 7

If he kept barking at the same part of the ceiling and became upset, maybe there is something dead in your attic.

Maybe something outside was casting an ominous looking shadow on the ceiling. People think dogs only see black and white. This is not exactly true. They don't see color as vividly as we do, but they do see it, so they can distinguish shadows.

Try bringing him back into the room during the day and see how he acts. If he's still weird, check the attic for dead mice. If he's fine, it's probably a shadow on the ceiling. If you can't do something to change the lightplay, he may just have to sleep in your room.

Answer 8

I don't wanna freak you out but I heard animals like cats and dogs can see or sense spirits. You might be best to get the house blessed.

Although It may not be a 'ghost ' as such. It may be someone close trying to watch over you, in which case blessing won't help.

You could visit a clairvoyant and see if they can help, if someone is trying to make contact the clairvoyant could be their pathway. Make sure you go to a recommended one though, a lot of people are out to rip you off so don't pay any money unless they've been recommended.

Don't let if stop you from sleeping but, remember it's the living who are dangerous - not the dead!

If it does really freak you out., just ask it very sweetly to leave you. Tell it you're afraid and you don't want contact. Most family/friend spirits will accept this and leave.

Good luck
D*

-I'M JUST THINKIN ACTUALLY - IF YOU HAVE MICE AND YOU'VE BOUGHT PLUG-INS TO SOUND THEM OFF, THEY GIVE OFF A HIGH PITCHED SOUND THAN ONLY ANIMALS CAN HEAR.

Answer 9

Dogs are more sensitive than humans - they see and hear things that we would miss.
My dog started behaving funny when I bought a new light shade, he just kept looking at it and barking and growling.
It could be a ghost or it could be something as simple as the electricity is "buzzing" at a level he can hear and it disturbs him.
If you can rule out any changes - such as a new light shade - then it may be worth checking for ghosts (it may seem daft but I know my dog has picked up on them many times) or have the wiring checked in the house.
It would appear to be something specific to your house if he has settled at your parents house so you just need to go through and eliminate possible causes and see if he can relax at home again.
Best of Luck !

Answer 10

This might make me sound crazy but oh well.
My parents live in a house that is extremely haunted (t.v. turns on in the middle of the night,the kitchen faucet turns on and off its self,the channels change on the t.v. just to name a few)they moved into this house about 4 years ago and have 2 dogs a chiuauaua(or how ever you spell it) and a Boston terrier both well mannered dogs when any of the things i mention happen the dogs will start barking ,growling,and even howling. The Boston terrier will even shake and hide. So I agree with the others that say they see a ghost. You can not make him quit he feels threaten by the ghost.

Answer 11

Dogs often bark at shadows of moving things, like tree or plant leaves. Sometimes these shadows are cast on the ceiling for brief periods when the wind/lighting are right. One of my dogs barked at tree leaves while seeing them against the full moon. I think she imagined it was the squirrels she could see in daytime in those trees.

I had a Beagle that barked at moths that were on the ceiling. It took me quite awhile to find out what caused this barking.

One time a business closed nearby and many mice invaded my house. My dog did that shaking 24/7 until I exterminated the mice.
Good luck in finding the source.