scared dog : (?

Question

I'm looking after a dog & she's been really good, she's pretty old, & when she see's anyone through the window or postman calls she barks like mad, but today for no reason I can think of?? she has become really scared for no apparent reason I've been with her all day, she's just been sat by the front door & all of a sudden she is trembling & gone right under the chair I'm sitting on...I've had a look to see what see's scared of & looked about but nothing..know she's upstairs in the bathroom & won't come down...the shakes are pretty bad,is she missing her owner?? any suggestions? theres been no load bangs or anything..?

Answer 1

First of all I would try to relax her by sitting on the floor with her and gently stroking her and talking to her in a nice soft voice.
Next start offering her some of her favorite food treats every now and then, at first she probably wont be interested, but keep trying.
Keep the radio or TV on very low all the time, so as to have a constant noise that may block out any sudden sounds from outside.
Be very patient with her and just sit, or even lay with her on the floor, maybe not too close at first, just 2-3meters away.

If she doesn't improve my tomorrow I would then say its time to take her to the vets to get her a good check over. Sometimes old dogs can have moments of blindness or deafness which can make them very disorientated and scared. Another possiblity is some type of old age mental problem, but this is very rare, so don't worry too much, just best to get her checked if it goes on too long.

Really hope she settles soon

PS she may just need the toilet, if she is old she may be uncomfortable

Answer 2

I would be willing to bet that your first inclination is right. It probably took her a while to realize that none of the cars or people she was seeing were going to be her owners coming home, and now is getting nervous/home sick for them.

Is she staying at your house or are you at the owner's home? If she is out of her element it might help if you can give her something that smells like home and her owners (might be hard if you don't have access to the house).

Another possibility (a sad one) you might have to consider is that she is an elderly dog and might be a little senile. Sometimes owners love their pups so much they don't want to admit that something just isn't right with the way their pet is acting. My 12 year old pup bumped into things and looked pretty lost for nearly a month before I would admit that she was going blind.

Maybe the owner's don't see this kind of behavior because they aren't with her all day, or maybe it is something new that she has manifested since they went away. Either way, try to get her something that makes her feel at home (if she isn't there) and distract her from her fear. Take a walk, play with a ball, get her up on the couch with you to watch tv (or get on the floor with her), sometimes a simple treat will fix the problem.

Answer 3

Does she have visual difficulties? If they can't see clearly they sometimes over react to noise. Did she know you before you began watching her? sitting by the door is often an indication that they want out...how about a walk. Maybe that would distract her. Did the owner leave you a contact number? I would call them. Excessive shaking for long periods of time can really wear a dog out. Is she eating and drinking normally. If her pupils are huge she may be in a kind of panic.

Answer 4

my opinion is what you need to think about is has someone shouted at her through the letter box while you have been out and scared her if she is old things like that will worry her give her a cuddle when you come home and fuss her alot. she may also like you asked be missing her owner but if she was OK with you until recently there is more to this or she could be feeling left out make sure you try to involve her with certain things that you are doing i adopted a dog who was scared of his own shadow and within 5 weeks he was and still is a happy dog

Answer 5

Due to the age of the dog it might be worth phoning a vet just in case. But could it be possible that she has done something that she thinks is wrong? When I come home and one of my dogs is hiding from me and avoiding all eye contact, I usually find that she has taken a sweet wrapper or something she could find into her bed. she has never been hit but if you saw her you'd think we beat her she is shaking so badly! Maybe the dog you're looking after has done something silly like that. Try to act normal around her and you may find that she will relax. Good luck

Answer 6

It appears the dog is missing their owner and having anxiety attacks. My suggestions would be to discuss the situation with the owner and possibly have them record their voice with things the dog is used to hearing, like; good girl, do you want to go for a ride, etc. Hearing their owners voice makes them feel they are near. Also, have their clothes out so the dog will smell their scent. Another suggestions would be to give the dog a piece or turkey hot dog. It has a tendency to relax the dog. Good luck!!

Answer 7

yeah I'd get her to the vet the owner uses, and call them first and let them know whats gong on with their dog and see what they want you to do. Get their credit card number when you checkout at the vet so you don't have to pay for anything. I wonder if something happened to her like she misses her owners or something reminded her of them? Dogs respond to and associate with certian stimuli. They bark as a result for a number of reasons:
greeting
play
territory and self defense
sight of other animals
separation from family (anxiety)
to get attention
senility
a sudden loud noise.

A sudden stop of this may just simply be a memory of something. Don't reward her nervousness with cuddling and talking sweet and trying to get her to come out of the bathroom. Of course you are ging to have to get her out sometime to feed her and tale her out to the bathroom. Put her collar and leash on her and put the collar right up behind her neck just like a show dog. Don't say anything at all, just give her a tug (not a drag) and she has no choice but to come and follow you as her temporary leader. Thus, the dogs brain moves forward past the unhealthy (and weird) behavior. Once she learns that you (and other people for that matter) will shower her with attention when she acts weird like this, she will always put on a show for anyone, which is unhealthy mentally for the dog. Just let the dog work things out in its mind alone until you need to get her ot the way I suggested above. Once the owners return give them an update on their dog and see if the problems stop upon renuiting her with them. And let them handle their dog from there.
here is a good link below on why dogs bark.

Answer 8

Are you "babysitting" for a period of time?
You say this dog is old and she is probably attached to her owner and she is going through some anxieties over missing her owner.
Take her out for frequent walks,give her alot of praise and believe it or not talk to her about how you understand her anxiety but that "Momma" will be back soon.
Give her alot of petting and attention and love.

Answer 9

Sounds like she is very anxious about something and needs a lot of reassurance but most importantly you must not feed the dog while it is in this state otherwise you can cause bloat and that can kill her if she cannot get to a vet within 1/2 hour.
Be safe and call a vet if reassuring her does not work. Best of luck with the poor *****.

Answer 10

o need to contact the dog's owner immediately and explain the situation...go upstairs with a piece of her favorite toy, blanket to warm her...sit and speak very soft and loving and reassure her that you love her and will not leave her. Many years ago one of my favorite dogs had distemper and I cried as I watched my dog lay there. You have a responsibility to the dog as well as the owner to care for her..Go to the phone right now and call the owner..They will love you for calling and the dog will remember your love.