scardy cat (dog)

[ashleycat]

my moms dog scares himself.. whats this mean.. it only started recently hes 6 years old.. hell be walking, an knock his tail on something, and it will scare the crap out of him.. know what this means? he hasnt gotten bit or hit his head or anything...

[LorraineO]

how is his eyesight? Maybe he is failing with that and things that bump into him and vice versa are whats scaring him?

What about his hearing too??

[ashleycat]

noise has always scared him since he was a pup... even everyday noises. tramatizes him when they run the vacuum. eye sight seems normal. course hes never been able to catch a treat or a ball. but if he has had a bad eyesight, why now that he is scaring himself ? even just noises scare him badly.

[LorraineO]

could be he is just one of those easily startled doggies,,,, perhaps a consultation with your vet or a behaviourist might be a plan?

[ashleycat]

its just been for the past month, and hes a big dog.. hes always been scared of big noises. but what animal isnt? lol its just so bad recently. he looks like a golden retreiver mut mix.mostly looks golden retreiver.. brother looked like a black lab.

[LorraineO]

Is there anything really different or new in your house or neighbourhood?

[ashleycat]

Nothing I can think of, not even any new kids around or???????????? What came to mind was how creatures are in tune with natural disasters and such????? Cody lives in KS and nothing has happened....His dad is really sick, but its been that way for 4 yrs + so thats not new....its starting to get a little better, but not much.

[lv4dogs]

You have received some great tips.

If this just suddenly started it was probably caused by something traumatic that happened to him just recently. Maybe neighbor kids or someone or something hit him or rubbed against him or something when you were not looking. Even something as simple as a tree branch falling from a tree or the like.

I would suggest a vet appointment just to check his eyes & hearing again. Also consult w/ them while you are there, they may be able to help.

Good luck