The dog is going loopy

[Frogsworth]

We have a 9 year old Labrador. He has always been a bit odd but funny IYSWIM? we nicknamed him scooby doo because when he got scared he would jump up and sit on our knee, even as a fully grown dog! he still does this. And he constantly "steals" cushions off the sofa and walks around with them in his mouth, same with toys, shoes...he loves to have stuff in his mouth.

But the past two weeks he has started acting REALLY odd. He just goes nuts all of a sudden and starts attacking his bed, rubbing his face along the floor and rolling around. He's usually very lazy so these bursts of energy are just not "him".

He also attacks me if I sit on the sofa, claws at me with his paws, sits on my knee or lays across me. Sometimes he will force his way behind me and get stuck. I wondered if it was just me but my daughter in law came today and he was the same with her, as soon as she sat down he dived on her (he's a heavy dog too), laid across her, started trying to roll around on her etc and wouldn't get off her.

Yesterday he went into the bathroom and refused to come out. Litrally sat there and refused to budge. I tried to drag him out, entice him out with treats...nothing worked and I had to leave him there and go to work.

I know it probably sounds funny and it is sometimes but I'm worried there may be something wrong with his head. Afterall, if humans suddenly start acting odd, mental illness is usually the first suspect.

Am I being over dramatic??

Not sure as I'm not an expert, but the sofa thing sounds like he has some 'top dog' issues - has anything changed in your day to day life to give him the idea that he's 'in charge' and that it's 'his' sofa?

Hopefully someone will be along with more of an idea.

You need to get him checked out. he may have had a minor stoke or have a tumour orsomething. Is there any noises that he can hear that may be upsetting him?

sometimes animals sense when there is going to be bad weather maybe thats it

Are you sure he's not got a skin condition that's making him itch? Or maybe something in his ear that's hurting. I would take him to vet to rule out any physical reason for the behaviour.

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He is having problems with his ears but the vets can't do anything other than give him powder which doesn't help.
I can see that would make him rub his face alot but the jumping around, attacking things, laying on people when they're on the sofa and sitting on them?? and he also has developed a habit of sitting there with his face right in yours just staring (not aggressively) often panting at the same time. (but thats probably due to the flying around he's been doing).

Only other thing that's changed is that I'm working much longer hours than I have been before...maybe he's feeling insecure? seeing it as a way to take over "the pack"?

He's still as docile as ever though, no aggression at all.

Maybe he's in more physical discomfort than you think which is making his behaviour so odd? Some of the things he's doing sounds like he suffers from anxiety as well - esp the staring at you and panting. Have you considered taking him to a behaviourist. And you could try taking him for a 2nd opinion at another vets for his ear problem.

Is he spending more time on his own in the house? If so, it may possibly have given him the idea that you have put him in charge of the household permanently. (Our dog always used to 'take over' the house when left alone, eg lie on our beds and the sofa, which she would never do if we were around.)

Staring is a dominance thing with dogs, it does sound like for whatever reason he feels he has to 'take over' responsibility for you and the household, maybe that is making him anxious? Is he like this with all members of the family?

Actually - having said all that, our dog acts weird like this sometimes as well! She is very old now, and occasionally has episodes where she will walk around whining and yelping, and come and stare at you as if she's trying to tell you something. Usually the only thing that will calm her down is beign put in the garden, where she often digs great holes and strides around the perimeter as if she's keeping out monsters! Sadly I have no idea what causes it, she often does it when I'm on my own and DH is out though.

First port of call should definitely be the vets for a check-up, as it is completely new behaviour that has started out of the blue.

However, my lurcher does the head rubbing and rolling around thing when he's shedding. Given that the weather has heated up, it could be that he's just a bit itchy and trying to loosen his coat.

Carrying things around all the time is very common with gundog breeds - its what they were bred for after all.

The jumping on laps thing and clawing at you and other people does sound like fairly typical demanding behaviour especially coupled with going to an area of the house dogs usually don't go into and refusing to move. (Traditionally if a dog was considered to be 'dominant' trainers would advise owners to restrict the dogs' access to at least part of the house. The idea being that only the 'Alpha' of a pack has the right to go wherever they want, whenever they want.)

I'm a bit on the fence with tradtional theories about dominant dogs - yes there are dominant dogs out there, but many problem behaviours have been blamed on dominance when the real issue is often far more complex. More often than not, dogs who would love to just have an easy life and snooze away in the background find themselves inadvertently promoted by their owners behaviour. This can cause a whole different set of problems when the dog becomes stressed about his/her new, unwanted responsibilities.

That said, its really very difficult, if not impossible to diagnose or treat behaviour problems without seeing the dog in action and asking LOTS of questions.

Bearing in mind he is a big heavy dog who you have been unable to move a couple of times, my advice would be to see the vet first and if he gets a clean bill of health, the next step would be to get a consultation with a dog trainer or behaviourist. Your vet may be able to put you in touch or refer you to one alternatively check out the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website here

Reading your post my first thought was that he needs to be seen by a vet to get a full check up. Pain may well be underlying this. I am however more concerned now when I read on and you say he has problems with his ears but all your vets do it give him powder that doesn't help. There are a lot of different things to treat ear infections and they really should be looking into this more and trying other things. Powder is something I have never used in practice to treat ear problems Perhaps it is time to find a second opinion from another vet clinic if you are not happy with the treatment he has had so far. Ears are a difficult area to manage well and without good support from your vet it can rapidly become a nightmare, especially when you get nice hot weather as we have had recently. As someone else said though, you also need to rule out dental pain, skin problems and the like as well.

Good luck - hope he is ok.

Could be dementia,my dog is a bit demented and her behaviour is decidedly odd at times.

Kerrymum - seeing ghosties would certainly explain our dog's behaviour!

Sorry, took so long to write my post I missed your last post!

If he is being left alone in the house for prolonged periods it does make it much more likely that he is beginning to consider either a. its his territory or b. he has responsiblity for taking charge of the territory whether he wants it or not.

I agree with PixelHerder, staring is very often connected with dominance, if you watch two dogs together the more submissive of the two will avert his/her eyes to show respect, sometimes even going as far as to turn the head away in an exaggerated gesture of submission. All three of my dogs can't stand it if I stare at them and break my gaze within a couple of seconds. A dominant dog will stand tall and 'eye' another in an attempt to stare him down. The stare itself would not necessarily be aggressive looking its more a display of confidence than aggression.

As for him being docile, dominance does not have to equal aggression. Packs of dogs or wolves work very much through communication and body language and are almost always peaceful communities. As a result, the Alpha doesn't need to show agression to assert his authority, he maintains his position by standing firm, holding his head high and being every inch the leader/boss. Dominance usually only leads to aggression if things get too far out of hand and the dog feels his subordinates have overstepped the mark. (Its all a bit like Shaun Slater in Eastenders he controls half the square by 'giving them the eye', its only when someone tries to stand up to him that he actually acts.)

I would get him checked by a Vet to rule out any health problems that may be causing a sudden change in behaviour.

also, how much exercise does he get? Labs are a working breed and need A LOT of exercise preferably 2hrs + a day.

and I agree, him trying to push you off the sofa or lying across you can be a sign of dominance.

If it continues I would also get him assessed by a canine behaviourist.