Dog Help! Anyone else have a dog that does something like this:

[The Straight Story]

My dog, photo below, will spend hours a day (8-10+ if we let him) running around the chinese elm tree out back barking at it, jumping up as high as he can and biting at it, and more barking while running around it.

For the last 2 years.

Every single day, rain or shine or snow. The vet said he was underweight (he is 8lbs) but I feed him all the time. He burns off all his weight on the damned tree! I don't mind his odd behaviour, he has become somewhat of a local legend around here because of it. It just seems a tad odd. I have owned dogs most my life (I am 40 now) and never had one that does this. There are squirrels out here in the trees a lot, but he runs around barking whether they are in the trees or not.

What weird habits have you seen dogs do?



here he is hanging out of the covers with the puppies (anyone want a puppy??? I have 2 to part with!)

[bluethruandthru]

1. He's so cute!

I say get rid of the Chinese elm.

Is he a Daschund?

[The Straight Story]

9. Yep, a miniature Daschund :) (nt)

[doc03]

2. Green eyed monster, just kidding cute dog

My dad had a dog that would go digging and eating raw potatoes in the garden when he was let loose, we called him Digger.

[femmocrat]

3. He is a very cute doxie. He is obsessing over something that

may have been in the tree at one time. If you don't want to get rid of the tree, you can "de-program" him. Take him to the tree and make him sit... even for a few seconds. Reward him with food or affection. Increase the time until he can just sit there without jumping and barking. Keep repeating and rewarding the behavior you want to reinforce. Dogs respond very well to positive reinforcement. When he barks and jumps, do not reward him with attention. Clip on his leash and bring him in immediately. You can say "no bark" or whatever you want.... he will eventually get the message that the manic behavior is getting him no where. It just takes lots of repetition and consistency. Good luck!

[SacredCow]

4. I had a Golden Retriever with some dietary issues...

She was a rather picky eater, unless there was a chance that another critter might eat it- then she became worse than a goat. I can't even count the number of SOS pads she ate after I used them to clean the barbeque pit and turned my back for half a second.

The only thing she would absolutely not eat was english peas- she would eat around them and lick them clean, but they were NEVER eaten. One time I counted out exactly 20 of them and mixed them in her wet food so they couldn't be seen. When she was done, there were all 20 of them sparkling clean at the bottom of her bowl.

[flvegan]

5. A hunting dog with a keen nose...

Probably doesn't matter if the prey is still in the tree or not.

That, or he has OCD.

[China_cat]

6. My Bouvier tries to chase airplanes

and runs into the fence a lot because she's so busy looking up.

[Suich]

7. Any chance you can get that on video???

:rofl:

[Truthiness Inspector]

8. Aww, cute doggie

I have to say squirrels are crafty critters.

They have a way of hiding when humans appear, and as soon as you turn your back they are there sticking their tongues out at dogs going, "Chitter chitter chitter!"

Don't be so sure the squirrels aren't pulling this on your dog, lol.

[NewWaveChick1981]

10. My dog Vicki is obsessed with squirrels, and she does that when

she sees a squirrel in one of our Bradford pear trees. :eyes: She will bark and run around the tree, staring up into it, just KNOWING one of those squirrels will come back and jump down so she can catch them. :rofl: She will keep guard on the tree for hours, and she will even stay there all night if we let her (we don't, of course).

[lost-in-nj]

11. My dogs

sit in front of the window for hours waiting for someone to walk by so they can run around the house to all the windows barking at them
until they finally run out the doggy door and bark at them all along the fence.
Then they wait at the fence to bark at some one so they can do it all over again the other way !



lost