Category: Animal House
I'm not at all a professional when it comes to animals and their habits but lately I have been having a big problem with my neighbor's dog.
It's a kind of chihuahua and I believe it suffers from some psychological problems because for no reason at all it's always barking for any thing at everything. The little kids are even afraid to draw near to it because it barks so viciously.
I don't think it has rabies, though.
I think it barks sometimes simply because there is a slight breeze. I don't know if there is a case to suggest that a dog would bark when a slight breeze blows into its ears; maybe an ear infection or something. The owners of this dog don't seem to be bothered by it, though. I've suggested this theory of mine to them but they said the dog's taken to the vet regularly.
At times when I'm exercising, the dog barks as soon as I begin lifting the barbells (they make a clinging noise). It can be in the middle of the night, when it's nice and quiet, and the dog will bark simply because of the clinging. I once rattled the barbells about twenty times just to check if it was the clinging it was barking at, and as far as I could understand, it was! I remember reading about a psychologist who conditioned a dog to salivate when he knocked on the door or when he jingled a bell. Can my neighbor be doing something similar to her dog?
I wish the neighbors would do something to defuse that dumb dog! I'm losing my mind...
How can any owner stand it? That little beast isn't a pet!
Wasn't this the way Berkowitz went nuts?
Any chihuahua I've ever had the misfortune to meet, and also from what I hear from chihuahua owners, they are very, very high strung dogs. It is natural for them to bark at anything and everything. They can also bite and be quite nasty. If you've ever met a calm and friendly chihuahua, it was probably a special breed.
Sorry I don't have any advice - just wanted to let you know you're not crazy, the dog is.
I'm going to agree with buckeye fan on this one. All the chihuahuas I've met are very energetic and tend to bark a lot. They can also have a strong will and a little temper on them as well. We have an old chihuahua that was given to us over five years ago, and she pretty much has a mind of her own. She won't let anyone pick her up , even us at times, and she'll be the one to bark at who knows what by herself. (There can be no other dogs barking, and she'll be barking at something.) She also will try to bite ankles of anyone she doesn't know when she's on the streets. (Usually she'll find a way to get out of the yard and will refuse to come back in when we try to get her in, but then will wine and expect us to let her in (which we usually won't) later. Lately she hasn't been doing that because we've made very sure the holes she found are covered.) She's also agressive with other dogs when she wants their food; I even heard that she growled at my aunt's elderly bigger dog when he went to get some of his food. My aunt's chihuahua is the same way: very active, willful, and seemingly always barking. I also have a chihuahua puppy (who, although she hasn't started barking as much, yet), does bark more then most of my other dogs. She is also very very energetic and had almost started that willful thing with me. (She growled when I put my hand only inches near her plate When I was getting her water bowl to fill it, but she quickly learned with a tap and a stern "no." not to do that anymore.) However, she is still willful in that she insists on not being held when I carry her as she wants to stand on my arms, and getting out of her box on her own and walking on my desks, on her box, etc. We also have two chihuahua mix brothers, but only the shorthaired one acts more like a chihuahua , except that he seems more timid than aggressive but he's still very active and willful. (By the way I only personally noticed most of the chihuahua behavior characteristics in the short-haired ones, as all the chihuahuas mentioned are short-haired. The only exception is my long-haired mix who is much more calmer and usually pretty obedient and friendly.)
My puppy is also pretty obedient for now, as she will usually go to me when I call her, but other than that she has the same energeticness and sometimes the barking at little things as the other chihuahuas do.
Sounds like they should be running the tracks alongside the greyhounds, those hyperactive little midgets!
Maybe the dog is either bored out of it's skull, lonely and barking in the hope of canine contact, or it's acutely sensitive and being driven mad by the constant stimulation.
Raskolnikov:
As an animal behaviourist, (my profession), without seeing the dog in person, I would suggest two possibilities.
First, the dog is bored out of it's skull and therefore, any stimulation, no matter how slight, sets it off into wild fiendish barking that is for no apparent reason. This is because the dog is not given enough stimulation from people or other animals or things and it must have some way to release it's nervous, pent-up energy or it will go mad. Secondly, it is always possible that the dog may have a neurological problem.
The dog more than likely does not have rabies, as rabies would eventually result in severe clinical signs and symptoms. It is also more than likely not an ear infection as these would generally not cause a dog to bark, but instead, to feel listless and possibly yelp if the dog is feeling discomfiture.
As far as dogs barking at the breeze. Yes, I have seen this often. Many high drive dogs will do this quite alot.
Although Chihuahuas do tend to be more 'barky' than other breeds, what you have described sounds extreme.
Yuri Brezhnev
Nice, we actually have an animal behaviorist on here? Now, that's a beautiful thing. If you ever get a chance, send me a PQN, I'd love to discuss in detail the animal behaviorist perspective on ccompulsory guide dog training versus positive re-enforcement guide dog training. Thanks.