Looking For Help - Recent Snapping

[Guest Bob32392]

Hello,

I'm a first-time poster and long-time lurker. We've been having recent issues with our brindle male snapping at us (twice in the last month) and as part of our outreach to vets, behaviorists, and others, I thought I would post in Greytalk in hope that others might share their experiences/tips. I've almost every thread on greyhound aggression issues on Greytalk and have read numerous and often-recommended books on dog behavior (Other End of the Leash; Turid Rudgrass' On Talking Terms with Dogs, etc.) I realize some of what I hear might be repetitive, but I want to make sure I've exhausted every avenue when addressing our situation.

 

My husband and I adopted Joe two years ago and we are in love with him. He was a bounce from another home that didn't work out. He is a sweet, loving boy who is a little more active than your average greyhound. When we first brought him home, he had some issues with growling, especially when someone pet the lower half of his body or while he was on his bed. We acclimated him to touch and worked to respect his space while he was on his bed. As a result, incidents decreased to almost nothing (once every few months at the very most), and it got to a point where we could pet him while he was on his bed anywhere on his body. (When he did growl, which was rarely, we gave him a firm "No," sometimes holding his muzzle to get his attention.)

 

During the past month, however, he has snapped at both my husband and sister...once with a warning growl and once without. The first time my husband readily admits was his fault. Joe had growled at him earlier when he knelt down to pet him (near his ear). Ten minutes later my husband did the same thing and Joe snapped and lunged at him, puncturing his forehead with a tooth. Even though we knew it was our fault, we were concerned that his behavior has escalated because he has never snapped before. It was very out of character for him and my husband had pet him in the same way literally hundreds of times.... so much so that we took him for a full veterinary check up (which came back clear except for a yeast infection in his ear which we treated). We suspected he was in pain and that's part of the reason why he snapped. When he took the medication, his appeared less lethargic and more active. It was clear that his ear had been bothering him.

 

Last night, he was lying on his side on his bed and my sister leaned over to pet him (again, something she has done many times before). He snapped at her before she could even touch him. Although he has never been sleep startled before, we suspect he was asleep (or on the verge of sleep); hence no warning growl or indications of discomfort (freezing, yawning, licking, etc.). He seemed confused after the incident happened. Nevertheless, it was a startling development, and the beginning of a pattern and apparent escalation from growling (rarely) to snapping (twice in one month). We are devastated because we feel we are responsible for this. We owe it to Joe to do right by him and we are petrified that (1) the snaps could escalate to a bite; and (2) that he could snap at someone (stranger, family member) who could misconstrue it for a bite.

 

Based on these incidents, we will no longer be bothering Joe on his bed or while he is lying down. Ever. Period. He needs his space for the reasons that many here have articulated so well in previous threads.

 

There are two addition pieces of information that might be relevant here. (1) In May, Joe was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. Every month or so (that we can tell) he has a seizure; after significant testing the vets found no known cause. We are monitoring the seizures, which are infrequent, to determine if he needs meds. Not sure if there could be a connection. (2) We have a newborn baby in the house....he is two weeks old. The first snapping incident occurred before he was born. The second was last night, but seemed to be separate from the baby. (Joe has adjusted well to the baby and wags his tail whenever he is around thanks to our treat-and-praise-dispensing efforts when the baby is around. We read all the books and worked hard to prepare him for the new addition) In my gut, I don't think the second incident is connected to the baby's arrival. I feel like it would have happened either way.

 

I would be remiss not to add that our relationship with Joe has changed. We are concerned about our new level of weariness around him - which we never had before. In addition, we wonder how it will be with a toddler running around in a year. We have baby gates and will be vigilant and will make sure Joe has his own space and they are never alone, but the unpredictability and recent emergence (after two years) of snapping has us very, very concerned. We are reaching out to behaviorists, vets, and other folks we know (including this board) to help address the issue. We have a keen responsibility to Joe; he is an amazing dog and part of our family.

 

Given all of this, I'm looking for your opinions on how to best proceed (other than not touching him on his bed or lying down, which we are already doing), as well as any experience or tips you might have for us as we move forward. (Are there specific test we should ask the vet to do? Could epilepsy be connected? What sort of additional training can we do?) We live in the DC/VA/MD area and would welcome any recommendations for dog behaviorists/trainers.

 

Many thanks for your assistance and apologies for the super-long message.

[Sambuca]

This doesn't seem unpredictable to me. Hehas had space issues for 2 years and he usually has an disposer every couple months. So this month he has had 2. I'm sure the household dynamics have changed and he has picked up on it and that is probably whats setting him off. Let sleeping dogs lie is something to live by.

[TheFullHouse]

Obviously Joe has space issues. He may always have space issues. The fact that he has epilepsy doesn't help because he may or may not be having seizures that you are aware of. Dogs with epilepsy often can have more than one kind of seizures. He may be experiencing focal seizures which has made him even more touchy than before. I think you are absolutely right to leave him totally alone while he is on his bed. That is his space and he obviously doesn't want to share it. Particularly, don't touch him while or after he seizes. Dogs and humans coming out of seizures are extremely confused and he may bite even though he won't be aware he's doing it. If you're keeping track of all his seizures and he is having them more frequently than before and the fact that you now have a new baby in the house, it may be worth putting him on some meds and getting his seizures under control before the baby gets older. Believe it or not, the seizures may be part of the behavior problem. You may not be recognizing every seizure he has and seizures can and do effect some dogs and well as humans behavior (I speak from experience because myself, both my children and one of our hounds all have idiopathic epilepsy).

 

The first snap I can understand as your husband was touching his ear, which had an infection in it. Have the ear checked again because some times they don't go away with the first round of antibiotics. My other thought is that dogs in pain will snap and growl and if he's having issues with you touching his back or his hind end, he may be having pain in that area. It might be worth another check at the vet and maybe some x-rays to make sure he doesn't have a bulging disc or something along those lines.

 

I would never let the baby on the floor with him in the area. Since you already use baby gates, I'd make sure he is separated from the baby unless you are right there. I'm sure you already know this but for the safety of everyone I would never let the baby around him unattended.

 

BTW how old is Joe?

Edited September 1, 2011 by JillysFullHouse

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

As a result, incidents decreased to almost nothing (once every few months at the very most), and it got to a point where we could pet him while he was on his bed anywhere on his body. (When he did growl, which was rarely, we gave him a firm "No," sometimes holding his muzzle to get his attention.)

 

Teaching the dog not to growl usually only leads to a dog that will not give a warning before he snaps. The growl is his way of saying "I don't like what you're doing, back off". If he isn't allowed to voice his discomfort, and he is still made uncomfortable, his only recourse is to snap without warning.

 

If he's only snapping when laying down or being leaned over, then you've already found the solution. He's shown you very plainly that he doesn't like it.

 

My grey isn't fond of being leaned over while laying down either, although she's happy with petting any time. She accepts it from me because I've worked a lot with her. Instead of punishing growls, I rewarded her with tasty snacks for letting me get more and more into her space without reacting.

 

I taught her to give "kisses", which is to touch a face with her nose, as a way of conditioning her to think of faces near hers as a good thing. She already knew the touch command, so I had her target my hand while I had it on my face. Slowly moving to where she would touch my face when I made a kiss noise. Now, she'll kiss anyone and since the training both she and DH have relaxed with eachother and she hasn't growled or snapped at him. He can lean over her while petting and playing with her now too.

[Guest SusanP]

I think you've mostly answered your own questions--don't do stuff that upsets him (if he's already warned you with a growl, for example--I don't tell mine not to growl, because I'd rather have a warning than not, and dogs do communicate that way) and don't lean over or otherwise bug him when he's lying on down and never let other people do this. You will have to plan what do do once the baby is mobile, which will be soon. Not just because of these issues, which still sound minor to me, but because he is a dog--I would not let a baby loose with even my mildest dogs without very close supervision, because you never know... and we owe it to our dogs to give them the choice whether to interact with a baby or small child, because they can be less than calm and gentle (the babies, not the dogs!). You will need gates, playpens, etc...to keep both baby and dog safe, but people do it all the time. And be sure your pup is still getting walks and his usual routine so he doesn't get stressed.

[Fruitycake]

I don't know how often your sister is there, but even if he knows her and likes her, she isn't one of the primary members of his pack and what he might accept from you isn't necessarily something he'll accept comfortably from her. (A human example might be how I allow my husband into my personal space, and maybe some very close friends, but acquaintences don't get to go there without making me very uncomfortable.) The definition of "personal space" can and does change, and having a baby around can add just enough stress to put someone who he might have previously enjoyed being close to as someone he's just edgy about just because of the stress.

 

And even though you've probably done all the right things in getting him happy and enjoying the new baby, change of ANY type is a stressor and can cause changes in comfort zones.

 

Let him have his space where he is always free of intrusion and make sure everyone abides by it.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

As the parent of a one-year-old I can definitely relate to your concerns. It's good that you read the books, but keep in mind that it can take time for your dog to accept the fact that his "pack" has changed. The good news is that you have some time to work with Joe before your baby starts crawling and walking. He sounds like a dog that may never be okay with people invading his bed space, and I think it's good to let them have that space anyway...even dogs who don't guard the beds aggressively. Unfortunately guests don't always listen, and toddlers can move very fast. Even with you in the room to supervise, it is possible for a toddler to get to a dog bed before you do. For this reason, and for the reason that our boy has snapped at guests who did not listen when we asked them to please leave the dogs alone to their beds, we decided to work with our boy Zeke to desensitize him a little. The way we did this was to sit down next to the dog bed and immediately present our grey with one of his favorite treats. We didn't give him a treat every time. Sometimes it was a quick pat on the head or shoulder. We never over-stayed our welcome. We would get up after a few seconds. Over time we would sit down a bit longer. He eventually got over his resource guarding of the bed...even when a guest approached him, but I still wouldn't want to see what would happen if a toddler took a flying leap onto him while he's lying down. So our plan was to de-sensitize, but to still teach our daughter (and our guests) to respect his space... and to supervise, supervise, supervise. We will also use some barricades to physically separate the dog beds from the rest of the living room. There are a number of sectional dog barriers that can be shaped to form a ring around a dog bed area, with just enough space for the dogs to come and go.

 

Out of the three greyhounds we have had, only Zeke has had an issue with sleep-startle snapping or guarding his bed. Of course sleep-startle responses are common to many dogs since that is where we get the phrase "Let sleeping dogs lie." I learned that as a child, but it probably took getting snapped at by our terrier to reinforce it. Growling and snapping when it's not related to resource or food guarding is another issue. It's good that you are working with a vet and a behaviorist to determine whether or not Joe has something physically wrong, or if it is related to the epilepsy (or the medication he's on). Your greyhound rescue might also have some good suggestions.

 

If it's not related to a medical problem, perhaps Joe is just feeling confused and insecure. No doubt his routine has been disrupted by the arrival of your baby (how could it not be?). It sounds like you are doing a good job of making him feel like he is still part of the family, and helping him associate the baby with positive things like praise and treats. You might also try to get him back into any routines that have been disrupted. If you have been skipping walks, try to work back into that routine. It took awhile for us to get the dogs back into their regular walking routine, and I remember for the first few weeks we had our daughter both dogs seemed a bit nervous and full of excess energy. They calmed down and returned to behavior not long after we resumed our family walks.

 

Sean

Edited September 1, 2011 by burgerandfrey

[Guest Bob32392]

OP here. Many, MANY thanks for your comments so far. Your responses just solidify what a great community this is.

 

Looking back, there are things I wish we had done differently (not correcting the growl is one of them because it is such an important warning). I also wish we had gotten it through our thick heads sooner that just because we CAN lie next to him and pet him on his bed doesn't mean that we SHOULD. In response to a couple questions:

 

(1) my sister lives with us and has since she we got him... so she is part of the pack. It's a good point, though. Of the three of us, she is probably the lowest on the totem pole.

(2) he is four years old

 

Fruitycake, I think the idea of his "personal space" shifting depending on the circumstance is interesting and spot on. Part of our concern was that what my husband and sister did was not new. They had done the same things literally hundreds of times... it was shocking and upsetting to have the snaps (seemingly) come out of nowhere after two years. Even though one of them happened before the baby arrived, it also occurred right after a brief hospitalization the week before for bloat-like symptoms. So there is no doubt he was under a ton of stress, and I'm sure he could sense upcoming changes because of the baby. So he might have been okay with or tolerant of such actions before... but not anymore. And add possible pain/seizures to the mix and my husband ignoring the warning growl in the first instance and it may have been the perfect storm. (BurgerandFrey, you sound like us one year from now... we have many of the same concerns and plan to do the same thing!)

 

Two more questions: Another greyhound owner we know suggested taking away his bed when/if he snaps again. (Similar to couch privileges if he were to growl on the couch.) Any thoughts on this? Also, how helpful do you think a behaviorist will be if we can't (and don't want to) re-create the situations that made him growl/snap? I'm trying to get an idea of what to expect if we bring someone in...

 

For our own peace of mind, we are switching vets to one who is more greyhound savvy and have an appointment with him tomorrow. I do wonder about the impact the seizures have on him and how many he has had without us being around. (Until lately, he was at home by himself during the day with a dog walker). His last seizure was during/right after the earthquake. It was almost like he sensed it... or was so terrified by it that it triggered an episode. It may be time for meds. Jilly, your comments about the seizures were really helpful and something we didn't consider, mostly because we don't know a lot about different types.

 

If anyone else has any comments/ideas/etc., pls. feel free to chime in. I can't tell you how helpful your responses have been.

[TheFullHouse]

I would not take his bed. He has to have a place where he feels secure and for most dogs it is their bed. Take that away and you have an insecure dog and that will only make things worse. I'm glad you're looking for a new vet. Please mention the issue with you're touching his back so the vet can really check it out. Once you have any medical issues solved, training classes would be a good idea. You can learn basic commands and so will he that can help in dealing with him. You already know where you made your mistakes which is good. Now you just have to work on correcting them.

[MaryJane]

I agree with the previous post, do not take his bed away.

 

Maybe I'm off base but I think the seizures are probably having a big impact as to whether he feels safe or comfortable. Has he been having gran mal seizures or is it more a "disorientation/wobbly" (for lack of a better description).

[Guest Bob32392]

Thanks... I had the same inclination about his bed, which is why I asked.

 

They aren't grand mal. He doesn't lose consciousness during the seizures or lose control of his bowels. He paces, circles, drools, his back legs give out, he collapses, and seizes/shakes for about 2-3 minutes. It's heartbreaking to watch. During his earthquake seizure, however, he vomited for the first time. He's had three seizures (that we've seen) in the past three months. He sleeps the rest of the day and usually isn't himself for about 24-48 hours.

[TheFullHouse]

That's pretty normal seizure behavior. I would suggest finding a vet who would be willing to treat his seizures. I told my vet that I wanted to work for total control of my Saint's seizures and once we achieved that Saint's real personality emerged. I truly believe some hounds sense that something is just not right, after all members of a pack know when something isn't right with other members. You may find that once treated your boys personalty changes and some of these issues resolve.

 

Your boy sounds like he is having classic grand mal seizures. He doesn't have to be unconscious for them to be grand mal. If he's collapsing and convulsing he's having grand mals. I can tell you he's not in pain when he seizes. With grand mal seizures he can't hear, see, feel, or smell. The brain has basically a short circuit so all his senses are temporarily impaired. It's the reason he wakes up confused and probably a little scared. Always let him totally wake up before getting near him, he may try and bite in his confusion. You can help him after by giving him a little something with sugar in it to bring his sugar level back up because it will drop during the seizure. He needs to cool off because his temperature also rises during a seizure also.

 

I hope I've helped a little and his issues will resolve soon.

[JJNg]

Not much to add from the behavioral aspect as everyone else has already said it so well. I definitely believe that stress can cause a dog to be less tolerant and more likely to snap in situations that he was previously ok with. People become shorter tempered and volatile when they are stressed too, and it spills over into interactions completely unrelated to what caused the stress in the first place. So the hospitalization prior to the first incident, and the change in routine from the arrival of the baby, could certainly have contributed to the 2 recent snaps.

 

If he's had 3 seizures in the past 3 months, I would say that it is time to start medication. The criteria most vets use to determine when to start meds in dogs with occasional single seizures is an average of 1 seizure/month. With seizures, there is a phenomena called the kindle effect, where each seizure can cause changes in the brain that makes additional seizures more likely. So it's best to try to get them under control asap.

[Guest LindsaySF]

You answered your own question about the bed and touching him while he's laying down.

 

just because we CAN lie next to him and pet him on his bed doesn't mean that we SHOULD.

Bingo.

 

 

 

Stress can cause space aggressive hounds to become more snappy than usual, and stress can cause an increase in seizures in hounds with epilepsy. (I have hounds with both). The arrival of a new baby, changes in the routine, an ear infection and other health issues, all of that can contribute.

 

I agree that you should look into medication for the seizures now. Getting that taken care of will probably help him to feel better overall.

 

 

Does Joe have a crate, or just a dog bed? Sometimes it's easier to resist the urge to touch/pet them when they are sleeping if they are in a crate. Helpful too for when baby starts crawling.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Feisty49]

FYI: There may not be a med for your boy's idiopathic seizures. I have a niece (a real human ) who has them and there is nothing she can take because there is nothing wrong with the brain. They're brought on by stress, emotional issues, etc.

[GeorgeofNE]

I don't have a child, but I can tell you that when my guy was in pain, his disposition changed fairly dramatically.

 

He has always had sleep aggression, so I respected that. I NEVER touch him when he's asleep (and I don't know about your dog--if you'e had him for 2 years, and he's only 4, then he wasn't at the track long, if at all, but mine was there for several years) and I learned right away he DOES sleep with his eyes open--not as much now, but when I first adopted him he did frequently. I always clap my hands, or even toss some socks on him before I touch him.

 

He started up with growling and snapping at me last year. It took me a long time to figure out that his snapping was related to a spinal condition he has (or this is my best guess!) that is sometimes painful, and sometimes probably just gives him a weird sensation that he doesn't understand. His way of expressing this was to get grumpy as all get out!

 

Now that he's on a different set of medications, he's back to his old self.

 

I'd guess that whatever is causing him seizures is perhaps also making him feel weird or uncomfortable. That and his entire world has just changed with the addition of a baby.

 

Hopefully someone is able to make time just for him, take him on nice walks, maybe a car ride, make him understand he's still important!

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Another greyhound owner we know suggested taking away his bed when/if he snaps again. (Similar to couch privileges if he were to growl on the couch.) Any thoughts on this?

 

I agree with the others and am glad you're not going to take his bed. There is a big difference between a dog guarding the bed that truly does belong to him and guarding the couch because he thinks it should belong to him. When they start guarding couches, kicking them off enforces that the couch belongs to the humans and he's only allowed to share it if he's polite.

[Guest LindsaySF]

FYI: There may not be a med for your boy's idiopathic seizures. I have a niece (a real human ) who has them and there is nothing she can take because there is nothing wrong with the brain. They're brought on by stress, emotional issues, etc.

Even when they don't know the cause of the seizures (as in idiopathic epilepsy), they can still prescribe anti-seizure medication. There is clearly something wrong with the brain if the dog/human is having seizures ("normal" brains don't have seizures, even under stress). Even not knowing the exact defect, medication still works to raise the seizure threshold. When seizures are infrequent, they usually won't bother with meds (both humans and dogs). But when seizures are more frequent than say once a month, if the post-ictal phase is really tough with physical side effects that last a long time, or if they cluster (several seizures in one day), then medication should be prescribed.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest MyHoodies]

do you have a secluded spot where he can get away for everyone??? maybe a spot where he can go to if he is not quite "feeling" like himself.

 

two of my greys have some space issues so they where their muzzles quite a bit; right now everyone has theirs off but at bedtime they get put on. i have been on the wrong side of a misdirected "snap" and boy does it hurt. i can understand your concern esp. with having a baby.

 

thanks for taking the time to work with him and being so understanding / patient with him. i am a foster home and have had greys returned for less so thanks and keep the faith.

 

lots of good advice from more experienced guardians than I.

[Guest MonsterMomma]

OP, my greyhound Flipper also has seizures, both grand mal and a variety of partial and focal seizures. One of the types of seizures he has are "flycatcher seizures", which look a lot like snapping. My guess is that your boy Joe is having a lot more seizures that you think, and is in need of medication, ASAP.

 

Video of flycatcher seizure in a greyhound.

 

In the meantime, please keep Joe comfortable so he doesn't hurt himself or others. I have no other advice, as we're still trying to get Flipper's seizures under control.

[Guest Bob32392]

OP again. Thank you for all your comments, especially regarding the epilepsy. The vet said that if we decided to medicate he would probably prescribe a low dose of phenobarbital.

 

Based on the exam, the vet said the behavior was likely behavioral rather than physical... and recommended possibly putting him on a very low dose prozac to curb aggression/anxiety. I'm not sure that's a solution. Joe does have anxiety and can be a little neurotic (he had pretty bad separation anxiety that we have worked on (and is much better) but I'm not sure medication is the answer. As I said before (and I'm not exaggerating) he is the perfect, sweetest boy aside from these incidents... which are relatively isolated. I would hate to medicate him and possibly alter his personality. On the other hand, if medication could actually help him with anxiety/aggression, then we don't want to shut the door on it. We need to do more research on this regardless. Does anyone have any experience to share? I did a quick thread search and didn't find much... but maybe I wasn't using the right search terms.

 

Myhoodies, yes, he has places to go and we always make sure he has an "escape route." As for returning him, it's just not an option. For that to happen we would have to (1) feel like we or our child is in danger; (2)

exhaust EVERY possible option and strategy for addressing the problem (which would have to escalate further); or (3) feel like he would be happier and healthier somewhere else. In essence, we would have to lose trust in him, and in ourselves to work with him. We just aren't in that place with him and we will do everything we can to ensure that we never are.

[Gryffenne]

I use a product called Composure for Sammi. Her fear/anxiety is triggered by... well, by anything that happens outside the house. At home she is a total nutbar and lovebug. Going out in public, she is fearful of strangers. A walk in our neighborhood is one thing; but going to the store, being in a parade, at the beach, meet & greets, etc... wherever she may encounter/be outnumbered by strangers makes her shy, wary and nervous. Tho she is totally cool at the dog park because she has the ability to wander away and study the newcomer from a distance or come next to me to eye them up and down.

 

Composure works for her is on an "as needed" basis. I know the events that trigger her nervousness and can prepare for them. I only recently (a year ago) started using it. Before that I did a lot of desensitizing training in the settings that scare her. She has come a long way with the training. It was actually last year's parade that I first used it, since the year before she was so scared by all the strangers at the pre-parade set up that she ended up riding in the car like a pageant queen for the parade instead of walking.

[TheFullHouse]

To be honest, both instances where he snapped were following periods of high stress, the first one he had an ear infection and was in pain and the second was just after coming home from an extended vet stay, so to me, both were not a surprise. I would hate to medicate a dog under those circumstances. If he seems calm and at peace the rest of the time I would not medicate. I would however get the seizures under control because times of stress will bring on seizures and the most recent information coming out on seizures, the more they have the more the brain learns to have them so to speak so I would control those and then implement all the behavior modifications that have been suggested and see what happens.

 

Phenobarbital is the first go to drug when treating seizures. Some dogs are controlled very well on it and some dogs have to have Potassium Bromide added to the mix. There are those dogs that neither of those drugs will work for and you have to go to the more expensive drugs but most vets start when the Phenobarbital. You might give it a try. Make sure the vet gives you all the side effects the drug can have. Most side effects go away within the first month though so you have to be patient with any drug you put him on.

 

I wish you the best of luck and commend you for working through this. You guys obviously love him dearly.

[Guest sweetpea]

You've gotten some great advice so far, I'll just add my experience with prozac.

 

We have a Rat Terrier who is, in my best guess, borderline neurotic. We exercise him, we train him, we

cuddle with him, and still, he will lick and chew on his legs until there are open oozing wounds.

(His previous owners were considering amputation, it was so bad.)

'Just with exercise and topical treatments we improved his legs greatly, but when we started him

on prozac, 10 mg a day, the relentless self-destructive biting and chewing mostly ended.

(I say mostly because every once in a while, he'll get a little red welt on his leg. But we

are miles away from anyone considering amputation.) And yeah, he's still the same fire-cracker

in every other way.

 

I will say that prozac would not be my first course of action in your situation. As Judy said, there

seemed to be obvious stress triggers preceeding the snapping incidents, in addition to the less obvious general

stress on the entire household that a new baby brings, plus also whatever residual unease that Joe feels

from his seizures.

 

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

Buzzy

[Guest LindsaySF]

I don't think Prozac is the answer. He doesn't seem to be a dog with major anxiety issues or obsessive behavior (like Buzzy's Rat Terrier's licking). His snapping incidents have easily identified triggers, and most (all?) were related to the bed/laying down. (Pretty common in Greyhounds actually, though no one likes to admit it).

 

I think sometimes vets want to throw medication at behavioral issues because they don't have the behavioral experience to give to be able to help. (An experienced behaviorist, or someone with lots of dog/Greyhound experience would be a better choice for behavioral advice).

 

I would "Let sleeping dogs lie" (which I believe you are doing now), and work on addressing the seizures. From the sounds of him, he might NEVER enjoy being touched while laying down or sleeping (my boy Teagan is like that), so that might be something you need to accept. If he seems stressed by any changes in your schedule, by baby activity, etc, work on stabilizing the schedule and acclimating him to the baby. I think you will see a big difference right there.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~