I Believe We Have A Spook. Opinions/advice?

[Guest GreytScott]

We're still inside our first four months with Kingsley, so I know it's still quite early, but given how deeply my boy and I have bonded I'm relatively certain I've begun to pin down and sort his behaviors into two categories: Just Kingsley Things (Personality), and Suspected Spook.

In the realm of Just Kingsley Things we have vocalization ("talking," barking - usually for my attention). The rare but exciting back yard zoomies. Leaning and catlike side-rubbing. A preference for butt scratchies. A love for warm naps in the grass. Boisterous bouncing up and down on his front legs when excited. Standing-up cuddles with me when I'm sitting on the couch or on the bed (he loves to bury his whole head under my arm/leg/blanket/pillow and get neck scratchies). Avid love for being brushed. Spirited nesting. Food thievery, the mongrel! I also see signs of future things, like roaching (I don't think he's feeling secure enough yet to go fully belly-up), play bows, and stuffie love. He's basically a gentle giant who occasionally gets playful, goofy urges.

In the realm of Suspected Spook we have behaviors such as fear of our bedroom floor. He'll try to step lightly, inevitably makes himself skitter around, then bolts either into the room or out of it. He was afraid of the hallway but we put down rugs and he was instantly fine. We aren't going to carpet our bedroom, though, and besides, when I'm in there he seems to forget he's afraid and walks around fine. That's a weird one.

 

Let's see...fear of sudden noises. Does not have to be loud, only sudden. This is also inconsistent. Sometimes he's fine and sometimes a sudden noise causes him to bolt.

 

Bolting when something he wasn't expecting brushes lightly against him. For instance, he laid down next to my laptop cord and when I moved my laptop the cord slid against his bum and he bolted across the room, skidded around a corner and crashed into the wall, and ran down the hall. He now refuses to lay down on his bed since it's in that same spot. The same thing has happened when he's laid down on the corner of a blanket, and when the blanket was shifted he was gone in an instant. Firm nudges don't seem to bother him.

 

He's afraid of most men, and typically cowers and runs from them, but I think it's mostly because of the deep, booming voices since quieter men don't seem to be so offensive.

 

And there are times when I really do think he's afraid of his own shadow because he'll bolt for what seems, to me, to be no reason at all. Sometimes he'll bolt even when he sees something coming from a mile away. For instance, he often waits for me at my bedroom door, and the majority of the time he's happy to trail me down the hallway, or to lead me down the hallway, but every so often he'll bolt. At first I thought it was zoomies, but then he skidded to a halt in the living room, looked very upset, and let out some nervous gas, and this keeps happening every now and then. And his nervous farts are the worst, you guys.

 

Also, though he spends a lot of time in the back yard and is perfectly happy, when we go for walks out front he acts overwhelmed every time. Our back yard abuts a busy road and a high-traffic interstate, meaning the noise level is always pretty high so I don't think it's noise bothering him. He just seems intimidated by the presence of other people, dogs, cars, even the presence of other houses. The only thing he's not afraid of is cats and ducks - he loves to sight them and freezes as he tracks them.

 

The only way I can describe why I suspect he's a spook is because of how often he cowers and bolts. It's just so frequent. And once something happens to scare him in a certain spot it takes him ages to enter that area again. We have a small house so that's it's not really feasible for him to continue becoming afraid of entire rooms. The only person who can coax him into trying again is me.

 

What does this sound like to more seasoned owners? I've posted before and gotten a few resources about his fear of men and we are working on that. But I'd like to know if anyone has dealt with issues similar to what I've listed here, and what you did to help your pooch. Other online sources, like articles, have been helpful, but mostly give general information about fearfulness. I'm looking for something more specific to his behaviors, know what I mean?

Should I comfort him? Treat him for being brave? I really don't know.

[krissy]

I didn't read your whole post... but here is my general thought on spooks.

 

All dogs have quirks or things they are afraid of.

 

Summit is uncomfortable on certain floors, though I haven't found one yet that he absolutely refuses to walk on. You can just tell he thinks he might slip. He backs up quickly from things falling or moving above head level (paper from the counter, the freezer door swinging open, etc.). He has bad noise phobias to fireworks and gunshots. However, he is not a spook. He loves people, approaches people and dogs with confidence and enthusiasm, he enjoys the outdoors, he enjoys trips to indoor locations like pet stores, he is not afraid of crowds.

 

A true spook is basically TERRIFIED of everything and everyone. Te really bad spooks are often even quite scared of their owners for a long time. These are the dogs that when they are walked outside wear extra harnesses or collars because they are likely to bolt and try to slip their lead at the smallest things... a person in the distance, a leaf blowing in the wind, a loud truck.

 

I think your dog just has some quirks and some things he doesn't like or is afraid of. And that's normal. Some are more fearful than others... but being a spook is the pretty extreme end of the spectrum.

[Guest GreytScott]

I didn't read your whole post... but here is my general thought on spooks.

 

All dogs have quirks or things they are afraid of.

 

Summit is uncomfortable on certain floors, though I haven't found one yet that he absolutely refuses to walk on. You can just tell he thinks he might slip. He backs up quickly from things falling or moving above head level (paper from the counter, the freezer door swinging open, etc.). He has bad noise phobias to fireworks and gunshots. However, he is not a spook. He loves people, approaches people and dogs with confidence and enthusiasm, he enjoys the outdoors, he enjoys trips to indoor locations like pet stores, he is not afraid of crowds.

 

A true spook is basically TERRIFIED of everything and everyone. Te really bad spooks are often even quite scared of their owners for a long time. These are the dogs that when they are walked outside wear extra harnesses or collars because they are likely to bolt and try to slip their lead at the smallest things... a person in the distance, a leaf blowing in the wind, a loud truck.

 

I think your dog just has some quirks and some things he doesn't like or is afraid of. And that's normal. Some are more fearful than others... but being a spook is the pretty extreme end of the spectrum.

 

I can see that. I don't know if I'd call him extreme in his fear, so perhaps not a spook. But definitely afraid of...many, many things. Like I said, I can coax him into trying again, he's just super hesitant all the time and has been all along.

 

I'm mostly wondering what I can do, if anything, to help him along. I'd love to see him really enjoy himself and do silly dog things more often. Typically he only displays the goofy behaviors for me, when it's just he and I.

Edited April 11, 2014 by GreytScott

[Remolacha]

It sounds to me like he is somewhat timid, and even more quirky that your average grey but I wouldn't say he is a true spook. My first grey was very timid and shy, and acted a lot like Kingsley. She relaxed quite a bit after she got used to me and our home, but that took several months, and she was never comfortable away from home. I would reassure him when he is afraid, continue to build your bond (four months really isn't that long), he will probably always be happier in a familiar environment and just with family, and probably always a little jumpy, but I bet in a year he will be much more relaxed

[Guest GreytScott]

It sounds to me like he is somewhat timid, and even more quirky that your average grey but I wouldn't say he is a true spook. My first grey was very timid and shy, and acted a lot like Kingsley. She relaxed quite a bit after she got used to me and our home, but that took several months, and she was never comfortable away from home. I would reassure him when he is afraid, continue to build your bond (four months really isn't that long), he will probably always be happier in a familiar environment and just with family, and probably always a little jumpy, but I bet in a year he will be much more relaxed

Thanks!

[Jackandgrey]

He's definitely not a spook. He just has issues . Many of those things will disappear or be reduced as he is exposed to them longer and if you are very patient and encouraging.

[Acadianarose]

He sounds a lot like my Payton, who is not a spook. As time goes on, he comes into contact with more new things and therefore, he is less and less frightened.

 

Your boy will probably be the same way.

[greysmom]

He's just a newbie. And likely one of those dogs that takes a while to settle into home life. He might be a bit timid, personality-wise, but I suspect he's mostly just overwhelmed and surprised by things.

 

Encourage him to try new things, to the limit of his acceptance. Don't force him if he's acting very fearful, but don't coddle him too much either. Reward him with really yummy treats and lots of praise when he does something that was previously scary. You can try luring him into formerly scary behaviors with treats if he's at all food motivated. Most of all give him a LOT of patience and time. A lot. Really. He may not become really comfortable for upwards of a year, OR his switch may go off next week and he'll suddenly be fine.

 

You don't need to carpet your bedroom, but a couple of well-placed throw rugs will do wonders for him. You likely won't need them forever.

 

My definition of a spook: A true spook cannot calm down on his/her own once they become frightened. My Cash will shake and tremble so much it seems like she's going to shake right out of her skin. She has gotten so anxious that she actually collapses from trembling and panting. Her longest episode lasted a good 90 minutes of active fear behavior, with hours of hiding in her safe spot afterwards. A spook ignores all or most attempts at comunication and comforting in the midst of an episode, and usually can't/won't eat or sleep. They will do repetitive, OCD like behaviors - pacing, panting, licking, jaw chewing motions, excessive drooling or nose dripping. Most spooks response to a fear-inducing thing is to run away as far and as fast as they can. Some dogs will become fear-biters when confronted with a thing that scares them, but not most spooks - that's way to confrontational.

[Guest FinnsMama]

 

From your description i have a spook too. It makes life intersting! I read a book that described him perfectly. I can't remember the name of the book but it called this behavior Neophobic. Afraid of new things. But some days EVERYTHING is new to him.

 

My Finn is hard to predict. We can walk the same route twice a day for years and if a neighbor parks in a different place or at an odd angle one day he will be afraid to walk by that spot for days. If there is a garbage can on the curb one day he has to walk about 3 feet out into the street to safely walk around. It is only a problem if a car is coming and i have to keep him on a short leash to be safe.

 

He hides in in the closet everytime it storms. And in oklahoma that can be weeks at a time. The only thing he will eat when he is like that is yogurt, un sweetened, of course. The vets say it that helps replace the flora in his digestive tract destroyed by the Cortisol hormone from his own anxiety.

 

We have been together for seven years, and he still surprises me. I just stay flexible and patient. My family says it is a good thing he picked me because no one else would have put up with him. I love him dearly. He is nine years old now and not slowing down much or settling down much. :-)

[Guest Scouts_mom]

My Henry is also a timid boy (although I tell him he is the bravest boy ever). In the 3 years I have had him he has improved tremendously although he will probably always be wary of loud men, cars driving by, and things he considers strange or out of place. What has helped him the most is my second grey, a little grey girl who knows no fear. While Henry will boss her around, she is definitely his security blanket. The other thing that helped was how I handle his fear. I try to always be upbeat and cheerful when something scares him so I don't reinforce that he is right to be scared. I also do not force him to confront scary things, but do encourage him to stand a safe distance away and observe. Sometimes he is willing to slowly approach and sniff the scary thing, other times he keeps his distance from it for a few days. The world is no longer a terrifying place to him.

[Tallgreydogmom]

Our true spook would crawl on her stomach. We had to unpry her paws from the wires of the crate to get her out. She did have a safe chair she liked. DH had to carry her if she had to leave the house. Potty area was right outside the door. Had to watch the door to make sure it didn't more.

 

She was a bag of shaking bones sometimes. We would cover her crate with something dark. Gave medicine to try to calm her down. Mostly rescue remedy and herbs. Used the DAP plug in.

 

She did get better over the years. I would take her to the vet, she would be under the dashboard in the car. At a stoplight she would lift her head to look out the side window. She still crawled into the vets on her stomach. Once inside we waited in the bathroom for our turn.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Tallgreydogmom

[Guest FinnsMama]

Tallgreydogmom,

 

My boy isn't nearly that scared, thankfully! Your poor little girl.

 

Finn is an enigma. He is terrified sometimes of some things, then sometimes he is not scared at all. He actually likes the vet. He greets the ladies behind the counter as if to say, Hi, i'm here! I guess he has not had too bad an experience with the doctors yet, again thankfully. Being that he never raced he has been pretty healthy. (He came from a greyhound farm' never made it to a track.)

 

Scouts_mom,

I try to tell him, in a happy voice, that he is alright and he doesn't need to be scared, and i praise praise praise, when he comes out of the closet or approaches something bravely.

[Guest GreytScott]

Thanks, all! It does allay my fears quite a bit to know it's not actually extreme behavior. I have never had a timid dog before so it all seemed so exaggerated to me! Now I can feel better about just encouraging him to be brave and seeing how he does over time.