Polo has the 6th sense?

[PDing]

During thxgiving dinner at my coworker's, Polo was off to the side of the living room where there's no one around (everyone was at the dining room), he was staring up at the ceiling fan as if someone is holding a treat above his head. At first he kept on barking (he doesn't bark unless it's something very strange), Polo has been to my coworker's house plenty of times and this is something new to everyone. After he barked, he started doing a whole bunch of tricks I taught him while staring at the ceiling. He goes in a beg position and held it for a long time as if someone is holding a treat above his head. We couldn't understand why he's doing that, there's nothing on the ceiling and there's no shadow on the ceiling either, and no one is upstairs.

 

The following morning he started barking at the door to the garage. Other than some bicycles, power tools, and other storage items, there's nothing else in there. If there was something that's outside, he should be barking at the side door that leads outside rather than the garage. We checked the garage and there's no holes where animals can get in and out and nothing was out of the ordinary.

 

Then last night at my apartment he was facing my window and growling for no reason. The window he was facing faces a very tall wall of stones. There's no reflection that I can tell. It's just creepy.

[kajarrel]

A word to the wise. This is the kind of stuff that I correct ("eh-eh") immediately (along with tail chasing, etc.). Then redirect the dog's behavior (e.g., give them a toy, a command). While it's (initially) interesting to try to figure out why they do these things, if you allow these behaviors to persist (even for a short time) they can become obsessive.

 

Kim

[mbc1963]

Yeah... they're weird. My dog had lived in my house 5 weeks, and all of a sudden went CRAZY at the ceiling fixture. For HOURS. Barking. I thought maybe it was epilepsy. Next day, it started again. Finally, I said a really loud "NO!" and made him go lie down. He tried this maybe a couple more times, then realized it wasn't allowed. Freaky.

 

On the other hand... any chance there are mice in the walls? I've got bats that occasionally get in the wrong wall, and you can hear them sloooowly creeping back to where they belong. Buddy follows the sound around.

 

Mary

[WyoBC]

On the odd chance of not sounding crazy my parents golden/mix dog does that and we do have "things" in our house. We live about a mile from an old fort. Nuff said. But she'll do that for no reason. But it's not like OCD or anything. But I would watch it very closely. It could get out of control fast and turn into OCD or worse.

[PDing]

Hmmm... not sure if its mice up there, could be. Polo doesn't do it often, it's the first time its happened and when you call his name he comes to you right away. It's the weird that he's doing tricks to nothing (sit, roll-over, shake, beg, down, etc.).

[sea4th]

Hmmm... not sure if its mice up there, could be. Polo doesn't do it often, it's the first time its happened and when you call his name he comes to you right away. It's the weird that he's doing tricks to nothing (sit, roll-over, shake, beg, down, etc.).

 

Remember the dog in the first Poltergeist? He was doing the same thing.

(you don't have a clown anywhere in the house, do you? )

[mbc1963]

One last possibility...

 

When my dog was barking like crazy at the ceiling fixture, I couldn't figure out why. But later on, I realized that it was a 3-light fixture, and if you looked at it in the right light, it looked like two big staring eyes and a nose. I suspect Buddy was freaked out by the big giant eyes staring at him! (He used to bark and react to any drawn representation of a face staring at him... eventually, he figured out the difference between real objects and drawings of them.)

 

Just a thought!

 

MBC

[IronHorse]

I agree with Kajarrel on this type of behavior,correct it immediately.

It is not behavior that you want to become embedded in the dog regardless how "interesting" or "funny" or "cute" it appears.

It may be the dog trying a new approach to get attention,it may be a sign of OCD but regardless Its not behavior I would personally want to encourage so I would correct and redirect whenever I saw such behavior taking place.

Don't let the dog direct you,you direct the dog.

JMO

[PDing]

The ceiling just has the fan, no lights with it, I'll have to take another look to see if there's something that resembles eyes on it.

 

sea4th, by clown, I'm the closest thing to it.

 

I'll keep an eye out for the behavior. It's the first time he's done it as far as I'm aware of. From observation he doesn't have any OCD (yet). I'm very nit-picky with his manners, though some needs a lot more re-enforcement.

[Patty Abel]

The face resemblence in the light fixture is an interesting thought. One of my dogs reacts to photos in magazines...especially full page, like in Time or Sports Illustrated. Another dog would react to a painting I made of a previous pet's face. Is it the staring unblinking eyes? Ghosts are much more intriguing though....unless you have a clown doll!

[sea4th]

I've had a couple of dogs who, over the years, would react to a photo of a face in a magazine or one time, on an ad on the side of a bus we were next to (that was really funny, but it was always with the element of being startled by a stranger and barking. The fact that your dog is displaying other behaviors and even doing tricks, really is interesting. That's why I mentioned Poltergeist - tongue in cheek. Lots of possibilities -- interesting to figure out.

 

I can't offer anything better than what's already been mentioned. I'm on a dog behaviour board and I'm thinking that would be an interesting question to pose on there and see what responses you get. Personally, the ghost in the house is the most intriguing theory, I think. Maybe you should do a history search on where you live and report back to us.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/dogbeha...yguid=184776710

[Peg O'Rourke]

My bc/mix Grigsey had a traumatic experience with a picture of a wolf that I had bought. It was a large picture and when I got it home from the framers I sat in across the arms of a wing backed chair before I got it hung. I walked off and left it there. Several minutes later Grigsey was doing her most protective bark growl combination. I ran into the room to find out what she was so upset about. She was standing there with her fur standing on end, shaking like a leaf, trying to figure out how that @#$%%(! Wolf got into her house, and knowing that if she couldn't bluff him, she'd lose the fight. She also got really upset when I started laughing. I took the picture off the chair and let her walk around it, sniffing. It took her a couple of minutes to calm down.

 

I've never had a dog do all of it's tricks for a fan, though. My BC doesn't do tricks without the command word, but she does react to things I can't see, until I look for the second or third time. Don't be too quick to condemn.

[pammyd]

A few years back I was at a friends house watching scary movies

She had 6 collies and her B/F had a wee mutt

The mutt was on my lap snuggling up and then all 6 collies trouped into the room and ran over to a empty corner

They all stood looking at the corner, heads on one side like they were listening to something

They did this for a good couple of mins

Then all at the same time they gave a yelp and ran out of the room with tails between legs

 

We put the scary movie off after that!!

 

I think the wee darlings had sat outside planning how to freak us out - it worked!!

[Mudpups]

I'll agree with WyoBC, despite how weird that might make me sound:) I've experienced too many weird things to dismiss the spooky side of life, and animals can sense things alot easier than most humans.

[Ruger's Dad]

I would rule out OCD, definetly a booger man. Always check under the bed before going to sleep. Most try to hide under there for some strange reason.

[PDing]

He really doesn't do it at home (he did it once looking out the window). He has the weird behavior at my coworker's place. Just last night he sat on the staircase staring at something on the 2nd floor. You can see his head more side to side as if there's something on the 2nd floor walking back and forth. The area on the 2nd floor doesn't have room where mice or other animals can fit through (closet is right underneath the area and there's nothing abnormal in the closet). He wasn't barking or growling, but he seems interested at whatever it was. My coworker thinks it's Max, their cat that died after Polo was born, though Max died at the animal hospital.

 

I remember to look at the ceiling while I was over last night; the ceiling fan doesn't look like a face, but it does sort of look like a 3 "leg" frisby.... however, Polo was never introduced to that type of toy. The living room where the thread originated is on the 1st floor, just below the 2nd floor lounge (no one was there when it happened) and there shouldn't be any room between the ceiling and the floor on the 2nd level other than insulation.

[iluvlucy]

i'm in favor of the ghosts.

[Laurae]

As I alluded to in the getting to know you thread, I believe Taz and Sophie, actually, too, do see ghosts. Or...something. Craig hasn't displayed any such behavior. Taz will very infrequently but very definitely become intrigued with a spot on the wall or ceiling. It has happened a couple of times in hotel rooms and once in my house. Sophie will one in a while stand facing a wall and let out a deep woof. I don't have rodents in my walls. She did the same thing when I lived in my condo.

There is one spirit in particular that I think they sense...