Hello, I am newto this site and would be very grateful for any info regarding my year old male (neutered) Westies behaviour!

For the last three or four weeks he has become very 'agitated' about going into the back garden, whereas he used to 'ask' to be let out every few hours by sitting by the back door, and was really laid back about going out, now he sits there almost constantly and will  'throw himself' at the back door and bark increasingly high pitched and intense if i do not immediately let him out.(i have been advised not to do this as he would interpret this as reward) Once out he barks in what i can only describe as in a hysterical fashion (extremely high pitched and loud-a bit upsetting for the neighbours i imagine) and runs around  and around the garden bench which is just outside the back door.
This usually carries on for about a minute after which he calms down and goes off to explore the rest of the garden. Whilst doing this he has his nose to the ground. Once let in he will be back by the back door within about five minutes max!

As he has grown up he has gone through other 'phases' such as barking in the middle of the night and being un-moveable from the window ledge and barking at passers by, these things have calmed right down and i am hoping this may pass too? Could it be due to 'adolescence'?

He is the only pet in the house and has plenty of mental and physical stimulation so I don't think it is boredom.

Any advice or similar experiences gratefully recieved!

dillymum
     

You might have a fox or something simular in the garden. The scent can make them go crazy. With the nose to the floor he is smelling something different. Have you used anything near the bench which might be giving a scent off?

Was going to suggest a fox or rats, the dog is after all a terrier.

my westie does this often first thing in the moring especially. we have pheasants in the woods behind us and he goes crazy. Its worse when he won,t come in he just ignores me unless its dinner time I am thinking of attaching a long lead to him which goes in a post in the ground because I can't catch him when the pheasants are there. Has anyone ever used the long lead and are they safe? I saw it in pets at home.

Hi

My Westie (Angus) is two years old and he also does this. He'll be dozing in front of fire and then suddenly get up and run around barking, leaping on the back of the sofa to look out into the street etc. (usually 'cos he's heard either a car or someone walking a dog past the house).

He's also got into the habit of wanting to go and sniff by the manhole cover, but only since we had our drains cleaned by Dyna-Rod which I put down to the "interesting" smells which have been disturbed during the cleaning and that somehow he can still detect after a week. 

We live in close proximity to a wood and frequently get squirrels and the occassional fox in the garden, which also makes him put his "terrier head" on.

Regards

John

Hi, i have a Westie cross Lhasa Apso,and she does exactly the same when she bolts out of the dog flap she is barking almost hystericaly ,we do have foxes who vist and as said before she hates them ,and as for digging ! she could dig for England , also we have a large garden and she goes for walks twice a day ,but once back in the garden she runs (in now what resembles a circular race track)like a lunatic round and round in huge circles .....and all of this after a long walk !! how much exercise should she be  getting ? is a couple of hours a day enough ?and are these manic barking sessions and race track events conected ?she seems to have a lot of Westie charecteristics ,but what of the Lhasa ,what are their traits ?sorry so many questions but she seems a very contented dog most of the time ,maybe its just her age !! Take Care Sue & Lola xx

Thanks all!

I am beginning to think it may be foxes or rats then (hope not the latter!), as we live right on the edge of a village and people have said there are lots around here (foxes that is) although I have never seen one in the back garden. (am i naive to think they could not get in as the garden is enclosed by a six foot fence?)

I understand that Terriers can have high prey drive for little furries but the strange thing is he never shows this type of behaviour when out for walks......this makes me think it is something territorial. I also read that running around in circles can be a 'signaling' behaviour in dogs, I am glad to hear that mine isn't the only one who does it though!!

Dillymum  

Hi Dillymum ,i hope i dont sound too stupid but what do you mean by Signaling ? i would love to know just what she is signaling at !Bye Sue & Lola xx

hiya Sue T

What I have read on a few dog behaviour sites is that running in circles can be a way of dogs communicating with other members of the pack, unfortunately not being a doggie myself the message (if there is one!) is lost on me!  Apparently in some wild dog packs there will be one member of the pack whose job it is to 'survey' areas and communicate any info back to the other members, not sure how true this is but it is an interesting theory!!

Dillymum

Hi Dillymum ,wow ! never heard that before but would explain Lola's crop circles(lol) there's definatly a lot more to dogs than you think,Lola is not my first dog ,but she is so different to any of the others ,its more like having a toddler than a dog ,she sure keeps us all on our toes ,hope everything goes well for you both ,Bye Sue & Lola xx