Childhood (Doghood) Boogie Man????
 

We are having an unusual problem (unusual in the sense that I've never read about it here) with Taffy at night ... generally while we are watching tv. It bothers both my husband and me because we cannot stand to see her "scared"...or at least it appears to us that she is scared.

At first I thought she might be reacting to the surround sound of the tv because the realistic sound even catches me off guard at times but she's generally looking away from the tv more at the windows at the back of the house or into the eating area. (The house plan is all open except for the bedrooms so all of these areas I'm mentioning are within our eyesight.)

She will do this low growl and stance as if she is warning us of something but we cannot seem to discover what it is that she is protecting us from! (She never does get into a full bark just the growl and her "at attention" stance.) We've turned every light imaginable on trying to dispel any shadows that might appear scary to her but to no avail. We've walked over to where she faces when growling both alone and with her in our arms to no avail.

It is freaking us out because it's happening too frequently. Granted she is extremely smart and no matter how engrossed in a tv program we might be, when she starts her routine, she has our complete and full attention. Is it possible she's this good an actress? (Were we in the country house we once had, it might be a mouse but we don't have any tiny critters here...literally none.)

Also, this is a new house (built 2002) and we are the first owners so don't anyone start throwing out ghost stories or you'll have me spooked, too!

We are completely at a loss of figuring this out but we don't like the thought of her being scared in her own home. We keep asking her what it is, encouraging her to show us, telling her there's nothing there, etc. and comforting her but it's still happening. (By the way, my theory of the surround sound is moot since we watch different shows on different nights but she does seem to respond to "doom and gloom pre-warning" music in movies of intrigue...even in broad daylight.)

Does anyone have any experience with this or any clues? (She really is smart and we really do give her our full attention when this happens but if this is just a play for our attention, we need to get her to Hollywood because she's a better actress than most!)

It upsets us to see her the least bit scared because at all other times she is such a confident, happy-go-lucky, party hardy type gal...except for this time period at night. (Also, in case this is a factor...this is not a behavior to postpone her bedtime.)

Any advice or suggestions to vaporizing her boogie man wil be appreciated!

Well I am not for sure but she is trying to tell you something. My daughter recently started playing the violin. Harley was growling at it for days until it he got used to it being there. Have you bought something new that is near the area she is growling at?

LOL...just the opposite but maybe that's what's rocked her world.

I've cleaned out a lot of stacked boxes (pure collected clutter) that had been waiting for attention for quite awhile. Perhaps it's just the openness of that area now that's causing her some anxiety.

Hmmmm...if that's the case, that's a good reason to quit the cleaning...LOL

I hadn't thought of that but it could be because I have changed that part of her environment. Strangely enough though, while I had those boxes there, I had that area fenced off. Now she's free to roam in that area and seems to enjoy going over there during the daytime.

I have quite a few boxes stacked throughout the house from things I bought from Mother's after she died. I wonder if this is going to cause her stress as I unpack and remove boxes. Here I thought I was finally moving on with my life by beginning to sort through things but perhaps it is stressing Taffy.

I guess I should clarify.............The violin sits on the floor by the kitchen table when she is not playing. Harley would look at it and back up like he was not for sure what it was!!

I think eventually Taffy will get used to the area!! I guess you better get busy and get it all cleaned up!!!!! LOL!!!!

I am sorry to hear about your mother, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

LOL, I dont mean to laugh but Laci does this sometimes too, my daughters are convinced we have a ghost because honestly I swear she see's something that we dont... I do the same thing, turn on lights, walk around, open the doors to see if maybe something is outside that only she can hear, its never anything.. One night her head and eyes appeared to be following an object, well and invisible one anyways:eek::eek:,... I have a huge TV , I wonder sometimes if it is the reflection in the windows, I pull the curtains and she still does that growl and gets in this crazy stance, sometimes she will even up and jump on my lap and get in that stance and do a very low pitched growl and a few little muffled barks... so if you figure it out , let me know.. otherwise , I guess I have a ghost ;);)

Thank you for your thoughts. Actually Mother died a couple of years ago but I am just now starting to emerge from the depression her death caused. She would be so irritated at my lack of action but I'm the only member of my family left and it just knocked my socks off.

I do better understand now that grief is a process. I just didn't make it through the stages as quickly this time probably because I had just retired and had nothing to "return" to. (We never had children so no grandchildren, etc. and I was one of those whose job was my life. I don't regret retiring because I was able to be Mother's caregiver.)

However, getting Taffy has made all the difference! I would never have imagined that having a pet could make this much difference. She made me get out of bed and live again. When I say she brought laughter back into our home, I am not exaggerating at all.

That's why I hate to see her upset over anything...well, almost anything... I cannot help that she prefers paper fast food napkins to her toys. I have to upset her by taking those away...LOL...otherwise I might lose what little sanity I have left. I still am amazed at the number of miniscule pieces she can shred them into.

Oh my gosh, you described it perfectly! Taffy jumps in my lap or straddles my legs with that stance and growl. (It freezes me in position because I don't want a sudden movement to make her think she should "attack"...LOL... I laugh but it is kind of scary because she is so intent and focused on whatever it is.)

Well, at least I think I can dispel the thought that she's doing this for attention since yours does it, too. I had entertained that thought that she was doing it for attention but it seemed too realistic for that to be the case.

We have plantation shutters on all our windows but my husband has commented that he thinks she sees a reflection of light in the glass. I need to try closing them...don't think I've tried that yet.

I just don't want her to be scared in her own home. She does seem to forget it eventually though and return to her play. However, she does run to me when this happens. I'm just not smart enough to understand if she's protecting me or if I'm protecting her!

I am currently taking care of my father in law full time and I would not have it any other way!

It is amazing what these little furrkids can do to make your day! I have 3 ad each one of them has the most wonderfull personality and makes me sooo happy!! So I can understand how Taffy could make a difference in your life:)!

I hope you and Taffy together can figure out who her boogie man is!!!

Well I dont want you to laugh but Laci did this one night at about 2 in the morning, I fell asleep on the couch, I did have the TV on, I was so scared I used my cellphone to call my daughter (21) she was upstairs in her bedroom...I made her come downstairs , honestly when she does this It FREAKS me out... it actually freaks us all out, my daughters are 25,21 and 13 we usually are like you watching TV and she is all snuggled up , then all of a sudden , her head perks up, she gets in that stance and does that growling thing.. and your right she does seem scared!!
On another note, I am very sorry at the loss of your mom , I am very happy That Taffy has brought joy and laughter back to your life... :D

You said your HOUSE is new/first owner.....but is your LAND ??? :eek::eek::eek:

:p

Oh TOY, I so enjoy your threads!!! Rily does these things too. He will bark and growl at absolutely NOTHING!!! :rolleyes: And paper...well, let's just say "I feel your pain.":( Have fun on your trip!:)

Just a thought but could it be a cars headlight that passes the window and is gone before you can see it?

Plus, they can hear so much more (better) than we can.

Harley has started doing this as well recently. He starts barking and I can't get him to calm down. I thought maybe he was seeing shadows in the windows or seeing his reflection. I don't know but it spooks me out. The other day he was on my bed and something spooked him...he took off running and would not get back up on the bed. We've only been in our house a year now and it was brand new when we bought it so I don't think we should have any ghosts. It's spooky when they act like that though.

Our Lhasa Poo we discovered would bark at her own reflection in a window at night or anything that moved outside the window, so all blinds had to be down at dark. The cat and Yorkie we have now stare at areas for the longest time where we see nothing. Any time our dog does a low growl you can be she has heard something we didn't. Our friends ended up with mice in their attic/wall that only the dog was able to hear. That's how they found them, searching for what the dog was reacting to all the time. We looked we don't have mice or squirrels in the attic or walls we checked, but we have been told that our house is haunted by a couple people so maybe that's what ours is staring at. LOL

OK, SugarMamma, you skeered me...LOL

Actually, this land (as far as I know) was pastureland or cropland before it was developed. I don't think anyone living today that would be able to tell me what it was farther back than cropland. Quite frankly, I think research on this might really skeer me since some of the land in this area were Civil War battlegrounds back in the day.

Tortoisekeeper, that's a great guess but it's our backyard which backs up to another backyard so headlights wouldn't be anywhere near where she's barking unless someone has gone airborne. You do give me a thought though because there is a fence back there where a big cat loves to sun. I wonder if she might prowl the fence top at night. Hmmmm...I hadn't even thought of that...perhaps that is the boogie man she senses. (The cat is easily twice her weight and fearless, it seems.)

I do know her senses are much sharper than mine. (She just alerted me to a pot that was about to boil over. If I'd realized what was distressing her, I could have avoided the clean up...LOL) I so wish she could talk! I daresay I would learn quite a bit from her.

This last week she has learned to spell R-U-N. It got to where I couldn't say the word so I would spell it but now she knows how to spell it, too! (It relates to a laser light that she chases...gives some substance to her zoomies...LOL...anyway, she is on alert whenever we say or spell the word. I just should have chosen a word that doesn't have so many varied meanings! It is quite entertaining as we try to trace back what we've said that contained the word...LOL...For instance, we cannot wonder aloud who's going to run for a particular office! You'd think she had a political preference if you didn't know her love of the word.)

I know our friends think we're paying them back for the years we listened to their children's and grandchildren's accomplishments but honestly...wouldn't you brag on a puppy that could spell? LOL...she's amazing! Plus, she understands money and numbers. (This we know since she ran off with the twenty dollar bill...pizza money that my husband laid on the table...she left the five and one...LOL)

We have thought of researching that, this was the first addition of this neighborhood, this street was the first street, the house three doors down was the first house ever built here. We talked to them as the original owner still lives there and they said this was all forest when the construction started. Our last cat would't go in the basement at all after awhile. We used to tease him about the boogie cat down there as a joke.

I have noticed that she senses a storm before it hits. (We always said we could tell when the weather was going to change by our student's behavior, too.)

As for Taffy, I'm assuming she senses a shift in the barometric pressure or something. I have a feeling there really is some scientific change that she is sensing. Guess I should have paid more attention to science classes on weather!

You guys realize I'm just killing time trying to ignore the rest of the housework I was hoping to accomplish today. It's just so much more fun to chat on yorkietalk...LOL

However, I am going to make myself set down the laptop and see what treasures I can unearth from the "safe" places I have put them. (I'm already shocked at the sets of "moving men" I'd bought and forgotten I'd bought...and still haven't tried to slide the piece of furniture I wanted moved!) I can't imagine getting old without a sense of humor...LOL

I can see what joy she has brought to your life and you have made me smile this morning as I have read through your posts. Thank you for sharing all of the wonderful things that your little girl does to brighten you and your husband's lives after the passing of your mother.

I vote for ghosts :p

Moving Men.....I love them they actually work!

Weather...our last cat was a great weatherman. If he acted a little crazy we were in for a storm. If he acted really really crazy the storm was going to be bad, possibly tornado bad. He would actually start to act up a day or two in advance. He would tell us before the weatherman on tv what was coming.

Old age....I just had a birthday Sunday and you are right a sense of humor goes a long way! lol

Oh Debbie, you are hilarious! I am glad that Taffy is holding down the fort and protecting her mommy and daddy. :D

us too
 

We too have a large flat screen with surround sound. Sometimes mine do the low growl and muffled bark. They are usually looking at the sliding glass doors in the dining room when they do it. The TV does project images into the glass and with the surround sound it makes the noise seem to be coming from there.

Robin, I just read your PM about Ginger and then found the thread in the "Sick" forum. I am just so saddened by this and so wished I lived closer so I could do something. Please know that all of you are in my prayers.
I am going to post the following here and in the other thread and in a PM because I've never done this before and I'm a tiny bit leery of it getting to you. (You know how I am about technology! It's a great thing but I don't understand how this works and I want to be sure it gets to you.) I hope there's some way for you to get this so you can use it however you need to. I needed a quick 101 on Paypal but couldn't find it. If this money ends up in some cyber blackhole, I know I'll be sorry I didn't just mail a check!

I sent you a monetary gift through PayPal. Use it however you need it and know I sent it with prayers and hope that Ginger will recover.

If anyone else should need her PayPal info, just PM me. I know in an emergency like this, even a small amount can help.

Are you sure that she is not hearing something? Emily has barks a little during the night occasionally and the next day I have discovered the reason. I had something funny happen last night. Emily and I were watching television when suddenly she stared off at the top of the bookcase. She kept staring and then started making her "woofie" sound. I realized that it looked like she was staring at a picture of my first Yorkie who died a few years ago. I brought her the picture frame and sure enough she started barking at it. I left it on the floor near her and she finally left it alone. I just thought it was really funny after all this time.:aimeeyork:aimeeyork:aimeeyork

I could be wrong, but just throwing this out there...dogs go through a fear stage at __weeks of age (I forget) & again around 7 months of age? (not sure).
It could also be a neighbor that comes out to smoke:rolleyes: (our neighbor), or a neighbor's car. Sometimes, when there's a siren, or car alarm...like far far away. Mine all stare out standing in a stance & sometimes even growl or howl & bark.

Mimi used to be terrified of thunder storms & she'll be shaking uncontrollably 10-15 mins before I could even hear a thunder miles away. She doesn't do this anymore, maybe Taffy will get used to it too, whatever it is. It could be what you said about the barometric pressure.:D

You know, you may have something there. Taffy is just a tiny bit more than 8 months and I've never noticed this fear until the last week or so. In fact, her bravery has been almost comical to watch because of her size! She's still quite brave in the daytime but it's just that strange low growl and stance at night toward the back yard.

I'm just glad to know that other Yorkies do this, too. (It was the same way with those zoomies. You can't imagine how glad I was to learn that others did that...talk about ghosts...Taffy ran like one was chasing her!)

Sunny Alex, that was funny about Emily barking at the picture of the Yorkie. Taffy was really jealous when Yodi (the traveling stuffed Yorkie) came to visit and is not too happy when I pick up one of her toys to cuddle. (I can't decide if she's not wanting me to give the toy animal any attention or if she's unhappy I'm playing with HER toys. Either one is quite possible!)

Today she has once again shown her number sense as she managed to get one of my twenties from the cash my husband brought me from the bank. This is after she had pranced around awhile with it in her mouth without us realizing it. (When we don't notice her shenanigans, she brings whatever it is up to us as if to take us to task for not paying attention!) I now have to dry the money before I can stick it in my billfold! However, the kid knows her numbers because once again, she went for a twenty! Have to admit her sense of math makes this old retired math teacher a bit proud...LOL

See? This just proves what a great teacher you were and still are.:aimeeyork:aimeeyork:aimeeyork

At our old house Zoe would have a spaz attack when we'd go to bed each night. Even though EVERY light was out she's stare through the open bedroom window down the stair into nothingness and bark and bark and bark, like there was something there she was upset/afraid of. Our solution: close the bedroom door as soon as we could and she wouldn't bark at the closed door. :rolleyes: In our new house the street light can be seen a bit through the verticals of our bedroom and yet she never barks at anything! I just don't know what the fuss was about at the old house but not at the new house :confused:

I think since our babies are sensitive (to noises, etc) they can detect things we can't. It may also be a stage thing, like mimimomo suggested.