Help! My dog is terrified of the bedroom! (border collie, shaking, collie) - - City-Data Forum

MissLizzie85 · 11-01-2011, 10:26 PM

I have a two year old border collie mix who tends to be a little bit nervous from time to time, but nothing out of the ordinary. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old, and we've lived in our current house for about a year and a half. About a week ago, he became absolutely terrified of our bedroom. When I tell him to go to his bed, he starts slinking around with his tail between his legs. He stands shaking outside the bedroom door, and will then bolt in, scooby-dooing across the floor until he gets to his bed. Once he reaches the bed, he continues to scan the room anxiously for about a half hour before falling asleep.

At first we thought he might be scared of the new floor fan, but we removed it from the room and it made no difference. We've moved his bed to different locations, and that's no different either. Yesterday, he began to show some of the same nervousness in one of the other bedrooms.

I honestly can't figure it out. We have terrazzo floors that are sometimes slippery throughout the house, but he never shows fear in any of the main rooms, even if he slips. The saddest part is that he really wants to obey the command, but he is so scared that he starts to shake. To my knowledge, he's never had an unpleasant experience in any of the bedrooms.

Right now, he's in his crate, which seems to be the only place in the room that he feels relaxed. Has anyone else experienced this? What could it possibly be? I've tried giving him treats and playing with him in the bedroom, but he's been too anxious even to play.

Clark Fork Fantast · 11-01-2011, 11:01 PM

Something like it: our otherwise very calm and steady GSD started freaking out over tile floors when she was around 3 (she's 5 now). We've narrowed it down to an association with the floors in the vet's office, probably from one particularly traumatic visit. It could also be one time at a new groomer's where she was very nervous and unhappy afterwards. We've tried to make her associate tiles with snacks and other happy things, but as it is now, she will not go into the kitchen (which is not a bad thing), or the bathrooms, and when we visit friends and family with tile floors it will take her hours to get her courage up to walk across the tiles to be with us, or to eat. We've even seen her walk backwards across the room, and it looks like she is trying to avoid slipping. So we put down little cheap runners for her

--we don't want our baby to be unhappy!

It sounds as if your Border Collie must have had some kind of traumatic experience with the bedroom--perhaps when you weren't home. Maybe something fell down, scaring him? And what amazed me when I first experienced it, dogs seem to be able to think in general terms, transferring feelings from one set of circumstances to another, similar situation. So if one bedroom is bad, they must all be bad. I'd say try to find a middle way--don't let him give in completely to the fear, but don't force him to confront it, either. Give it some time where you simply ignore his fear and pretend everything is fine. If that doesn't work, and it gets worse, talk to a dog psychologist. Some of them can be quite sensible

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dreamhunter65 · 11-02-2011, 02:04 AM

Maybe the house is haunted.

Katie1 · 11-02-2011, 08:03 AM

I would just move her bed.... Maybe in time she get over it BUT why force her to do something that scares her.

Did you Ever tell her she wasnt allowed on Your bed? Could be she associates that correction.....

MissLizzie85 · 11-03-2011, 08:53 PM

He doesn't sleep on our bed (he's not allowed on any furniture). He's slept in his dog bed in the master bedroom for two years with no problem... just trying to figure out why he's freaking out now.

Hopes · 11-03-2011, 09:11 PM

I wouldn't force a dog to be in a room it didn't like.

My dogs are afraid of the basement. I never make them go down there.

If they were afraid the bedroom, I wouldn't make them go there either.

dreamhunter65 · 11-08-2011, 07:33 PM

My Aunt was telling me about their dog who was a stray and very nervous dog. She painted kitchen walls and now only way dog will drink it's water is if she holds up the bowl as see's it's reflection from water shining on wall and freaks right out. She even tried a elevated bowl and unless she holding bowl it will not drink. Will not help put bowl in another room as those walls were all painted at same time thanks to a faulty wood stove smoking them all up.
This just making me think is pup seeing reflection and thinking strange dog trying to get him?

subject2change · 11-08-2011, 07:44 PM

If it started the day you got the fan, or the first time you turned it on, then that's probably the problem even though the fan is gone now. Dogs can make associations that cause fearful reactions to something even when the scary part is removed. I had a dog who got scared by a sheet of ice sliding down the back window of a station wagon, and was always nervous in the car after that. I don't think he remembered why he'd been scared (and he was a very smart dog), just that he'd had a scary experience in the car.
Try putting his bed somewhere else, and see if he prefers that. If he wants to be with you despite his fear, you can always put it back. I hope he overcomes this with time.