Can Dogs Feel Frenzied?

There’s a rumor going around that dogs are something to be amazed about. You won’t get any argument from the guardians of that sweet, little Pug that lives on the same street or the companion to the Labrador service dog that helps your neighbor hear things they can’t.

This century is all about dogs and how they think, feel, and understand us so well. Even the good guys of science are singing their praises with countless studies and each new one revealing something we didn’t know before. There’s no doubt our canine pals feel like they’re human but they are originally descendants of wolves, and now have become man and women’s unique best friend. 

They share in common with humans the capacity to feel out of sorts and this can lead to a frenzied state where your faithful Retriever gets barking mad, whenever the doorbell rings.

Our super-pups are smart, affectionate beings who at times can feel frenzied from living in a human world. The pooch that demand-barks to get attention will hit the high notes in yelps if their vocal commands are not heard, as will the Doberman who thinks the doorbell is a secret code to start the bark meter.

Your quiet ambiance suddenly erupts in a volcano of frenzied-doggy lava as your neighbor has committed a cardinal sin and pressed the doorbell. It’s hard to blame the diligent Doberman who was bred back in time to guard a tax collector on his rounds

A frenzied fur-baby will kick up a hound-dog-howling storm when their owner has to go out. Their anxiety accelerates to an all-out frenzy, as the hours tick by, That's when they take the Joanna and Chip school of re-making the home, one throw cushion at a time. This separated pup is in adrenaline overload, chewing up the carpet and chasing the toilet roll from room to room.

A mischievous Mastiff puppy feeling bored might throw a tornado tantrum and start spinning around in circles, knocking everything in their path. Junior pups can have frenzied fits where they pant and pace, all while play-bowing at imaginary friends. This bolt-out-of-the-blue energy is similar to a toddler going ballistic at home.

Bath time can be a frenzied affair, with woofers hiding out at the mere mention of the word. You might find your fluffy Bichon averting your eyes and, once the whining stops, the soap suds fly. Get ready for the big shake off when you take them out and your frenzied, sweet-smelling pup starts zooming around.

There is another kind of frenzy that can get a dog in jail. It starts at the puppy age where junior starts growling at the kids. If antagonized, a puppy can get in a frenzied state and bite. According to The Labrador Site, our bambino pups go through this phase and with the right guidance, grow up to be good, tail-wagging adults

If we raise our dogs to be overly-excited, the result can be a dog who’s crazed out most of the time. They may nip or bite in this chaotic state of mind.

Little red riding hood's “Big Bad Wolf” has been evolving on the planet for over a million years, so it must have been a big day out at the Ice Age Colosseum when the local lions saw predatory wolves wave the white flag at humans.

Our ancestors had a lot to deal with back then, as some prehistoric predators were as tall as a New York skyscrapers. Getting together with wolves was a smart choice, as they could guard their resources and be immensely helpful in the hunt. Dogs were the creation of this interspecies alignment, as man became an amateur geneticist and fashioned many different breeds.

The race around the world to design a dog that represented their country of origin saw the emergence of flag-waving dogs, including the British bulldog, the petite Poodle from Paris, and the German Shepherd of Deutschland. In the USA, each state has a national pooch with the Boston terrier of Massachusetts and Great Dane of Pennsylvania.

The wolf and dog share the same DNA, but years of sharing their lives with humans has altered canine behaviors. Pooches don't have to hunt for food or ward off predators. Many of a dog's behavioral issues come from not being socialized. If a pup has never heard the sound of a car horn or been introduced to toddlers that want to pull their hair, they might adopt a fearful, frenzied way of coping with their environment.  

OCD dogs are capable of frenzied emotions as they chase their elusive tail to the point of lunacy.  It’s the classic You-Tube video, but beyond the few minutes of fun, there’s a pooch lost in a compulsive action they just can’t stop. 

The BBC mentioned a mutt named Sputnik, who banged into walls while tracking his tail. Sputnik is a Bull Terrier and this breed has an aversion to spinning when linked to the canine compulsive disorder. Some dogs are obsessed with flies, while others stalk shadows or constantly lick the air. In every instance, the dogs are in frenzy mode, answering a compulsive need.

Causes can be genetic and Pet MD tells us that when a dog is stressed, an action like chewing on a toy releases them from that feeling. It can develop into a habit, to ease their anxiety. Dogs kept on chains or confined are candidates for OCD, plus mistreated pups and pooches lacking socialization.

Each breed has a compulsion of its own with Schnauzers being light chasers and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s, determined fly-catchers. A dog with CCD appears frustrated and frenzied, but they can be helped with de-stressing techniques and vet medication, generally, doggy Prozac, if needed.

According to the Daily Wildcat, studies at the Arizona Canine Cognition found dogs in a wild state of mind release higher levels of vasopressin, a hormone linked to aggression in humans. It’s thought this blast of aggro hormones puts a dog in a frenzied, frantic mood. 

If your pooch is a frenzy barker, help is on its way! This persistent pooch can woof the house down while you are out or bark like crazy when someone knocks on the door. It’s a permanent headache for owners who can’t have a coffee morning at their home because of the dog. 

According to the dog trainer Victoria Stillwell, woofers bark for a variety of reasons. They could be overly excited as its time for a walk and start vocalizing when the leash appears. She suggests putting the leash back and sitting down. This might surprise the dog and when they are quiet, try again.

Frenzied doorbell barkers can drive the family mad and scare off visitors. A dog and a doorbell are a recipe for chaos, so they need to be calm and not see the sound or the person waiting outside as a threat. Our positivity trainers say sit by the door and ask a friend to ring the doorbell. When your bolshy Boxer begins their tenor range of octaves, ignore them. Once they are quite, open the door. These exercises are not a one-off and work only with repetition.

Anxious dogs bark when you are out, waiting for someone to come home. These lonely pups need help with their separation anxiety and learn to relax in their own space. Working with the "getting ready to leave" cues can read a dog’s level of frenzy. Lots of interactive toys and treats plus exercises where you leave the home for short periods can help. This is a not an easy fix, as the dog feels abandoned and becomes destructive to ease their anxiety.

If your dog gets annoyed by a harsh woof from another dog, the situation could explode into an all-out dogfight. Some woofers don’t get along with other pups and this could be lack of doggy social skills. This woofer will need to be monitored as it could be a jealousy or resource issue in a home with more than one pooch.

Hyper-attached dogs go nuts when another dog approaches their guardian. They could be pint-sized, but they growl like a demon if their closeness is compromised. This super-glued dog needs "time out" and to learn there is a life beyond their pet-mom's lap

It makes us laugh when our dogs do funny-frenzied things like playing soccer with a toy, but when the fever-pitch turns to a frenzy, all eyes should be on the dog. There is a fine line that could be toppled into an aggressive act that hurts another dog or a child.