Why does my dog shake

[kojo]

Hi anyone know why my dog does this on the vid below please. only noticed it a few days ago, not sure if it's because he's scared of everything or something else.

 

[Boxergirl]

Is he sleeping? Halfway sleeping? Or does he just do that at any given time?

 

[kojo]

Is he sleeping? Halfway sleeping? Or does he just do that at any given time?

half asleep but also when he's awake i told him for licking because his foot pad is red roar and went by him when i did and he was shaking. think he's scared of me he's really timid also goes for me but dose not bite

 

[Boxergirl]

When you say you "told" him, I'm not sure what you mean. Can you tell us more about where you got him, how old is he, how do you train him, etc. Why do you think he's afraid of you other than the shaking?

 

[Vantage]

It would help more if you backed up a bit and also showed his face.

If he is asleep he can just be dreaming (I've seen dogs literally run while laying down, bark, or shake while sleeping before.)

Now if he is doing this while awake, you need to figure out what it is that is causing that. First thing to rule out is any possible health concerns. And then I would start to looking into other possible issues. As posted above, a background of the dog would help, the more info. the better.

You corrected him for Licking his Paw? Maybe that was a stressor to him, maybe he was confused as to why he was being told No. Is his paw okay?.... you say something about Red and Roar? (do you mean Sore?) If so what happened?

 

[kojo]

When you say you "told" him, I'm not sure what you mean. Can you tell us more about where you got him, how old is he, how do you train him, etc. Why do you think he's afraid of you other than the shaking?

Told him off i meant sorry

 

[kojo]

It would help more if you backed up a bit and also showed his face.

If he is asleep he can just be dreaming (I've seen dogs literally run while laying down, bark, or shake while sleeping before.)

Now if he is doing this while awake, you need to figure out what it is that is causing that. First thing to rule out is any possible health concerns. And then I would start to looking into other possible issues. As posted above, a background of the dog would help, the more info. the better.

You corrected him for Licking his Paw? Maybe that was a stressor to him, maybe he was confused as to why he was being told No. Is his paw okay?.... you say something about Red and Roar? (do you mean Sore?) If so what happened?

Had him from 8 weeks but always had problems licking his feet in the center and the one he does all the time is red roar, and i have to shout at him all the time for it but it's been going on ages vets do nothing ? my wife says he only does when i am there and fine when she's with him.

 

[Nik]

Had him from 8 weeks but always had problems licking his feet in the center and the one he does all the time is red roar, and i have to shout at him all the time for it but it's been going on ages vets do nothing ? my wife says he only does when i am there and fine when she's with him.

Licking his paw like that could mean a food allergy. My Diesel was allergic to chicken in his kibble and once we switched to a limited ingredient diet he stopped getting red spots on his toes (which made him lick at them all the time).

As the others have already mentioned we would need more info regarding the shaking.

 

[Boxergirl]

Can you elaborate on the way that you correct behavior you don't like? I have to ask because I do remember that you had posted about some physical punishment (smacking) for eliminating in the house while on a steroid. I'm not trying to jump on you, but if that type of correction - including shouting - has continued then I'm not surprised if he's fearful of you. Some dogs can take that kind of correction and some are much too soft for it. Can you please elaborate on your correction methods when dealing with him? Shouting at him for licking his feet, which are obviously bothering him, is not the right way to handle the situation. Whether what we see in the video is fear or something else, it does seem that your dog is afraid of you and may feel that he has to defend himself if he's "going" for you. I think it's important to change the way you're handling him before a bite happens.

As for the redness and irritation on his feet, that sounds like allergies. What have the vets tried? Any medication or diet changes? Does it seem worse after he's in the grass or at certain times of the year?

 

[kojo]

Can you elaborate on the way that you correct behavior you don't like? I have to ask because I do remember that you had posted about some physical punishment (smacking) for eliminating in the house while on a steroid. I'm not trying to jump on you, but if that type of correction - including shouting - has continued then I'm not surprised if he's fearful of you. Some dogs can take that kind of correction and some are much too soft for it. Can you please elaborate on your correction methods when dealing with him? Shouting at him for licking his feet, which are obviously bothering him, is not the right way to handle the situation. Whether what we see in the video is fear or something else, it does seem that your dog is afraid of you and may feel that he has to defend himself if he's "going" for you. I think it's important to change the way you're handling him before a bite happens.

As for the redness and irritation on his feet, that sounds like allergies. What have the vets tried? Any medication or diet changes? Does it seem worse after he's in the grass or at certain times of the year?

Don't think i posted about physical punishment ? but going to look at my old posts now

 

[kojo]

Can you elaborate on the way that you correct behavior you don't like? I have to ask because I do remember that you had posted about some physical punishment (smacking) for eliminating in the house while on a steroid. I'm not trying to jump on you, but if that type of correction - including shouting - has continued then I'm not surprised if he's fearful of you. Some dogs can take that kind of correction and some are much too soft for it. Can you please elaborate on your correction methods when dealing with him? Shouting at him for licking his feet, which are obviously bothering him, is not the right way to handle the situation. Whether what we see in the video is fear or something else, it does seem that your dog is afraid of you and may feel that he has to defend himself if he's "going" for you. I think it's important to change the way you're handling him before a bite happens.

As for the redness and irritation on his feet, that sounds like allergies. What have the vets tried? Any medication or diet changes? Does it seem worse after he's in the grass or at certain times of the year?

Yes your right i did smack him i remember when i read it but was not an hard smack and never hurt him. But i do tell him off when he's licking to stop him making it worse. I have been to vets but they do nothing only steroids which make wee all night.

 

[Boxergirl]

I didn't bring it up to judge you. I brought it up because I think it's important to know how you have been training and correcting him. If he's a soft dog, smacking him once can definitely have an effect on how he feels about you. Yelling too. Some dogs just simply can't handle that kind of correction. I have a boxer with severe generalized anxiety, as diagnosed by a certified veterinary behaviorist. He shakes like your boy does in the picture. Often over nothing, sometimes it seems to be sensory overload from just being stroked. Any yelling or anger in the household causes him to quake. He's a sensitive dog and I use no physical corrections with him ever, nor to I ever raise my voice to him. He can't take it. So I ask again, what method of training do you use on your dog? Is it positive reinforcement? Compulsion and correction based? Exactly how do you correct him when he does something you don't like? Is he fearful of everything or just certain things? Tell us about him. What do you mean that he comes at you? Under what circumstances does this happen?

I would look for another vet to consult about the allergies. Have you tried Benadryl? That's over the counter and can help some dogs. Have you tried diet changes? What about something like Apoquel? I've heard excellent things about it for severe allergies.

 

[DennasMom]

Here's my take - may or may not apply... but if you see something that fits, I hope you can work through this for the dog's sake:

Shouting at a dog that is so fearful they're shaking is an evil thing for a human to do.
The dog obviously does not understand what you want and is afraid of being yelled at again, so he's shutting down to protect himself from your wrath. Shaking is an outward side of that.

WHISPER to the dog what you want and you'll get a better response.
REWARD the dog randomly when they're doing what you want (not just as response to a command, for example - randomly reward sitting quietly NOT licking) and you'll find they try to please more often.

If he's licking his paw as an OCD behavior because you're in the room, you need to find out what YOU are doing that is scaring him. Are YOU anxious or do YOU have OCD behaviors??

For his foot - get him some booties (I like the "meshies" from alldogboots.com) - put some neosporin or other healing ointment on his foot, put an old sock on it, then into the bootie. Keep the bootie on about half the time, let it air dry the rest of the time. If the dog licks when you're there, put on the bootie. If he leaves it alone when you're NOT there, take it off before you leave.

Teach him "Leave It" - gently - using positive rewards based training techniques. Don't yell when he licks his foot, say "leave it" and then have him do something that you can give a reward... like "go to place"... and once he's on his "place" give him a better item to chew on (toy, bully stick, kong, antler, etc.).

Take him for a walk. Get some "together" time enjoying the out-of-doors somewhere new.

Start working some obedience commands with him, training with a clicker. Look up videos from Kikopup on youtube, she's got LOTS of stuff you can teach with a clicker. Using a clicker will help teach you how to communicate with the dog without words. It will also help teach the dog what you want, and that you are a good person that will help them understand and not just yell at them all the time.

 

[Nik]

I didn't bring it up to judge you. I brought it up because I think it's important to know how you have been training and correcting him. If he's a soft dog, smacking him once can definitely have an effect on how he feels about you. Yelling too. Some dogs just simply can't handle that kind of correction. I have a boxer with severe generalized anxiety, as diagnosed by a certified veterinary behaviorist. He shakes like your boy does in the picture. Often over nothing, sometimes it seems to be sensory overload from just being stroked. Any yelling or anger in the household causes him to quake. He's a sensitive dog and I use no physical corrections with him ever, nor to I ever raise my voice to him. He can't take it. So I ask again, what method of training do you use on your dog? Is it positive reinforcement? Compulsion and correction based? Exactly how do you correct him when he does something you don't like? Is he fearful of everything or just certain things? Tell us about him. What do you mean that he comes at you? Under what circumstances does this happen?

I would look for another vet to consult about the allergies. Have you tried Benadryl? That's over the counter and can help some dogs. Have you tried diet changes? What about something like Apoquel? I've heard excellent things about it for severe allergies.

I can second what Boxergirl says about soft dogs. My Cerberus was a soft dog. He couldn't handle yelling or raised voices at all. He was a great dog and I learned early on that his training needed to be positive only. Any raised or stern voice would result in urination and shaking. He wasn't abused. I had him his whole life and he came from a good home. He was just a very sensitive dog. He loved making us happy and switching to positive reinforcement only worked great with him.

If you have a sensitive dog you have to alter your methods accordingly. Just like with children. Not every method works the same way. I was a sensitive child. I would cry if I was yelled at. My sisters were the opposite. Just like people every dog has their own personality and different methods work with different dogs.

 

[kojo]

I didn't bring it up to judge you. I brought it up because I think it's important to know how you have been training and correcting him. If he's a soft dog, smacking him once can definitely have an effect on how he feels about you. Yelling too. Some dogs just simply can't handle that kind of correction. I have a boxer with severe generalized anxiety, as diagnosed by a certified veterinary behaviorist. He shakes like your boy does in the picture. Often over nothing, sometimes it seems to be sensory overload from just being stroked. Any yelling or anger in the household causes him to quake. He's a sensitive dog and I use no physical corrections with him ever, nor to I ever raise my voice to him. He can't take it. So I ask again, what method of training do you use on your dog? Is it positive reinforcement? Compulsion and correction based? Exactly how do you correct him when he does something you don't like? Is he fearful of everything or just certain things? Tell us about him. What do you mean that he comes at you? Under what circumstances does this happen?

I would look for another vet to consult about the allergies. Have you tried Benadryl? That's over the counter and can help some dogs. Have you tried diet changes? What about something like Apoquel? I've heard excellent things about it for severe allergies.

This Benadryl is for humans ? and i do feel guilty and got to stop doing this i love him to bits.

 

[kojo]

Here's my take - may or may not apply... but if you see something that fits, I hope you can work through this for the dog's sake:

Shouting at a dog that is so fearful they're shaking is an evil thing for a human to do.
The dog obviously does not understand what you want and is afraid of being yelled at again, so he's shutting down to protect himself from your wrath. Shaking is an outward side of that.

WHISPER to the dog what you want and you'll get a better response.
REWARD the dog randomly when they're doing what you want (not just as response to a command, for example - randomly reward sitting quietly NOT licking) and you'll find they try to please more often.

If he's licking his paw as an OCD behavior because you're in the room, you need to find out what YOU are doing that is scaring him. Are YOU anxious or do YOU have OCD behaviors??

For his foot - get him some booties (I like the "meshies" from alldogboots.com) - put some neosporin or other healing ointment on his foot, put an old sock on it, then into the bootie. Keep the bootie on about half the time, let it air dry the rest of the time. If the dog licks when you're there, put on the bootie. If he leaves it alone when you're NOT there, take it off before you leave.

Teach him "Leave It" - gently - using positive rewards based training techniques. Don't yell when he licks his foot, say "leave it" and then have him do something that you can give a reward... like "go to place"... and once he's on his "place" give him a better item to chew on (toy, bully stick, kong, antler, etc.).

Take him for a walk. Get some "together" time enjoying the out-of-doors somewhere new.

Start working some obedience commands with him, training with a clicker. Look up videos from Kikopup on youtube, she's got LOTS of stuff you can teach with a clicker. Using a clicker will help teach you how to communicate with the dog without words. It will also help teach the dog what you want, and that you are a good person that will help them understand and not just yell at them all the time.

Will try some of this thank you all the help and info. only thing i don't like is taking him for walks because of Alabama Rot and don't want him getting that.

 

[Boxergirl]

Yes, Benadryl for humans.

Kojo, if you really want help for your dog then I don't understand why you aren't answering pertinent questions about your training and correcting techniques. It's very hard to offer constructive suggestions without that information.

 

[Hector]

Yes look into the food allergy for his paws. This dog always shake like this ? When did this behavior start? If you've had him since 8 weeks old and he's shaking from you yelling that's some pretty intense behavior and you mentioned the dog goes for you but won't bite. How does the dog act normally??

 

[kojo]

Yes look into the food allergy for his paws. This dog always shake like this ? When did this behavior start? If you've had him since 8 weeks old and he's shaking from you yelling that's some pretty intense behavior and you mentioned the dog goes for you but won't bite. How does the dog act normally??

I have only noticed it the last few weeks, i was sat here just watching laying down resting and was doing it again. I don't think it's from me telling him off because he don't listen to me any way.

He's been none stop lick lick lick for 2 years been to 2 vets none do anything so really not sure what to do.

 

[Boxergirl]

I guess I'm getting confused. What exactly are you looking for with this thread? It's pretty clear your dog is afraid of you. If you want help changing the way you deal with your dog so then you really have to answer the questions about your current techniques. It bothers me a lot that the dog is shaking like that because you "told him off." He's a Boerboel, isn't he? A dog that is that scared is going to defend himself at some point, and a powerful dog like you have is going to hurt someone. Please see the questions posted above and answer them if you'd like our suggestions on things you can to to have a better relationship with your dog. If this just started a few weeks ago, what happened a few weeks ago? Does the dog shake like this when you aren't around? How is he with your wife?