[threenorns]

since last week - about the time the phone system went all to pot at work making my job that much more difficult - Dandy's been acting like a squirrel on crack.

he's got the same diet as ever.

he gets his walks every day, twice a day.

he gets his play time.

but he's started "talking" - "mrar-rar-row-wow-woowoo-RUFF!!!!" kinda thing and never did that before. when he does it, he's all jittery and he's *staring* at us, like he's trying to telepathically communicate and getting frustrated bec we're not hearing him. he's *way* more barky, too; normal for him is to go days or even weeks without barking and when he does, it's like he's trying to remember exactly how it goes and it's only a single bark. now it's bark, bark, bark, bark blah blah blah.

i've been telling ppl he's 4 but i just realized it's the other kid that's 4 - Dandy turned 3 on hallowe'en. dunno if it's relevent, just tossing it out there.

every time i sit down to work, he sighs deeply and flomps down heavily.

as soon as i pop the DVD drawer open, he's up and ready for action. he jumps, he spins, he twirls, he acts like a twit!

there are somefactors i can think of:

a) there was a massive solar storm last week and i think it's still going on. (animals can pick up energy at frequencies we can't)

b) there's a boxer dog that is constantly breaking loose and leading its owners a merry chase around the neighbourhood. (maybe it's a female in heat?)

c) there's a raccoon taken up residence in the big tree down at the back end of the property.

d) there is a huge canadian tire and such going up about a block away - they got all the digging and pounding done, now the structure's going up. it's all metal. (high-pitched noises we can't hear?)

e) he just got his Novice Trick Dog certification which required a few days last week of revisiting his tricks and getting them witnessed and/or videotaped. i have noticed that if i put him through a rapid series of tricks and commands, he seems to settle a bit.

there's another thing but i'll post that separately.

[DoggieVogue]

My dog is a little over 3 years old too, and goes through periods of acting like a loon too! I've not been able to put my finger on what it is, exactly but I eventually chalk it up to boredom and do something that completely wears him out for a day or two and he seems to go back to normal. The staring and noise making and jittery actions drive me nuts, and I know that he isn't any happier about it than I am. I would suggest maybe trying a physical activity that would wear him out completely and see if that works, as it always does for me. If it doesn't work, at least your pup will have had a good time

[threenorns]

do male dogs have "heat" cycles the way females do?

maybe it's "spring fever" or something?