[Mdawn]

It's not a big deal but I'd like some thoughts on this. Most know Eddie's story...abandoned at 4 months or so. Had NO socialization whatsoever with other people or other animals, I'm pretty sure.

Here is the deal: Sometimes Eddie is "frantic" in his desire for attention. I can't even so much as pet the other dogs without Eddie running over as fast as he can and pushing the other dog out of the way. I ignore him; will put myself between him and the the dog that I'm petting. He will start whining and crying like he's in pain! I attributed this to jealously.

However, I can't explain this away: When we come home from somewhere, the VERY first thing Eddie will do is search around frantically for a toy to pick up. If he can find one, he'll grab it, hold it in his mouth and make growling sounds around it, while we greet him. Sounds funny huh? IF he CAN'T find something to grab, he'll start whining and keep searching; he won't greet us, he'll be whining, again, like he is in some serious distress; just looking for a toy until I finally put something in his mouth to calm him down, THEN he will greet us with the growly noises.

I'm going to mention it to my vet, but he has always done this for as long as I have had him. It has just gotten worse. It's not even that big of a deal except for the obvious distress it causes him. He honestly gets so upset if he can't find something to put in his mouth. I just can't figure it about. I don't like seeing him get upset like this. I've started leaving something on the shelf right inside the door to put in his mouth, if he doesn't have a toy handy to grab so he won't get upset. Also, I should mention that it isn't just us that he does this too. It's anyone that comes to the house. It's like he has it in his head that he can't greet people if he doesn't have something in his mouth.

Any thoughts?

[Barhund Canine]

That might just be his quirk and their may not be anything you can do. You might want to try and greet him different if you try and console him or greet him as excited as he is. Try just walking in calmy and not saying anything or petting him for a few minutes. Make sure he has something to put in his mouth. And wait for him to calm down and then give him affection. You don't want to reward what he is doing. When he does this he may be trying to tell you in a sense that he doesn't like you being away, or he doesn't like you giving attention to other dogs. I'd also try obedience training, agility, or something he might be able to burn off some excess energy and to challenge his mind. Find a way that you are comfortable with to get him to realize that this behavior is not appropriate. Redirecting his behavior into something that is more appropriate might help like telling him to come and take him right outside when you get home. You are on the right track when in comes to other dogs and he pushes his way in. Take charge and let him know that his behavior is not ok with you. This behavior may be the reason he was abandoned, it could be genetic. I would definitely talk to the vet, get into some kind of training or activity with him to help with your bond and to get him to look to you for leadership. You may not be able to get rid of the distress but, you could more than likely improve the situation by figuring out a combination of things like training, medication to some degree, changing your habits. This is a pretty common problem, it just manifests into different behaviors. It might turn up by a dog spinning, jumping up and down, fixating on mouthing something. It sound like he is building up anxiety for some reason and doesn't know any other way to release it. The trick is to find a more productive way to release it.

[Inga]

My 3 year old girl that had been used as bait for some dog fighters used to do that. She would run around like a loon looking for something to hold in her mouth. She also growled around the toy. (Rotties growl a lot anyway.) I thought she did it because people tended to be grossed out by her licking and I think she just problem solved it. She couldn't control her need to lick unless she held something in her mouth. Once she had it she would settle down a bit if she knew the person who had entered the house. If not she would pace and circle around them until they would pet her and say "Hi" For her, largely increased exercise kept her anxiety down also obedience training. She thrived in obedience classes. She just seemed to want to learn more and more. Working with her seemed to be her happiest time.