UH-OH, have some concerns for "Folks in the Know" around here (sorry for the length) -- THANKS...

Background Info:

Two year old Doberman bitch brought in by Animal Control to the Rescue Sanctuary as an emmaciated stray at approximately 18 months of age...

They fed her up from 35 pounds till she reached 45 pounds, then did the spay, and I brought her home this past June (she is now at 60 pounds, where I am maintaining her weight proportionate to height & build) -- We've had no reports or instances of ANY prior Fear-Aggression...

Adobe is dog-friendly / people-friendly upon proper introductions, and will solicit engagement from both species rather quickly, but she is GUARDY of the house, yard, car & me from strange canines & humans of unknown intentions -- I appreciate her protectiveness (since I live alone) so I'm not interested in extinguishing that behavior...

She also has VERY high Prey Drive, extremely Intense Focus, and lightning-fast Reflexes -- This is NOT a kissy-face / layed-back / wiggle-butt K9, although she will relax & snuggle after dinner (with her head on my lap & feet on the floor, as she's not allowed on the furniture) once I've settled-in to watch something on Netflix...

SO, here's what Happened:

We spent last weekend at my son's house from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, where Adobe pretty much played NON-STOP in their 1/4 acre yard for hours at a time with his two Dobies and one Rat Terrier while at least 1 of us 3 owners were always with them -- By the time we got home & went to bed Sunday night, she was "out like a light" in her bed on the floor next to mine...

BUT, when I got up for my usual middle of the night pit-stop, this unexpectedly startled her out of a Dead Sleep, which never happened before -- She jumped up Growling & Snapping (no contact) while at the same time appearing to be more in a dream-state instead of being fully awake...

That surprise episode shocked & stressed both of us, and Adobe slunk off to her open crate in the corner of my room for the rest of the night -- Next morning, I went about my early weekday routine, but she was not really herself yet, acting somewhat Touch-Shy in vocally warning me not to stroke her at all, while giving me the "stank-eye" as if I were NOT to be TRUSTED

At length she reluctantly allowed herself to be to Collared & Leashed for our normal before-work walk, but continued acting On-Edge toward Me -- I tried my best to hehave in an everyday "matter of fact" manner, but I feel she saw right through that act, sensing my upset emotions underneath...

When Adobe still remained a little bit Wary of Me after I got home from work that (Monday) afternoon, I immediately reverted to from-scratch Groundwork Protocol with the addition of HAND-FEEDING on a "Sit" for each bite basis -- I also moved her regular bed into the crate, where she has now been over-nighting with the door OPEN since then...

By Tuesday and Wednesday, she seemed completely "back to normal" but I am going to keep up the GW regimen of BUSINESS-LIKE Aloofness WITHOUT Petting (and no bed outside her crate) plus HAND-FEEDING only, through this coming weekend, just for good measure...

OK, these are my questions for Experienced Owners only, please:

1) What is Your Analysis of this EPISODE ?

2) Am I handling the remedial process Correctly ??

3) Would you advise any Permanent Changes in how I live with Adobe-She's-A-Dobie ???

I have never had this happen with my own dog before, so it has unfortunately shaken my confidence with her

Candi, the purpose of my post is not to analyze the episode or to give you advice on how to handle it if it is a behavioral issue. I don't feel qualified to make those kinds of calls.

However, I want to make sure you've ruled out any physical/medical explanation for her behavior. I would be wondering, after she spent a few days in a row playing for hours at a time with three other dogs, if her sudden change in behavior could possibly be explained by her being in pain from a non-visible injury, like a muscle tear or sprain. (And these kinds of things don't always cause lameness. Could be in a part of the body that doesn't affect gait.) I don't think this would explain the sudden jumping up from sleep, growling and snapping (and maybe that was just an intense dream?), but it does seem consistent with her subsequent behavior, being touch-shy and seeming to be on edge.

Also, I want to mention -- and I'm sure you know this about Dobermans -- thyroid issues are somewhat common in the breed, and dogs suffering from low thyroid levels can display otherwise unexplained behavior or temperament changes. I would want to get a full thyroid panel run on her (not just the mini one that is included with the standard blood tests). I have personal experience with a Doberman who had a low-functioning thyroid and showed no external symptoms, i.e., thinning hair, weight gain, etc. She was, however, showing some impatience and increased grouchiness toward other dogs.

I hope some of our other board members with more experience in behavioral issues will chime in, but I felt it was important to mention the possible physical issues, too.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

Candi, the purpose of my post is not to analyze the episode or to give you advice on how to handle it if it is a behavioral issue. I don't feel qualified to make those kinds of calls.

However, I want to make sure you've ruled out any physical/medical explanation for her behavior. I would be wondering, after she spent a few days in a row playing for hours at a time with three other dogs, if her sudden change in behavior could possibly be explained by her being in pain from a non-visible injury, like a muscle tear or sprain. (And these kinds of things don't always cause lameness. Could be in a part of the body that doesn't affect gait.) I don't think this would explain the sudden jumping up from sleep, growling and snapping (and maybe that was just an intense dream?), but it does seem consistent with her subsequent behavior, being touch-shy and seeming to be on edge.

Also, I want to mention -- and I'm sure you know this about Dobermans -- thyroid issues are somewhat common in the breed, and dogs suffering from low thyroid levels can display otherwise unexplained behavior or temperament changes. I would want to get a full thyroid panel run on her (not just the mini one that is included with the standard blood tests). I have personal experience with a Doberman who had a low-functioning thyroid and showed no external symptoms, i.e., thinning hair, weight gain, etc. She was, however, showing some impatience and increased grouchiness toward other dogs.

I hope some of our other board members with more experience in behavioral issues will chime in, but I felt it was important to mention the possible physical issues, too.

I was hoping YOU would weigh in as a Doberman owner of long experience in this breed, Cheri, thanks for the great comments

And YES, I also postulated about soreness from "over-exertion" last wknd, or even the chance of Low Thyroid levels common in Dobies -- However, since she did bounce back to acting like her Normal Self so quickly, I'm less worried about those possibilities now, since I think symptoms of either one would have been more likely to persist for longer than 24 hours (???) But if there's ANY sign of an Unprovoked Recurrence, then it's off the Vet pronto...

Adobe is usually a VERY light sleeper who hears/smells the least little Nocturnal Nearness of the countless critters that prowl our property during the wee hours -- She takes her overnight Sentry Duty quite seriously, seeming to "nap with one eye open" so to speak, but that single time in an a-typical Deeply EXHAUSTED Sleep she was caught off-guard when I got up right next to her & it looked like she came to in a DAZE between "scary dream VS wide awake" (if dogs even experience that state of mind the same way people do)...

Anyway, I think Adobe mistook me for some BAD-A$$ who meant to Hurt Her, reacting defensively in the dark at that moment, and then being confused later as to the reality of what had or had not actually happened between us (???) Oh well, I am NO animal behaviorist (that's for sure) but I certainly want to AVOID any repeats of such a scenario, by way of "forewarned is forearmed" & "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

Refresh my memory on how long you've had her. In that time, have you ever previously taken her on an overnight trip away from home? Does she routinely play with other dogs, or was this a novel experience? Has she met these particular dogs before?

It sounds like she had a very exciting and intense weekend, both physically and mentally. If this was a new experience for her, then your theories make a lot of sense, at least from my admittedly non-professional point of view. I do agree that it would be prudent to be proactive in managing any future social outings.

I hope you'll get some other opinions besides mine.

Just an FYI, it would be easier to read the post without all the highlighting. It's internet speak for shouting.

I'd be looking for a medical issue with any significant change in behavior. She could have tweaked her back or something. She could have pulled something slightly that makes her feel a bit off.

I'd strongly encourage you NOT to read anything into her actions other than she's a dog. She had a different weekend. She was exhausted but felt like she had to do sentry duty at the same time. As an aside, I don't encourage my dogs to do sentry duty - they may alert me to something but then they go back to sleep. I've got waaaay to many noises that they could alert to and if they're always on alert then they can't rest.

Besides, protective doesn't = antsy/jumpy/always on alert. That's a dog who doesn't know how to settle and feels responsible for everything. I encourage calm behavior in the house. They alert me to something, I tell them to go lay down and I deal with it. With the exception of door to door salesmen and then I let the dogs go nuts at the door.... (until I tell them to be quiet and go lay down)

Re: wariness. You were wary of her afterwards, correct? why wouldn't she be wary of you if you were sending out weird signals due to being wary yourself?

Back when we had our 1970's model Doberman, while traveling, I charged into a dark bedroom to grab a suitcase, instead I grabbed a sleeping dog's muzzle. He was startled, I saw glowing teeth, but he chilled within a second. He was living the moment, I lived thru the moment, nothing personal, all was cool after.

I agree with Cheri and Mara, she may have tweaked something that is causing the odd behavior.

Thanks to all responders for your very valuable input !!!

Adobe has been acting just like her old self after 24 hrs following the incident

She never showed any signs of pain or tweaking or stiffness, so I'm chalking this up to having been precipitously startled out of an Exhausted Sleep...

That was only her 2nd out-of-town visit since I adopted her at the end of last June -- But she has played regularly with those same 3 dogs every weekend, starting in July, only not for that length of time 3 days in a row...

As to her doing Sentry Duty: Adobe does "go to place & settle down" once I acknowledge an Alert (or I couldn't get any rest myself) -- Then she's home alone all day while I'm out at work, and my neighbors virtually never hear a peep out of her, so I believe that's when she gets most of her real sleep (fine by me)...

Because she so quickly returned to her normal behavior toward me, I am determining not to make a mountain out of a molehill over what transpired -- But I am going to leave her bed inside the open crate at the far end of my room, rather than having it right next to my own bed, as a precautionary measure to help prevent any accidental recurrence of what happened...

However, I'm continuing to monitor her carefully for any indication of a possible medical issue -- She's due for her full annual physical at the beginning of May, so I plan to discuss this whole thing with her Vet then

 Quote: Tammy Moore

Back when we had our 1970's model Doberman, while traveling, I charged into a dark bedroom to grab a suitcase, instead I grabbed a sleeping dog's muzzle. He was startled, I saw glowing teeth, but he chilled within a second. He was living the moment, I lived thru the moment, nothing personal, all was cool after...

BINGO, Tammy, thanks

No claim to being an expert, but I have experienced similar episodes through the years with several different dogs. The "hangover" from an exhausting weekend of new people, places, or dogs can certainly last 1-2 days.

Sadie frequently gets minor sprains and pulls, as she is pretty careless when she tears across open fields. She has also suffered minor injuries while training. These too can pass in a day or two with minimal indications of distress. I typically do a thorough once-over with my hands to see if I can identify any sore spots. If it's minor and my dog is in pain, I'll give a half an aspirin and she is usually fine the next morning. If I have any qualms about what's wrong, I take her to the vet.

Hoping everything is fine...

There's the old, "let sleeping dogs lie".

Probably exhausted, dead asleep, dreaming of running, playing, play fighting.... then startled.

It does let you know that that behavior is "in there ", though. Good to know, and to remember.
Not a hound, not a golden retriever.....

You haven't really had her that long yet. I bet as years go by, that snarky stuff will be less and less likely to appear, rather than more common, as she builds confidence, and trust.