In Simba's case, it is usually triggered by affection or the thought of it for him... I get the sense he wants the pats, pets and TLC for he will now rub up against me (similar to what a cat does as they rub up against the legs of their owner - but in their case to mark the human as their own)... Once Simba starts rubbing against your legs (or arms if you are sitting) and turning round and round, it seems almost like a switch gets flipped in his head and he realizes he does indeed want that affection, but there's a conflict going on inside him... So then he starts the anxiety barking to deal with the internal conflict...
I'm a volunteer newscaster for another group that fights the mills and one of the news stories today hit the nail on the head:
"All they can do is bark and spin in their cages because they want attention.” Humane Society of Missouri Director of Adoption Center Cyndi Nason says, “They've never had that.” Source
... but this is what is like for PMPs... and I've seen it time and time again sadly... If Simba is not a PMP, then the only other environment that causes this behavior is long-term kennel confinement... As he's too cute to not be adopted rapidly, I doubt he spent a long time in any shelter in his lifetime... And kennel-craze is usually caused by crates and kennels that are extremely small and confining - the USDA regulation is 6" taller, longer and deeper than the dog standing up...
Nope, the more and more I observe his behaviors, the more I am convinced Simba is a PMP... And along the way, his human guardians did not recognize it, nor address it... About the only way to 'fix' it, is to quickly grab a dog, cuddle it securely in your arms and do long, massaging strokes with a calm repetition of talk... (in my case, I use 'easyyyyyy, easyyyyyyyy')... If you're not successful in grabbing the dog, the action just enforces the crazed behavior and you have another whole set of problems to deal with...
In Simba's case, he's wearing a new lightweight sweater now and between that, and the mesh harness underneath, if you time it properly, 95% of the time you can catch him securely and render the calming strokes... I must do this four or five times a day... You can't let him get 'way out there' in his crazed barking because it quickly gets picked up by the other puppers and he's likely to be mock charged by balanced and functional ones...
Another aspect of this is his incessant need to 'chipmunk nibble'... It's the adult version of the infantile sucking need for comfort... Human babies suck on pacifiers to help with that need and puppies normally nuzzle with their moms for the same reason... When puppies are left long enough with their moms (10-12 weeks), they don't develop this chipmunk nibble later on in life... This is also the same period of time when every puppy goes through their fearful stages of life... The world is much more than their mom and the box or bed they were born in, but a BIG SCARY place... The ability to rush to their mom and nuzzle (or 'root' like a piglet) is like lavender to humans... It is calming and reassuring... Little Bits does this each and every night as she is drifting off to sleep... She'll find a part of my nightgown or the edge of the comforter and just chipmunk nibble herself to sleep... In Simba's case however, he is a bit more than just a nibbler at times, so if you're not careful, it's borderline biting...
Just so, so sad... Every time I encounter a pupper with these behaviors, it renews my passion to fight and try to stop the puppy mill industry... God always puts things in my life (whether I want them or not! LOL), for he has a very strange sense of humor with me... The battle against the mills is a weary one and sometimes you feel like you are alone in the fight or that we're not making very much progress... And then I see a tiny pupper like Simba who is so psychologically deformed by his origination and experiences, it almost angers me that the puppy mills are legal in this country.... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....
Oh well... Thankfully I have a Peanut in my life and despite her also being a rescue, as the alpha around here, she's made it her mission in life to teach good canine manners to the fosters who come and go... Without her, none of what I do would be possible... Simba got a major 'comeuppance' last night when he went into his spin/bark routine on the couch... Everyone had settled in, either above or underneath the blankee, Mom had kicked back the footrest and "House" was just about to come on when Simba started... Peanut quickly jumped up and told him off - not that it did much good alone, but between her and I, we were able to stop the process from escalating to an outright anxiety session in him...
Today is Tuesday and I want to get him into my vet's office by the end of the week so I have just a few more days to work with him...
