[pyrnet] Problems with my dog

Juma is a Great Pyrenees/Maremma cross, 130 pounds, and (as expected) gentle as a lamb. We have had her since she was 6 weeks old. She was my "baby" before I had my daughter Sierra, now 10 months old, and she has always been a faithful housedog. She loves to sleep in the nursery at Sierra's feet and is overall a sweet dog.

However ...

She has gotten increasingly freaky about being outside by herself. We have 2 acres fenced for her to run around on, with full access to our screened porch.

Last summer she started digging out under the front gate and wandering down to the neighbor's house ... 1.5 miles away. We shored up the fencing and the gate, which kept her on the property, only then she started ripping screens apart on the porch (ignoring her doggie door) and scratching up the back door trying to get in the house. We eventually started keeping her in the house during the day and letting her out when we were home. Then there was the freaky occasion when I left the house windows open one day, blinds down, and Juma tore through the living room blinds and screen to get OUT, then tore through the dining room blinds and screen to get back IN.

We eventually figured out that most of this behavior came about when the neighbors were shooting off guns. We live in a rural area so there are lots of hunters around. Juma has always been skiddish about loud noises and also gets freaked out by thunder and fireworks. Once, an approaching storm got her so wacked out she tore through a screen while I was sitting on the porch 5 feet away. It's quite scary to see a 130-pound dog panicking and frantically diving through a screen.

Now she has started clawing up the screens to get in the house while we're home. Instead of barking to be let in, she's attacking the windows. She woke up my husband a week ago at 2 a.m. tearing up the bathroom window. This was after she shoved the kitchen door open (sometimes it doesn't latch) to go outside.

Tonight I came home to "shadow dog," who wouldn't leave my side as I unpacked groceries from van to house. She followed me around in the house as well. I finally dispelled her to the yard to let her pee (she'd been home 6 hours) and 10 minutes later I hear her tearing up the dining room window. I've spoken with the neighbors and no one has heard gunshots or thunder here in the last couple of hours, so I don't know what could be setting her off.

I hate to say this, but I think Juma is showing signs of some neurological problem. At this stage I do not think she's a danger to us or to Sierra, but her behavior illustrates that she's having episodes of sheer panic and thus not thinking clearly. She is our only dog, so I have thought that maybe getting another dog would help her, but she has shown this disturbing behavior when friends have visited and brought their "dog buddies" for her to play with.

Otherwise, I'm thinking she's having difficulty adjusting to the changes that have taken place in our household in the last year. She seems to love the baby, and we make sure she continues to get attention from us even though we get so busy with Sierra. Her screen-ripping predates Sierra, though, so I don't know how closely linked they are. I have also recently returned to work, part-time, after being home full-time with Sierra. Before the baby, both my husband and I worked full-time.

Any thoughts?

-Stacey