My GSD, 8-1/2 years old, is suddenly howling in her sleep every few days. She sleeps at the foot of the bed, and the first time she sat up and howled, laid back down, went to sleep.

Last night she sat up, howled - and howled and howled. I got up, turned on the light, and she was staring into the corner. I waved my hand in front of her eyes to break her concentration, she recognized me, laid back down, I stroked her head and she went back to sleep.

I swear she saw something I didn't see.

She's never done this before and howls very rarely - a couple of times a year, usually when a fire truck goes past my house (rarely, I'm in a rural area).

I'm worried about her. She is otherwise healthy, just had her 6 month checkup, is active as ever, sweet as ever, no other changes.

Anyone have any ideas?

Wow... that must be "spooky" for lack of a better word.

I can say that my dog (almost 10 now) sometimes will bark in his sleep. I think he dreams about chasing the cats and he is barking at them... he does this during the day when he has the energy to play with the cats.

The howling is kind of weird though. The fact that you were able to break her concentration shows that she was at least coherent. Maybe she thought she saw something? Maybe she was dreaming? Maybe you should be posting this on the paranormal board with your address listed and asking if your house is haunted?

It's tough to say what this could be really. Stupid dogs can't talk to us and tell us what's wrong so we have to guess. I would say that as long as she doesn't seem to be in pain and this doesn't happen every night, it is probably nothing important.

If high pitched sounds like fire sirens make her howl, how about a smoke alarm, radon detector, humming appliance, sound-making deer/mice repellent? Something might be on a frequency you can't hear, and when the house is quiet, she hears it even if it's far from your room?

Squirrels in the attic? Birds in chimney?

I can't describe some of the spooky noises that come from brook when she is sleeping. I swear she is worn out when she wakes up!

I would have to say your fur baby was dreaming, if you don't have health concerns.

I am on the paranormal board and quite frankly, yes, our furry friends are more in tune to the paranormal then we will ever be but that is as far as I will go here in this thread.

It is always possible that she hears something I don't hear. My other dog does nothing when she howls, other than sitting up and looking around.

My GSD is also losing her hearing and my other dog hears things and alerts her - but, again, anything is possible.

And, yes, maybe it's a paranormal question.

My GSD did live with me and my late husband (she was "my" dog, our other, now deceased dog, was "his" if there is such a "his" and "her" thing). I always wonder what she knows, how she knows it.

The night my husband died my pet sitter called (I was at the hospital) to tell me she was howling.

Maybe that's it - something I haven't wanted to think about.

Maybe that's it - something I haven't wanted to think about.
And that was the first thing I thought of when I finished reading your post.