# Can a dog have bad eyesight?



## pooka (Oct 17, 2008)

I have a 14 month old Great Dane mix puppy that is acting strangely. The other day he saw a bag that had blown against a fence on our property and began to bark and growl and act nervous until he got up the nerve to smell it, after which he was fine. He also doesn't recognize my husband and I if we are walking up the driveway instead of driving or if we have hats on. He acts the same way; barking and growling until we speak to him or he smells us. Finally, he seems to notice things in the house suddenly and growl at them until he smells them, then he doesnt care. My feeling is that he can't see well. Any thoughts? He is never aggressive or otherwise "odd", just this. Thanks.


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## Bellasmom (Aug 14, 2008)

It sounds like he could possibly have an eyesight problem. If I were you I would bring this to my vets attention asap.


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

Definately talk to the vet like Bellasmom said.
Also if it turns out he does have a vision problem that isn't correctable you need to do some pretty agressive training work. I just got a rescue dog that only has about 25% of his vision and he exhibits some similar behaviors. You need to give him some confidence and tools to deal with his limited vision so he isn't fearful. Fear can easily lead to aggression. I would talk to a behaviorist right away, especially with a giant breed dog, you don't have alot of leeway should an incident happen simply because of his size.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

It could also be a bad case of over discrimination. He never saw a plastic bag in THAT spot blowing just that way. He never saw you in THAT spot looking just that way. 

Maxwell took years to get over some of his quirks. He couldn't count how many people were in the house and freaked if he heard one of the three of us in the hall for years. A friend bent over to tie a shoe and she was a stranger. Sassy walked past a sidewalk barricade for a month and every single time it freaked her out.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Dogs don't have great eyesight anyway---they mostly depend on their sense of smell, and hearing to some extent. Barking at bags on fences and owners in hats is pretty normal adolescent dog behavior. He's just learning what's normal and what isn't. A vet check is never a bad thing, but I wonder how they can determine if his eyesight is bad.....dogs can't read a eye chart, LOL. They can look for signs of cataracts or other abnormalities, though.


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## dee7973 (Oct 5, 2007)

When my dog was first diagnosed with cushings disease, (it happens to old dogs mostly), we went to a doggie eye doctor, believe or not they have them, but she was diagnosed with SARDS, which is deterioration of the nevers in the eyes. It is an expensive exam, cost me $600. but like the previos post states it could be just the normalities of being a puppy... A baby has to get used to certain ways of life when they are growing up... He is still a baby and may just be getting used to all these sounds and sights for the first time... I would try and wait a bit before making expensive drastic decisions, but please mention it to the vet...


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