Hi, I'm Dr. Deb. I will do my best to assist you today.

It is certainly possible that Jake ate something in the yard but if that were the case, I would expect him to be vomiting or having diarrhea. What you are describing sounds more like a panic attack or anxiety reaction.

Is that possible? Loud noises, thunderstorms...something like that?

Dogs can experience partial seizure episodes where parts of their body can tremble or shake but not for 3 hours....these episodes usually last < 5 mintues.

At this point, unless he is showing other signs...lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, for example...I would just wait it out. I might encourage you also to videotape the episodes so that you can show them to your vet and she/he will know exactly what you are talking about. If the episodes become a daily occurrence and anxiety/panic is thought to be the problem, then anti-anxiety drugs may help him.

I would also try and distract him....walk him around the neighborhood, try and play with him (if he likes to play ball), take a ride in the car...anything to take his mind off of it. I can understand your desire to comfort him, but if this is anxiety, then you may be inadvertently reinforcing this behavior by giving him attention. Believe me, I know how hard it will be not to try and soothe and comfort him but maybe trying another tactic just to see if you can get the behavior to stop.

It looks as if you offline but I hope this has been helpful. If you would like to discuss this more or have additional questions, please just let me know.