My 3 year old dachshund mix has recently been having sleep terrors- it happens at least once a day; she will whimper and start shaking and barking. We think that she may have been abused before we adopted her. Is this related, and what can we do to help her not have these? We wake her up when it seems bad, but if we don’t they can last for minutes and I’m really worried.

Thanks for your question.

The first thing would be a good physical exam to ensure that these are truly behavioral issues and not related to a nervous disorder such as seizures.  Try to keep a log of when these episodes happen and bring that log with you to the appointment.

If the episodes are truly behavioral, consultation with a behaviorist may be beneficial. Treatment of the separation anxiety problems may help with the tremoring that is occurring while she sleeps.