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A dog who suffered extreme abuse in the past may also become compulsive. Break the cycle by associating shadows with something that is more enticing than the chasing of the shadow.
Many dogs who start with a little chasing of shadows can degenerate into cases of full-blown obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Why does my dog chase shadows. Although may be triggered by different things the most common causes of shadow and reflection in dogs are insecurity and unreleased energy. Dogs with high energy level such as the large breeds and young dogs are susceptible to obsessive compulsive behavior such as shadow chasing or excessive lickings. Dogs with higher energy level but fewer.
Shadow chasing can be the result of anxiety or frustration. Dogs that dont get enough exercise or are kept in small spaces often exhibit this behavior. Dogs that chase their shadows often lack mental and physical stimulation.
Dogs chase shadows often out of boredom just for fun attention or even as an obsession. Regardless of the underlying reason one thing is for sure. Its not a behavior you want to encourage-and by encouraging this includes looking at your dog talking to your dog laughing or doing anything that your dog perceives as attention even if its attention of the negative type.
Why does my dog chase shadows and lick the wall. Common ones are spinning tail chasing fly snapping shadow and light chasing licking walls or feet object guarding sucking on toys or blankets and guarding objects. Dogs can get to a stage where they self-harm or destroy things this is often related to separation anxiety.
Many dogs who start with a little chasing of shadows can degenerate into cases of full-blown obsessive-compulsive disorder. If that happens additional compulsive behaviors may develop. Because of the potentially serious nature of this problem it is worth having your dog evaluated by a veterinary behaviorist in your area who understands anxiety disorders.
Your dog sees the shadow as something she has to have and in this case she can never really get it so she keeps at it. It is important that you practice activities that encourage calm submission. You also need to condition your dogs brain to react differently to shadows.
When on the walk dont give her the option to look down at any shadows. Up his daily exercise intake. A lot of dogs that chase shadows are particularly energetic so tackle that through out the day.
Give him an extra or longer walk. Alternatively play fetch on the walk. These short sprints will leave him napping for the rest of the day rather than chasing shadows.
Why your husky chases shadows. There are a number of reasons why your husky might chase shadows and each of them will come with some clues. Below are some reasons why your husky might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
The reason that it has been chasing shadows could be that something is causing it to be anxious. Why does my border collie chase shadows. Discussion in Dog Chat started by DebbieJane2011 Sep 2 2011.
Sep 2 2011 Messages. I have a 4 year old border collie who jumps at shadowsreflections from any lightWhat can i do to stop her doing this. Its a real problem shes been doing.
If so this behavior should not be ignored. At first it might seem fun or funny but a dog that is excessively chasing shadows could be showing warning signs. Chasing shadows can occur as a result of serious stress and behavior-related problems.
For this reason in this AnimalWised article we will be telling you why your dog is chasing shadows. Some dogs become fixated on lights reflections and shadows especially those with high chase or prey drive. Light and shadow chasers often begin their obsession with shadows or reflections as a fun game that relieves boredom.
The best way to modify this behavior is to redirect your dog onto more positive pastimes. Shadow chasing can be the result of anxiety or frustration. Dogs that are confined to small spaces and not exercised are prone to this behavior.
The dog that chases shadows often lacks physical and mental stimulation. He sees the shadow as a play item and tries to catch it but because it is only a shadow the dog can never succeed. Compulsive behavior such as shadow chasing usually arises out of stress and anxiety issues in dogs.
A dog who is cooped up in a small cramped room all hours of the day may turn to shadow chasing. A dog who suffered extreme abuse in the past may also become compulsive. Ultimately though I dont see why chasing watch reflections and the like is a problem.
Your dog thinks its fun and shes not destroying anything or any other inappropriate behavior. Dog hyper focused on shadows lights and reflections. My dog will not stop going potty in the house and will not rest at night.
Chasing shadows is not a normal dog behavior pattern. It is an anxious nervous response to stress and frustration. It is an anxious nervous response to stress and frustration.
The underlying reason for this behavior needs to be. So why does my Golden Retriever chase shadows. Possible reasons are that it is anxious or bored it is a compulsive behavior or that it was just playing when it did it.
There are a number of things to consider when trying to figure out why your Golden Retriever has been chasing shadows. She will stare at a spot on the wall where she has seen a reflection or shadow. In this article we take a look at what makes a dog chase reflections and how we can correct this behavior.
The answer to the problem is Redirection. Use a squeaky toy or a stuffed Kong to get the dogs focus back. So why does my German Shepherd chase shadows.
Common reasons can include being anxious or bored or having compulsive behavior. There are actually a number of things that you can consider when trying to understand why your German Shepherd chases shadows. Depending on the cause there are also a number of things that you can do about it.
Often dog owners trigger an obsession for lights through play which then leads to obsessive staring chasing and barking at any lights and shadows. By initially laughing and giving attention dog owners inadvertently reinforce the behavior. He began to chase shadows and you ignored it and even enjoyed the humour in it.
To the dog this meant he was doing what BCs love to do most - please the handler. As I see it there are two ways to handle this. Break the cycle by associating shadows with something that is more enticing than the chasing of the shadow.
Theres some serious speculation that light chasing in dogs is related to Canine Compulsive Disorder the doggie version of OCD. That said not all dogs that chase lights necessarily suffer from CCD. This great article explores the links between human OCD and CCD.
Set up an appointment with a nearby Veterinary Behaviorist if your dog.