Kayleegator Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 My girl Kaylee has been obsessing on dancing shadows from leaves and reflected lights, chasing rainbows cast from window crystals, sparks in the woodstove, etc. I suppose it's better than chasing flies, but is it important to try to put a stop to this? If so, any suggestions besides pulling the blinds and applying the Principle of Distraction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 IMHO yes, it's important to try to nip these behaviors in the bud. And I think you've nailed the two main methods - prevention where you can, distraction where you can't. Distraction could be by throwing some training in - asking her for behaviors incompatible with the OCD stuff - like focus on you, and reward heavily with food and/or interactive play. (She should be pretty right after her spay, right?) Distraction could also be in the form of a treat ball, meaty bone or something else that's not dependent on you being there - check that it works, first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayleegator Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 IMHO yes, it's important to try to nip these behaviors in the bud. And I think you've nailed the two main methods - prevention where you can, distraction where you can't. Distraction could be by throwing some training in - asking her for behaviors incompatible with the OCD stuff - like focus on you, and reward heavily with food and/or interactive play. (She should be pretty right after her spay, right?) Distraction could also be in the form of a treat ball, meaty bone or something else that's not dependent on you being there - check that it works, first Thank you, Barb! It's true, when she's busy looking for 'Tinkerbell' on the ceiling, it's really hard to break that BC focus to get her to listen to me. I don't want the fairies to take her, totally. Something more to work on every week. And yes, thanks, recovery from her spay took just a day or two, she's just fine. It's been a week now, and she's ready to run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 I would nip it in the bud also. Behaviors like that can be very bad for them because it can turn into aggressiveness and they can start chasing cars too. I would try to get her mind on something else like a toy when she starts to watch them. A squeeky ball works great, or having her do some baisc commands. Anything like that will help her quit chasing lights and shadows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayleegator Posted November 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 I am really worried about this now. It's become such an obsession that I'm having a hard time breaking her focus, even for the favorite new squeaky ball, or the beloved sock tug, breakfast, the cat getting into her breakfast, or a chewy hoof. She might chase the ball for a minute, then be back to watching shadows. She's ignoring our calls, too. I'm keeping the blinds drawn, but even faint shadows cast by her own wagging tail will hold her interest. If I let her out in the yard, she chases shadows. This behavior is new in the last week, and may be related to having been crated in the car for a couple of hours at a time, and been really bored. The other weird thing she's doing is dragging her nose on the floor in front of her food bowl. I have not been able to tie this behavior to the particular contents of the bowl. I'm going to attempt clicker-shaping today, as I've not used the clicker for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruger's Dad Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 Border Collies can have OCD? I didn't know this was a trait until now. Maybe thats way Ruger insists on 1000 frisbee throws a day. There are some days chasing reflected light or flies would be a blessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 If distraction is not working then you need to correct her for it. The obsession with reflections will only get worse unless you get it under control. If it only happened periodically then it would not be so bad but since she is seeming to be so obsessed with them you need to get it under control. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 I have a different perspective on this, probably because of the work I do. I work in a group home for severely autistic people who have all sorts of OCD behaviours. We spend a lot of time looking at our clients and asking; 'What is the function of this behaviour?" and 'Is it hurting themselves or anyone else?" Those answers determine how and if we modify anything. I have a hugely OCD dog. Right now, he's in the kitchen staring at a green spot on the tile floor. He'll probably be there most of the morning, either at that spot or another one. If I sign at him, he will ignore me. If I walk over and touch him, he will wag his tail and move away to another spot. He's quiet, he's happy, whats the harm. I don't redirect for that...only if he's barking or digging at the floor. Like the autistics at the group home, he is who he is and I'm willing to accept him as that. He's had a walk to the post office already this morning and we go to the park right after lunch. I let him have this routine of speck-staring and he gets it out of his system (more or less). He can't bark or dig at spots in the house but he can at the sandpit in the park. I will never eliminate his OCD and I am very unwilling to use chemical means to calm him down. There are probably many people who find him to be annoying and want to train the behaviours out. He is a very smart dog who communicates very well. Let him be flown blown OCD all the time (digging, barking and staring) and he stops eating and tears great chunks of skin off himself. Give him a little outlet and he is better able to cope. If I were to clamp down totally and not let him do his little behaviours, I think I would have a very unhappy dog. It's a quality of life issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 If you look up "Obsessive-Compulsive" in the dictionary, you will see a picture of a BC next to the definition... Seriously, it really doesn't sound like a harmful activity; in fact, it sounds quite charming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayleegator Posted November 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 Seriously, it really doesn't sound like a harmful activity; in fact, it sounds quite charming... Thanks for your input on this, and Jo, too, as I've pretty much had to accept that it's not something in my power to eliminate. I've been referring to this behavior as 'being pixie-led', and trying to look at it as a behavior that is not destructive, loud or harmful in any way. Reason being, it's her vision, and her BC intense focus. She'll watch lights and shadows from her crate, from the car: I just can't ride her for it during all the waking hours. Distraction IS possible, I've found, especially if it involves a peanut-buttered Kong! So I am continuing to keep her as busy as possible with healthy doggy activities, and not make a big deal about her staring bouts. She is better this week, playing with all her toys again. She had a trip to the dog park yesterday for some extended running, which she doesn't get enough of. There were no dogs to play with, so we called her back and forth the whole length of the park until she was tired. She also had a long play date with her boxer buddy Tyson and a visit from a favorite human friend, who played a lot of 'Tug'. Today I will give her more opportunities to be busy and active outside as well as in, and if she gets into staring, will do my best to give her something more interesting to do. I'm not going to try to forbid it though, as that's going to drive us both crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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