Loopy puppy

trolleyrun

Hi everyone. I got a puppy (she's approx 12 months old) from a rescue nearly 3 weeks ago. She's cute, loving and doing well in regards to house training. She also sleeps through the night.

Now for the problem. She's nervous, which is understandable, but in the last week or so she's chasing shadows, even if they're not there. She sits in the bathroom for ages looking at a specific corner although there's nothing there, not even a shadow. She's currently in the living room and is going round in circles because of the shadows.

I'm trying to ignore this loopiness as I'm not sure what else to do. She's eating less than initially, due to the shadow chasing. She's only a tiny little thing (mongrel with mainly terrier in her) and she needs to gain weight.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions? Do I continue to ignore and praise when she comes to sit with me? Do I do something else? Thank you in advance for any tips

Raksha

Shadow chasing is very difficult to cure - it normally starts if a young dog is left in an environment with minimal stimutations (like a dark shed on their own) or occasionally through owners using a laser pointer as a 'game'. You really need help from an experienced behaviourist to help cure it. Providing her with lots of chase games, like rolling a tennis ball or similar can help redirect her energies onto something you can control (by removing the ball).

Have you approached the rescue about this? Some of the larger ones like Dogs Trust have very good behaviourists who can help you.

OnAndUp

Definitely sounds like something that you need an experts help with and I agree with Raksha ask the rescue they should have back up support.

In the meantime what do you feed her - some foods can affect a dogs behaviour also have you thought about trying one of the plug ins they are supposed to help relieve stress?

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-behaviour-adaptil-dog-appeasing-pheromone-c-837_2/adaptil-diffuser-dog-appeasing-pheromone-dap-diffuser-p-6

trolleyrun

Thank you both for your replies. I have thought about a diffuser, but would like to try to solve it without one if possible. She's fed on Burns biscuits (chicken and brown rice) and she gets various treats as and when appropriate. I'll try to call the rescue in the week. It's a fairly small rescue, but fingers crossed they'll be able to help. Thanks again

Raksha

Burns should be fine, but watch the treats, sometimes even the smallest amount of a 'trigger' food can send a sensitive pup loopy. Try and keep treats/rewards as simple as possible - small pieces of roast chicken or cheese for example.

Fire_Fox

Please get this issue diagnosed by your vet or a behaviourist at the rescue, there may be an OCD type issue here. I don't understand why you don't want to use a diffuser when you know she is nervous?

elsien

What breed is she? - I think some are more prone to this behaviour than others. As other posters have said though, this can be a version of OCD and needs a vet visit as a starting point.
Edit - just re-read and saw she's a mongrel. Is the terrier bit staffie as they can can go a bit overboard on obsessive behaviours, tale chasing etc.

trolleyrun

She's a Border T /JR cross with the possibility of Dachs in the mix as well. I searched a bit online earlier, and decided to try something. I made her sit next to me, stroking her and talking to her very calmly, telling her she's a good girl, she's safe now etc. she actually went to sleep for a bit and then had a bit to eat. She then wanted to play with her rope (tug-o-war) which was great fun. She did go back to chasing shadows for a bit, but not as frantic as before.

I'm guessing she just needs a lot of reassurance, but I will call rescue and/or vet in the week.

The reason I don't want to use a diffuser is because it might not work and I'd like her to learn to relax in a more natural way if that makes sense. She didn't chase shadows during her first two weeks with me, it's just been the last week she's gone loopy.

She's asleep now though and sleeps through the night

Raksha

Although it may appear that she has accepted your affections, by 'making' her do something, you may now be dealing with 'shut down'. Using techniques you've seen on the internet or from TV programmes is not a good idea.

trolleyrun

Just a quick update. I've figured out what caused the loopyness (I think). It's her id tag on her collar! When I take it off she calms down almost instantly and settles down next to me. Very weird, but there we go. I now keep the id tag on whilst out on walkies (it doesn't bother her when outdoors) and take it off indoors when she starts chasing shadows. Hopefully, she'll be able to accept the tag with time

krlyr

How odd - but glad you found a trigger! Maybe she was taught to chase jangling keys or a bell (cat toy, maybe?) and has been looking for the source of the jangling.
Some possible solutions if you want to leave the ID tag on - you can buy rubber covers for tags that muffle the jangling noise. Also you can buy plastic tags that don't make metallic clinking noises.
Also you can buy slide-on tags that thread on to the collar so they don't dangle off of the D-ring, so no clinking noises at all, but you know your dog has ID on her at all times. Like these
http://www.identitag.co.uk/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=29&idcategory=4
(or this company have made curved ones that are meant to sit on the collar better - bit pricier though http://www.indigocollartags.com/tags.htm)

If you want to just carry on removing the tag, maybe buy a cheap keyring with a trigger clip on it. Then you can just quickly unclip the tag rather than faff around with an o-ring. Like this
http://bfnt.co.uk/media/gbu0/prodlg/trigger-keyring.jpg


Oh, and in regards to a diffuser - try not to look at calmatives as something negative. They're usually quite natural products - Adaptil, for example, mimics the pheromone that a mother dog would release to calm her puppies. They just help take the edge off anxiety and put the dog in a better state of mind, stressed dogs don't tend to learn things very well. It's a bit like using some Rescue Remedy before a big exam or during a stressful period at work - you don't use it instead of learning to cope, but it's a crutch you can lean on and then be in a better frame of mind to deal with the stressful situation.
E.g. stressed dog cannot settle, Adaptil diffuser chills it out a bit, it manages to settle down a lot better, and suddenly realises that settling down is a lot less stressful than chasing shadows. You wean it off the diffuser and, because it's learnt to relax when in a good state of mind to actually retain the information, the unsettled behaviour doesn't return.