hi everyone:
I am in the midst of getting a Kelpie puppy rescue, that I hope to rehome. He was dumped at a shelter in a crate. He is 4 months old, and due to his abandonment, became VERY NOT fond of the crate- though he is improving with being in a metal crate. He is a quite nice puppy from all reports, but he has an issue where he stares at shadows- this is his default behaviour- which appeared just after he had been returned to the shelter after being adopted. He appears to do this in response to all the over-whelming stimulus. He is a purebred working Kelpie, and therefore, has a high prey drive (they have seen this), and I am not surprized he has developed this. I am looking for advice, has anyone seen this before?
Julie
Haven't seen shadow staring, but seen a rottweiler chase shadows. He was quite entertained, lived on a farm and chased the shadows of birds flying over. It sounded like he did it all the time, maybe as the last poster said, he needed a job. I had never seen a dog do that before. Maybe the staring will turn into chasing?
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
Posts: 31571
Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote:
It sounds as if he just needs a job to do.
I second that. I've seen OCB develop when light-chasing was allowed to gain a solid footing. To me, this sounds close enough to that that I wouldn't want it to become intense. What I would do is increase structured exercise (walks and training sessions) and accomplish three goals: drain off tension and frustrated energy, distract the dog from that habit, and help the dog regain confidence around outdoor stimulae.
I'm general-obedience experienced only, so others may have a better take. In general, though, I've found that many (or most) beginning obsessions (and also destructive behavior) can be nipped with a lot of structured exercise.
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005
Posts: 2784
Loc: Toronto, ON
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My dog chases light reflections from silverware n watches, it annoys the heck outta me but living in the sunshine state doesn't help <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> It's not a daily occurance n it doesn't affect his focus on his work or his general behaviors. I can't use the bedside lamp in my bedroom though because the light reflects off the glass desk and/or other things creating reflections on the ceiling n walls that aren't normally there - if it's a light spot that's regularly there, like light poking thru holes in the blinds or whatnot, he ignores it. If he focuses on these things I tell him to leave it n try to get his focus off it.
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