Light fixation

[Taqroy]

My sister's dog has exactly what the title says. We used to play with our cats with the laser lights and she would push them out of the way so she could try to eat the little red bug. Which was all well and good, it was hilarious and when we put it away she would stop.

Well, when she was at my parent's house for Christmas she started fixating on lights moving on the ceiling or the walls. She will just sit there and stare at it and eventually start barking. Now when I am standing in Meg's kitchen and I pull out my cell phone and the light reflects to the ceiling she will stop whatever she's doing to watch/bark at it. It's really starting to concern both of us. When she does it now we try to redirect and remove her from the lights but it doesn't always work. What other things can we try? I've never seen a dog do this before.

 

[Dekka]

Its actually a relatively common side effect of playing with those laser lights. (this is why they shouldn't be used.. but you and your sister obviously didnt' know)

I would train the dog to do something when she sees the light. Like look to the nearest human for a reward. I would treat it like dog reactivity.. reward her for glancing at it and then focusing on a human (quietly)

 

[milos_mommy]

I agree with Dekka. It's VERY common but can cause really bad OCD.

And, obviously, avoid using laser pointers and flashlights and things around her.

 

[Taqroy]

I had no idea that this would be a side effect of the laser lights....otherwise we for sure wouldn't have done it.

I'll try and get Meg to work on her redirect. Honestly I don't think she'll (Megan that is) do that well because she's not so into training her dogs. I feel really bad about this. Would Click to Calm be a good reference? I bought it awhile ago but haven't got all the way through it.

 

[ACooper]

Dekka already said it!

I just wanted to say that YES! OMG........I have seen training shows (cesar millan, and maybe even victoria stillwell) with crazy light obsessed dogs out of control, read articles, seen GOBS of them on youtube, and even witnessed this crazy obsession in person. It can get out of control FAST! One of the videos or shows I saw, the dog was so out of control, even the glare from the coffee pot carafe sent the dog into spins and barks

We have one here (a laser pointer).........belongs to one of my kids (they are fun to play with, just ask my kids, LOL) Phoebe could care less about it.......glances at it and then gives the look of "Ya? So?..........and then what?" But Orson! OMG........he could have developed a problem REAL FAST if I didn't put a stop to it. He would run down the hall......smashing into walls/doors, trampling anything in his path. Follow it on the ceiling, just getting so excited he would actually SHAKE

Ya, if the kids are caught with it out in Orson's presence..........it becomes the property of the sanitation department, they have been warned

 

[milos_mommy]

Click to calm definitely has some great tips about teaching to redirect focus, etc. Also search some training threads on focus, etc.

 

[mwood322]

It's even more fun to deal with once they start chasing shadows. One of my dogs will literally run herself to exhaustion in the backyard chasing the shadows of birds flying by and her own tail rather than a frisbee. I have it so she will mostly refocus when I call her, but sometimes it just doesn't work. She gets in the zone.

It started with reflections on the ceiling, and she still heavily reacts to them. In my kitchen it was so bad I switched to matte silver wear and dishes to limit reflections from the window. Inside I just tell her to leave the room until she calms down. Make very sure no one reinforces it as fun. And forget about using flashlights inside ever again.

I'm not so useful with solutions. I mostly just manage it. It's been going on for 4 or more years now.

--Mia

 

[Lolas Dad]

Cesar Millan did have an episode of the exact problem you described. Here are some links that may help other than Cesar.

obsessive-compulsive behavior

Canine compulsive disorder (CCD) in dogs | PetDoc

 

[Taqroy]

I'll pass everything along to my sister. I really do feel awful about this. I didn't google it first because I assumed it was just a habit that got out of hand.

Thank you for the links LolasDad. Mia - I think the best Megan will be able to do is manage it. She has very little interest in training past where her dogs are now and Pix will stop when you distract her (most of the time). The rest of the time she just gets separated from the light til she chills out. Which is essentially what you described but it sounds like your girl has it worse.

 

[Amanda885]

oh wow..had no idea that could happen!
good thing my laser pointer died soon after we got it, lol.
Dekka said it well..i would take that advice.
good luck and keep us posted..hope it helps!

 

[Taqroy]

I was just thinking about it and realized that long before we had a laser pointer Pix would chase sparks from camp fires. Not anywhere near the extent she does now but she would fixate on the sparks and try to catch them. I guess we just made it worse with the stupid laser pointer.

Amanda - I was also just thinking how lucky it is that I didn't buy one for our puppy!! I kept thinking about it but never did it and now I'm so thankful.

 

[Dreeza]

yep, we didn't know any better either...we thought it was funny...but it def lead to problems fast!

I still have to be super careful when taking out a DVD or CD cause Oakley knows it just *might* make a reflection & and he comes barreling at me & tried to grab it from me...