Recommendations for persistent OCD behaviors in dogs
Identify which factors are contributing to and triggering the problem. Any changes you can make to improve stability and predictability in those areas may be helpful.
Do what you can to reduce emotional extremes as well as the opportunities for adverse emotional arousal. Read more about causes and triggers of canine compulsive behavior.
Prevent expression of the compulsive behavior when possible. You can restrict access to the situations and/or locations that trigger your dog’s OCD behavior.
A crate, baby gate, play pen, or leash can be used as a barrier, restraint or confinement. If you choose to actively hold your dog back from the situation, keep in mind that some dogs may redirect their frustration, and may even become aggressive when restrained with close contact.
Always keep personal safety in mind when using any kind of restraint.
Teach incompatible behaviors and use them to redirect the dog. These alternative, incompatible behaviors will be used to redirect your dog when the compulsive behavior is likely. For instance, a dog that compulsively humps when excited can be redirected to grab and carry a favorite toy. Redirection should be onto something satisfying for the dog, ideally.
Gradually increase tolerance for exposure to your dog’s triggers. This might also involve teaching your dog alternative behaviors, alternative focus, attention to you, and self-control in the problem areas and situations. (Sound complicated? It can be. This is where you will appreciate a good dog behavior consultant and/or veterinary behaviorist to help you.)
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_ src=”https://train2behave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/rules-structure-ocd-dogs.jpg” alt=”Rules and structure are crucial for OCD dogs” title_text=”rules-structure-ocd-dogs” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
[/et_pb_][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ header_2_text_color=”#464646″ header_2_font_size=”28px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_text_color=”#18567c” header_3_font_size=”26px” header_4_font_size=”22px” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_phone=”17px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_font_size_phone=”51″ header_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_2_font_size_phone=”24px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_3_font_size_phone=”22px” header_3_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_4_font_size_phone=”20px” header_4_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” z_index_tablet=”0″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” global_colors_info=”{}” text_line_height=”1.3em” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Clubs Offering:
Note: Obsessive-compulsive behavior is a serious problem and depending on the severity, it can result in harm to the dog. For critical behavior problems, a qualified behaviorist should work in conjunction with a veterinarian to solve the problem.
A strong desire to engage in a game of fetch when a ball is thrown is a far cry from a dog who cannot stop chasing his tail, licking his feet or legs, spinning, fly snapping, fence running, pica (craving and eating nonfood substances), or checking his hind end, just to name a few of the more common OCD behaviors. The reality is that true canine compulsive behavior is a stressful existence for the dog as well as the family.
When I lived in Florida, a student came to me with a year-old herding dog named Kiwi. Even as a 9-week-old puppy, Kiwi had a habit of staring at (and then pouncing on) shadows on the ground. The family thought it was funny, and started using a laser pen and flashlight to encourage him to chase the light beams. Almost immediately, Kiwi was on high alert all day long for shadows. His obsession caused him to stop eating and interacting with his human family. During walks he would pounce toward shadows on the pavement with such force that he would bloody his nose. His family no longer thought it was amusing, and that’s when they called me for a behavioral evaluation.
During our first meeting, Kiwi obsessed on shadows on the floor, and when a beam of light reflected off his owner’s watch moved across the room, Kiwi chased it and ran headfirst into a wall. The family was terribly upset that they’d created this behavior and didn’t understand why their friend’s dog (a Labrador Retriever) chased a flashlight beam but didn’t go to the extremes that Kiwi did. I explained that sometimes there can be a hereditary component to the behavior and that it’s theorized that high-energy dogs with intense drive could be more liable to exhibit compulsive behaviors. In addition, most veterinarians agree that one of the main reasons for OCD behavior is stress.
“We didn’t find something earth-shattering,” says Jens Wendland, a physician and psychiatrist who co-authored the study. “But to be fair, we know now that the cohort would have needed to be much, much larger, at least an order of magnitude larger, to be properly powered to do that. And we tried the best we could with the means we had available at the time.”
Dodman still thinks that any hesitation to accept research based on a dog model of human OCD doesn’t lie in specific doubts about the validity of the model, but in a greater philosophical problem: the difficulty in accepting that our minds might be closer than we want to believe to the minds of dogs.
Ostrander is the chief of the Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute, and has been working in dog genetics for 25 years. Her lab develops dog genome databases to look for genes that could be important for animal health or translate to humans. She says they’ve explored everything from infectious disease to cancer, including diabetes, kidney failure, retinitis pigmentosa and gout.
In 2008, Dodman decided to take the initiative and move his theories to a clinical setting. For many years, he had been discussing his work with Michael Jenike, founder of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. Jenike enjoyed his talks with Dodman but wasn’t convinced. Like Judith Rapoport, he says that the trouble with dogs and birds and mice is that unless he can talk to them, he can’t properly diagnose OCD. Still, he was willing to try giving some of his patients memantine, a glutamate-targeting drug normally used to treat Alzheimer’s, which Dodman had started giving to dogs with severe CCD.
A dog owner herself, she went to her vet to ask about acral lick, a common CCD behaviour when a dog licks or sucks at its paw or leg until the fur and flesh are worn through, leading to infection, amputation and sometimes death. Her vet told her yes, acral lick was a huge problem with no good treatment options, and his dog suffered from it. She asked if he would be willing to try medication – the same medication given to people with OCD, which increases levels of the brain chemical serotonin.
Does Your Dog Have OCD?
Up to 3% of dogs have obsessive-compulsive disorder, an anxiety disorder seen more frequently in some purebred dogs and exacerbated by stress, writes veterinarian Francine Rattner. Dogs that exhibit behaviors such as tail chasing or constant licking may have the condition, although Dr. Rattner says it’s important to have the animal evaluated to ensure there is not an underlying medical issue. Exercising the dog and removing the sources of stress may help, according to Dr. Rattner. The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)
Can dogs have OCD? I have a Shetland sheepdog who is constantly chasing his tail. We try to distract him and tell him no and eventually he stops. Is there anything else we should do?
Unfortunately, our canine friends can suffer from repetitive activities that seem very similar to people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Since dogs can’t tell us what they are feeling, we don’t know why they are doing these activities. Perhaps they become addicted to the behavior because it stimulates the release of endorphins or soothing chemicals from the brain.
We have to also make sure that there is not an underlying pain issue that is causing the abnormal behavior. This is more likely in a case where a dog constantly licks at a spot on his leg. Whatever the cause, obsessive behaviors often require modification for the dog’s sake and for yours.
OCD is a type of anxiety disorder with as many as three percent of dogs affected. As it is found more often in certain purebred dogs, we believe there is a genetic component involved. Herding dogs like yours may spin or chase their tails, Doberman Pinschers may suck the skin of their flank or lick a leg until it is raw, Labrador retrievers can be obsessive about carrying a ball around, or eating nonfood items.
While dogs may be born with this tendency, they generally don’t show signs until at least 6 months of age. It is important to act quickly if you start to see these types of behaviors emerging. Since stress can make the obsessive behavior worse, reducing stress can help keep them from becoming ingrained habits.
A dog that seems to engage in these types of behaviors when a neighbor’s “bully” dog is barking through the fence is stressed. A dog that starts doing more obsessive behaviors when he is crated is stressed. Do what you can to change your dog’s environment to reduce stresses that you can recognize.
Make sure you give your dog plenty of exercise. Especially for hunting and herding dogs — they are generally not content to be kept indoors all the time with just a bathroom break a couple times a day. They need to be taken on long walks or runs, or engaged in activities that they are genetically programmed to perform.
In addition, behavior modification will help reduce the frequency of the unwanted behavior. The first step is to make sure you are not reinforcing the tail chasing. Dogs can regard yelling as a form of attention and think of it as positive response. This will serve to encourage them to engage in the behavior more often. Instead, catch your dog in the act of sitting calmly and not chasing his tail and lavish praise on him. Train him to do other behaviors at your request and reward him for those. Lying down quietly and staying until you give the signal is another calm behavior to reward.
In some cases, all the work you can do at home isn’t enough to help relieve a dog of his compulsive behaviors. In those cases, the same types of anti-anxiety medications that are prescribed for humans may be needed to help him live a calmer, more comfortable life.
Dr. Francine K. Rattner is a veterinarian at South Arundel Veterinary Hospital in Edgewater. Please send questions to [email protected] or to www.facebook.com/southarundelvet.