Hi all, Im new hear and need some help.
My names Lynsey, I live in Spain with my 2 beautiful children .... dogs..... lol, Sam a 20 mnth cross terrier cross, whom I've had from 9 weeks old, and my 1 year old female cross , I think shes mixed doberman, I've had her, Cassie 4 months from a rescue center, shes a fantastic loving loyal dog and has bonded amazingly with Sam, only she has developed this horrible obsession with the sea... we live practically opposite the beach and I have walked them both from day 1 , 3 times a day on the beach, but last week Cassie the rescue has suddenly started barking , not snapping but barking at the sea, she runs franticly up and down the edge of the sea barking and doesn't listen to me calling her, and she is just oblivious to anyone or anything around her...... normally she is as good as gold, well practically, But I've recently removed her tennis balls from her as she was obsessed with them, so is she an ocd dog do we think or.... something else, any help much appreciated,
thank you
help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
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Re: help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
Might be the light reflecting off the water. Dobermann types are one of the breeds that are very prone to OCD, and flickering light is a well-known trigger for this behaviour.
You would be wise to exercise her away from the sea for a while, and then try again on a dull day.
You would be wise to exercise her away from the sea for a while, and then try again on a dull day.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
arrrrrr............ you could be right , but the question is why has it only just started...... could me taking the balls from her passed one obsession onto another????
Re: help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
Yes. Obsessive personalities simply transfer the obsession. Happens in people too - it's a brain-chemistry matter, and we still don't know enough about it.
How to deal with it? It's very difficult. Sometimes you can manage by keeping the dog very well exercised, give it lots of brain work at home (have a look at our pinned thread Exercise the Mind for ideas) and by constantly changing items or places if an obsession starts to form. There are veterinary drugs used to treat this if management does not help, but these are changing all the time, and I don't have sufficient knowledge about them to be able to guide you.
Feeding can sometimes help - food that has no additives colouring or sugars in it is best for this kind of dog. Changing food on its own rarely changes the behaviour, but it will help in conjunction with other changes.
Some people simply live with the obsession.
How to deal with it? It's very difficult. Sometimes you can manage by keeping the dog very well exercised, give it lots of brain work at home (have a look at our pinned thread Exercise the Mind for ideas) and by constantly changing items or places if an obsession starts to form. There are veterinary drugs used to treat this if management does not help, but these are changing all the time, and I don't have sufficient knowledge about them to be able to guide you.
Feeding can sometimes help - food that has no additives colouring or sugars in it is best for this kind of dog. Changing food on its own rarely changes the behaviour, but it will help in conjunction with other changes.
Some people simply live with the obsession.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
Whether this is the OCD type of obsession or just under stimulated bored dog type obsession - prevention is a key part of dealing with it.
So - as Nettle says, avoid what you know sets her off. Use a long line and harness rather than having her completely off lead, so you ARE in control, even if shes going to ignore your voice.
If you think shes gone off into lala land, obsessing over something, do not bother calling or asking for any behaviour, just remove her from the situation as swiftly as possible, because calling will not work, but it WILL render your cue meaningless very quickly.
I doubt that stopping her having tennis balls has outright caused the obsession with something else, BUT - if she isn't getting the mental stimulation she needs (And how much and in what form that is, is quite hard to judge in a new dog!) then yes she will find something else to amuse her, and bouncing around and barking at something is a very self rewarding behaviour.
So really up the clicker training, puzzle solving, feeding from food dispensing toys etc, it may be that you can use some obsessions, such as tennis balls, as a reward so don't discount things like that completely - sometimes you can use it to your advantage.
So - as Nettle says, avoid what you know sets her off. Use a long line and harness rather than having her completely off lead, so you ARE in control, even if shes going to ignore your voice.
If you think shes gone off into lala land, obsessing over something, do not bother calling or asking for any behaviour, just remove her from the situation as swiftly as possible, because calling will not work, but it WILL render your cue meaningless very quickly.
I doubt that stopping her having tennis balls has outright caused the obsession with something else, BUT - if she isn't getting the mental stimulation she needs (And how much and in what form that is, is quite hard to judge in a new dog!) then yes she will find something else to amuse her, and bouncing around and barking at something is a very self rewarding behaviour.
So really up the clicker training, puzzle solving, feeding from food dispensing toys etc, it may be that you can use some obsessions, such as tennis balls, as a reward so don't discount things like that completely - sometimes you can use it to your advantage.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
Re: help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
Thankyou very much for all your advice... really appreciated, I am going to try new things and read the section advised and i will keep you updated... but last night and this morning i took my dog bag.... the bag i use when walking to keep poop bags treats etc in .. and took some treats and walked along the edge of the water and kept calling Cassie and gave her a treat and prasising her for coming to me and it seems to be a lot better, the other thing is its difficult to walk her any where else as the beach is the only place around where they can run, as Ii like both Sam and Cassie to have 3 long runs a day, but I am sure we will work this out, like you say , shes a new dog still and is still young, but now I have some new ideas to try and change her way of thinking ... thankyou very much, i have tried to downloads photos of them both but cannot !!!
lynsey
lynsey
Re: help my dog is obsessed with the ocean and will not come to
If it is the light reflecting off the water, perhaps you could try walking at different times of day, or going out in cloudy weather?
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009