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Repetitive obsessive behaviour in young dog

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  • 19-06-2019 1:05pm
    #1
    1o059k7ewrqj3n
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,779 ✭✭✭


    Hello, my sister has a lovely black lab, wonderful dog. It's very healthy but I have noticed a tendency for the dog to be obsessed with wanting to go outside. It wants to show us where cats sit (on top of the boiler, where it's warm naturally).

    Even if the cats are not there, the dog will still go out again and again. It will do this all day long, as soon as you've gone out with it, it will want to go back outside again. It won't chase the cats if they are there, it's actually fairly normal around cats. If the cats are inside it has no problem at all.

    It also brings stones into the house, and again, will do this all day.

    Is this a kind of obsessive personality thing that you might find in humans also and a sign of anxiety? or just a sort of gundog mentality ie showing the human where the prey is? (it's never hunted btw and is far too soft but was from a farm as a pup).


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    #2
    jimf
    Registered Users Posts: 3,949 ✭✭✭jimf


    what kind of exercise does the dog get daily


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    #3
    cocker5
    Registered Users Posts: 3,274 ✭✭✭cocker5


    What actual age is the dog?

    How much daily exercise does the dog get?

    What diet / food is the dog on?


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    #4
    1o059k7ewrqj3n
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,779 ✭✭✭1o059k7ewrqj3n


    Hi guys,

    The dog would go at least once a day to the park, if not twice. I think the dog's age is about 2 and half/3 years. The dog is fed a mix of things but I will have to double check as I'm not sure the brand. I know there was some dry food, but also wet food, sometimes mixed with rice. It's not tinned food, it's some kind of special brand they get from the pet store.

    Are ye thinking that it's a case of the dog being under stimulated and the food not providing enough nourishment?


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    #5
    cocker5
    Registered Users Posts: 3,274 ✭✭✭cocker5


    Steyr 556 wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    The dog would go at least once a day to the park, if not twice. I think the dog's age is about 2 and half/3 years. The dog is fed a mix of things but I will have to double check as I'm not sure the brand. I know there was some dry food, but also wet food, sometimes mixed with rice. It's not tinned food, it's some kind of special brand they get from the pet store.

    Are ye thinking that it's a case of the dog being under stimulated and the food not providing enough nourishment?

    But how long is the dog actually active each day?

    Is more than likely the dog is bored / not mentally stimulated enough and maybe poor nutrition (without knowing the food / brand it’s hard to know)


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    #6
    1o059k7ewrqj3n
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,779 ✭✭✭1o059k7ewrqj3n


    cocker5 wrote: »
    But how long is the dog actually active each day?

    Is more than likely the dog is bored / not mentally stimulated enough and maybe poor nutrition (without knowing the food / brand it’s hard to know)

    I couldn't say accurately, apart from going out to the park, the dog would be around the house. In the summer the doors are open, there's quite a large, long garden, but it would normally hang out close to people.

    I would like to think the dog has enough food but there is a difference between food and proper nutritious food. I'll try find out more at the weekend.


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    #7
    aonb
    Registered Users Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    sometimes obsessive habits start, because the dog has found that it has the attention of the humans, when it 'shows' them where the cats are... if the humans can 'break' the habit, by distracting the dog when he wants to take them to the cats, this might work. So for example when the dog comes to take the human to show you where the cats are, take the dog to do another activity - maybe throw a ball/stick, play a game, practice a new trick/command etc - basically a distraction.
    Similarly when it brings in stones, dont comment/acknowlege the stone - just ignore it. When hes not looking, take away the stone. He may have found that again, he had the attention/reaction from the humans when he arrived with the stone.

    Sounds like a bit of boredom but it could also just be stressy/habit behaviour too.
    Labs can be very intelligent. A bit of stimulation might be a good idea - teach him new tricks/commands - give him a distracion with something to do - getting a bit of kibble out of a cardboard box, playing tug of war with an old sock, a frozen kong, a bone, throwing a ball etc


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