Why does he chase shadows?

[kookoo]

My 1 year old rottie falco is driving us all mad. He has a thing for shadows, he scratches the floor and dribbles so when the carpet gets wet from drool he scratches that too. He can carry on for 3 hours flat, we have trouble stopping him, he seems to go in a trance and can't hear or see anything else. I have tried loud noises to distract him but after 2 or 3 attempts he just ignores that too. While doing this he is panting and sometimes he cries. Please can someone help before he wears the carpet out and wears away his paws. I can't stop the shadows.

[damp]

Originally Posted by kookoo

My 1 year old rottie falco is driving us all mad. He has a thing for shadows, he scratches the floor and dribbles so when the carpet gets wet from drool he scratches that too. He can carry on for 3 hours flat, we have trouble stopping him, he seems to go in a trance and can't hear or see anything else. I have tried loud noises to distract him but after 2 or 3 attempts he just ignores that too. While doing this he is panting and sometimes he cries. Please can someone help before he wears the carpet out and wears away his paws. I can't stop the shadows.

Sounds like OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Physical and especially mental exercises can be a good way to avoid/reduce the symptoms/behavior. Try this and if it doesn’t work, there is only one thing to do (since I don’t agree with medication for the rest of (any animal’s) life.
Your dog is suffering right now and he has it much worse than you. He is not only driving you, but also himself nuts... Please help him!!! No matter what you chose!!!

[groupieindenial]

Has anyone ever used the laser light to chase with him??

[BostonRott]

Often dogs who chase shadows started out chasing laser dots or flashlight light spots.

You dog does sound like he has OCD. Some dogs can get better with a LOT of physical exercise (hours per day), others will not. Treatment with drugs is an option but not an absolute cure-all. Basically, your dog is wired wrong in his brain. Euthanasia may be the final humane option, if other treatments do not overcome the problem.

Here is one abstract on drug use:

Efficacy of clomipramine in the treatment of canine compulsive disorder
by
Hewson CJ, Luescher UA, Parent JM, Conlon PD, Ball RO
Department of Animal and Poultry Science,
Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Canada.
J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Dec 15; 213(12):1760-6

ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of clomipramine for treatment of canine compulsive disorder (CCD). DESIGN: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced AB-BA crossover clinical study. ANIMALS: 51 dogs with CCD. PROCEDURES: Dogs were given clomipramine (3 mg/kg [1.3 mg/lb] of body weight, PO, q 12 h) for 4 weeks and placebo for 4 weeks. At the end of each treatment each owner rated the severity of their dog's behavior, using 2 validated rating scales. Statistical analysis was made by ordinal regression. Compliance, adverse effects, and the effectiveness of masking were also assessed. Each dog's behavior was reevaluated 1 to 2 years after completing the study. RESULTS: Behaviors included spinning (n = 17) and self-mutilation by licking (acral lick dermatitis, 12). Both rating scales demonstrated a treatment effect. Compliance was satisfactory, and masking was effective. Sedation and reduced appetite were reported more commonly when dogs were given clomipramine than when they were given placebo. Forty-five dogs available for follow-up evaluation still had their behaviors; 6 dogs were lost to follow-up evaluation. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results suggest that clomipramine was effective in dogs with CCD and was not associated with serious adverse effects. However, treatment for 4 weeks was not curative. Behavior modification is likely to be necessary to manage CCD.

[jakesfostermom]

KooKoo - we had a female rottie foster that was borderline OCD over shadows, shiny reflections from watch crystals, or metal objects in the sun, as well as shining off her rabies tag of all things. The hardest part of redirecting them is that this is VERY self rewarding behavior because they only need something "reflecting" to obsess, and tune you completely out. We found that if we kept the rooms she was in highly lighted - from the ceiling, the shadows were reduced, then as the sun began to set, the opposite seemed to work, we turned the lights down very low. She seemed to do pretty well until something set her off - then it might be hours before we could settle her down again. We never medicated her, and she was adopted into a home that was aware of her compulsion and they work with her to keep her busy enough that the shadows and "sparklies" aren't as interesting. Please don't tease or encourage this behavior by using a laser pen/light or flashlight.....and good luck - you can do many things to manage his environment and lessen the presence of shadows and reflections, but you likely cannot stop this completely if he is truly OCD..........

[kookoo]

I want to thank you all for your advise, yes when he was a bit younger we are guilty of letting him chase a torch. I did not know this would cause long affects. After reading all your advice I trawled the internet for OCD in dogs and found out lots of info. I am going to try the distracting him evertime he tries it. Its only been 2 days and its hard work but I am going to keep it up for my own sanity and falco's. I hope I can help him I love him to bits and don't want him to suffer. I wish I had known all about this when I first got him and like many other owners when I read up on rottweilers there is nothing mentioned in any of the books and I think it should be. I will keep you posted if the distracting method works. So fingers crossed. Thank you again.