I am no longer coping! Shadow Chasing!

[kobesdad]

I posted previously on this forum about my 11 month old pup Kobe's shadow chasing issues it has now gone to the extreme.  Walks are now a nightmare and I totally dread sunny days.   My life is miserable and as much as I love my fur baby so much I feel as if I would consider rehoming him now as I obviously aren't doing things correctly.  This started 6 months ago when he was exposed to a laser pointer for no more than 30 seconds.  I blame myself for exposing this to him as the next day my carefree fun loving puppy had gone.  Since then it has got worse.  Bird shadows, tree shadows, staring for hours in the garden waiting for the shadows to appear from patio doors again, the squeal he makes when a car mirror reflections on the ground.  I have tried distraction I have upped his exercise but it now more intense than ever when he is in the shadow chasing zone he just won't listen.  Squeaking toys, whistles, coins in a tin I have tried everything to distract him but nothing works.  I called a behaviourist last week and she told me that Kobe will probably need to be put on medication for life for this and as he had also been castrated he is gonna be stuck with a baby brain forever and will never have the brain rationality of an adult dog.  I really can't deal with this anymore there must be some way to snap him out of this obsession.   

[Mudmagnets]

I really don't know how to help, wish I did. I hope something can be done for Kobi. 

[bizzylizzy]

Sorry to hear that Kobe‘s behaviour‘s still causing you concern. Have you consulted a vet? To my way of thinking, if the problem is indeed behavioural, as opposed to a diagnosed medical condition, then I‘d question whether medication was the only answer. I don’t want to cast t doubt re  the behaviourist‘s competence but  find her conclusions a little odd,  only a medical examination can determine whether medication is adviseable, a behavourists qualifications are unlikely to extend that far. Lots of dogs are castrated/neutered before puberty and don’t end up on medication, or get stuck with baby  brains, that really is rubbish.
I‘m not a great fan of noisy distractions, I‘ve seen trainers throw chains, cans of nails or squirt water to gain a dog‘s attention or attempt to stop it doing something but all those sort of negative training methods just increase stress, are totally contra productive and in part cruel, I would personally stay clear of any trainer of behaviourist supporting such.
I would urge you to get Kobe checked by a vet to rule out any neurological problems and to put your mind at rest and then find a good trainer to help you further. Above all, try and stop beating yourself up about he laser incident, I‘m almost certain when you mention it to the vet, he‘ll reassure that you that its most unlikely that that has anything to do with Kobe‘s behaviour.
I hope you can find some good support from a properly qualified trainer, it would be sad to have to rehome Kobe as it certainly won’t help him overcome any issues he has.
Good Luck .

[sophie.ivy]

I'm so sorry to hear how this has been affecting you and your boy.

I can't relate to the shadow chasing, but my girl was very reactive to birds and would bark/lunge/generally lose her mind whenever she saw one and I felt like it would never get better. Birds were her obsession and like you, I started dreading walks and couldn't see the wood for the trees.

Our gundog trainer suggested training a 'look at me' cue whenever we saw a bird - so ask her to look away from the bird and up at you and then 'yes' and treat. I was spectical as there was no getting through to her when she was in nutcase mode, but I found that if I got in there with a 'look at me' before she went to bark/lunge then it was so much more effective. There were quite a few times I missed her signs and the barking/lunging happened, but I found that if I walked her away and sat her up at a greater distance then she would calm down eventually (9 times out of 10) and I could try asking for a 'look at me' again. If she didn't calm down, that was the end of the walk and we just went home. After months of doing this consistently on every walk, she will now look at me when she sees a bird without me asking (on lead, off lead is still a work in progress!) I guess this is just another way to redirect behaviour and ask dog to do something else before it gets fixated. This may not be the right cue for your dog, but something similar might work?

I wonder if gundog training might help as even if you aren't planning on working your dog, they give great games and advice for tiring your spaniel mentally, which is so much more effective than physical exercise. There's lots of advice out there about upping exercise for dogs who are showing frustrated behaviours and that may work for other dog breeds but honestly, I don't think that applies to spaniels. It just seems to wind them up even more and make them less likely to listen to you. I found playing mental games like 'go find' and short retrieves would knacker my girl out more than hours of running when she was an adolescent.

I agree with everyone else about going back to the vets. If you have a good vet, then they will often suggest training or herbal supplements to try first before going down the medication route. But if medication is the conclusion then please don't feel bad about it - you have to do what is best for your boy, and his quality of life. I look after a rescue staffie who is on anti-anxiety medication as a last resort and it has made a real, positive difference to her life. As well as reassurance for her owner.

On a side note, I've never heard about dogs getting stuck with baby brain and am a bit spectical of that too!!

Good luck to you both. I hope you get through this tough time.

[Jaysmumagain]

 I really think this Behaviourist has rather alarmed with this feedback.  I have no idea as to how the person can jump to this conclusion by phone.  Plus the word baby brain I find a jump to far.

You need to give yourself and Kobe some breathing space.  Yes you have done so many things and the word medication that the Behaviourist threw round might be the answer to help....but you need to speak to a vet.

I would start by asking friends work mates of a really good vet and make an appointment.

Many years back I lost my Dad and our little westie dog at the time became almost a differnent character. Neither my Mum or I knew how to deal with him.  I went to the vet saying that I was fearful that my Mum and I would have to make a dreadful choice regarding the dog.  She insisted that this was not the time and there were several options to look at.  First was medication and second was a dog trainer who worked with Police dogs.  After about a month or so things started to settle and the dog stayed on the medication. As far as I can remeber it was a drug used by GP's also for anxiety and didn't break the bank.

Your love of Kobe is worth finding a good vet who will listen and advise.  You need to go down this route or you  own well being too and see what the vet thinks.  Don't give up just yet.

Take care