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I think I broke my dog. Please help - UPDATE: now with gif
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:39 pm
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:39 pm
About my dog: 3 yr old, 85 lb, male Doberman/Lab hybrid. Very intelligent. Not aggressive, but deep-rooted guard dog instincts. Never been scared of anything before (except being chased with house plants)
How he became broken:
my dog likes to chase lights. What dog doesn't? We were teasing him Saturday with a flashlight and by reflecting lights off walls and the ceilings. It seems by doing this I inadvertently made him, for the first time in his 3 year life, notice that ceilings exist and have lights on them.
Every day since he's spent at minimum a few hours a day staring up at the ceiling, running/ pacing in circles around the room, whining and looking very concerned about the lights, and occasionally trying to jump to get them. And if something reflects the light across the ceiling/ wall he will flip his shite for a solid 30 and sniff all over the room in every crack trying to find where it "went".
This was hilarious the first couple days, but now I'm getting concerned that my once smart dog has gone retarded. Last night if even spent 2 hours AFTER DARK staring at the ceiling when no lights at all were on.
TL:DR
My dog has spent 5 days staring at the ceiling scared of lights
What do I do to fix him? Please send help
ETA:
How he became broken:
my dog likes to chase lights. What dog doesn't? We were teasing him Saturday with a flashlight and by reflecting lights off walls and the ceilings. It seems by doing this I inadvertently made him, for the first time in his 3 year life, notice that ceilings exist and have lights on them.
Every day since he's spent at minimum a few hours a day staring up at the ceiling, running/ pacing in circles around the room, whining and looking very concerned about the lights, and occasionally trying to jump to get them. And if something reflects the light across the ceiling/ wall he will flip his shite for a solid 30 and sniff all over the room in every crack trying to find where it "went".
This was hilarious the first couple days, but now I'm getting concerned that my once smart dog has gone retarded. Last night if even spent 2 hours AFTER DARK staring at the ceiling when no lights at all were on.
TL:DR
My dog has spent 5 days staring at the ceiling scared of lights
What do I do to fix him? Please send help
ETA:
This post was edited on 4/5/17 at 9:03 pm
13
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:43 pm to BowlJackson
Fake news
Dogs can't look up
Dogs can't look up
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:44 pm to BowlJackson
Your house is haunted and he's staring at ghosts.
Contact a priest immediately.
Contact a priest immediately.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:49 pm to Carolina_Girl
quote:
Your house is haunted and he's staring at ghosts.
This was my first thought but our house is only 10 years old, was built by my gf's family and they're the only people besides my gf and I that have lived here. No deaths here. 3 other dogs besides ours have lived here and none of them ever stared at ghosts (although one did develop a strange obsessive compulsive ritual of "marching" in the yard)
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:50 pm to CNB
quote:
Fake news
Dogs can't look up
Gf took a Snapchat video of it today. I think she saved it. I'll try to make it into a gif and post it at some point
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:54 pm to BowlJackson
He has become super interested in the "game." My dogs will invent games to play when they get bored. Sounds like your dog is doing that, too, with the lights. You introduced him to the game and he's smart enough to keep it going by himself.
Simple fix. Find another activity he likes (another game) and play it with him when he starts the lights game on his own. He'll soon transfer his fixation to the new game, especially if he thinks he can get you in on it.
Simple fix. Find another activity he likes (another game) and play it with him when he starts the lights game on his own. He'll soon transfer his fixation to the new game, especially if he thinks he can get you in on it.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:02 pm to CNB
Only the last half of the gif really captures it and this is the calm side of it. But imagine him wandering the room for over an hour at a time doing this, while occasionally getting super hyped about it
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:04 pm to Kentucker
quote:
He has become super interested in the "game." My dogs will invent games to play when they get bored. Sounds like your dog is doing that, too, with the lights. You introduced him to the game and he's smart enough to keep it going by himself.
Simple fix. Find another activity he likes (another game) and play it with him when he starts the lights game on his own. He'll soon transfer his fixation to the new game, especially if he thinks he can get you in on it.
Interesting. He mostly likes to chew on his toys, play fetch, and play rough/ wrestle around.
Do you have any games you can suggest? Or should I go to the pet store tomorrow and buy an interactive toy?
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:17 pm to BowlJackson
My dog did this for while with ceiling fans when I first brought her home from the shelter. She would hunker down if they were on. It wore off after a few weeks.
But every year, when the spring sun brings warmth to the piney woods of south Mississippi, and the ceiling fans begin to push air through my home, she shivers inside and cowers a bit for the first couple of days of their use.
But every year, when the spring sun brings warmth to the piney woods of south Mississippi, and the ceiling fans begin to push air through my home, she shivers inside and cowers a bit for the first couple of days of their use.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:21 pm to BowlJackson
You have a really nice kitchen. Makes me feel poor.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:22 pm to BowlJackson
What's that weird space age contraption on the island?
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:32 pm to deeprig9
quote:
What's that weird space age contraption on the island?
Looks like the top from the garbage can sitting next to the island.
Or a government installed brainwashing machine. I haven't decided yet.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:34 pm to BowlJackson
Good looking dog.
I'd try and get him interested in a tennis ball or something that would distract him from the lights and keep his line of sight low.
I'd try and get him interested in a tennis ball or something that would distract him from the lights and keep his line of sight low.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:34 pm to deeprig9
quote:
You have a really nice kitchen. Makes me feel poor.
Don't worry bro, I'm poor too
this was my gf's family home and when her parents moved out instead of putting it on the market they rented it to us with a family discount. Which we further offset by renting out one of the bedrooms to a friend. They built the place and were able to hand pick every detail, hence the nice looking kitchen that probably wasn't nearly as expensive as it looks
quote:
What's that weird space age contraption on the island?
I think you're looking at the lid to the trash can which I set there because I had just taken the garbage out and not put a new bag in yet.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:40 pm to KyleOrtonsMustache
quote:
I'd try and get him interested in a tennis ball
A tennis ball would be shreds in 5 minutes flat
I can't tell you how many toys we've been through that are "guaranteed to last" and rated for big strong chewers. Money back guarantee type stuff. Been through the full line of Kong toys. He's got 4 chew toys we've found over the years he hasn't immediately destroyed and he plays fetch with a small tire. Not much else lasts very long.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:44 pm to BowlJackson
quote:
This was my first thought but our house is only 10 years old, was built by my gf's family and they're the only people besides my gf and I that have lived here.
The question is what was there before. Some land is cursed, especially if it was indian burial grounds centuries ago. The farm Eddie Sutton had when he was UK's coach was such a case, like a century of bad luck for those unfortunate to own it.
True Story
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:54 pm to BowlJackson
quote:
Not much else lasts very long.
My dog tears everything up. These are the only two that she has not completely destroyed, and I'm on monkey #3:
Green Monkey Toy
Rolling Dog Toy
Posted on 4/5/17 at 10:15 pm to DownSouthJukin
Thank for the suggestions 
we're always looking for new toys to give him
And from your earlier post, if he were a shelter dog like yours then I wouldn't be so weirded out since shelter dogs so often have some kind of emotional baggage. But we've had this dog since he was 4 weeks old (his mother abandoned the litter). Never had any traumatic experiences, we've lived here since January, and besides moving 4 months ago there's been no recent changes for him.
The explanation of him being bored and being super into the game sounds plausible. But he really seems to be genuinely concerned about the lights, like he thinks they're some type of threat. About 30 minutes ago my gf came into a dark room and when the light from her cell phone hit the wall he growled at it. That's a new development.
we're always looking for new toys to give him And from your earlier post, if he were a shelter dog like yours then I wouldn't be so weirded out since shelter dogs so often have some kind of emotional baggage. But we've had this dog since he was 4 weeks old (his mother abandoned the litter). Never had any traumatic experiences, we've lived here since January, and besides moving 4 months ago there's been no recent changes for him.
The explanation of him being bored and being super into the game sounds plausible. But he really seems to be genuinely concerned about the lights, like he thinks they're some type of threat. About 30 minutes ago my gf came into a dark room and when the light from her cell phone hit the wall he growled at it. That's a new development.
This post was edited on 4/5/17 at 10:16 pm
Posted on 4/5/17 at 10:33 pm to BowlJackson
Yeah-she definitely has some issues, but she's as sweet as can be. I can see your concern since he's been a lifelong pet. But like the poster above said-he may just be fixated...
And how much ganja smoke did you blow up his snout before the last game of light tag when he tweaked out and from which he hasn't yet recovered?
Disclaimer: the rolling toy may be rough on baseboards.
And how much ganja smoke did you blow up his snout before the last game of light tag when he tweaked out and from which he hasn't yet recovered?
Disclaimer: the rolling toy may be rough on baseboards.
This post was edited on 4/5/17 at 10:35 pm
Posted on 4/5/17 at 10:49 pm to DownSouthJukin
quote:
But every year, when the spring sun brings warmth to the piney woods of south Mississippi, and the ceiling fans begin to push air through my home
I don't have any actual advice just wanted to say this is eloquent
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