My dog is driving me crazy!

She is about a year old, but we've only had her about 4 months, she was a stray before that. She is also deaf which is what has left me at a loss about what to do in this situation.

Just within the past few days she has become obsessed with shadows. She will chase them back and forth across the wall, and I can hardly watch TV or use my computer without all the lights on because it drives her crazy. It may not seem like a big deal, but she has begun to dig after the shadows. My walls are all scratched up, and she digs in my couch for them.

I have tried distracting her with a ball, and she will play with my other dog until they make a shadow on the wall that she has to chase.


We previously used a shock collar to get her to stop bad behaviors, but it does not seem to have any effect on this situation.

She has always been obsessed with lights and reflections, and has a ball with a laser pointer, but chasing the shadows is a new thing.

There also have not been any major changes in her schedule or living situation. I do have a friend staying at my apartment though, so I moved her cage from the spare bedroom out into the hallway. I don't know if this makes a difference? Also, she broke her foot about 2 weeks ago and got the cast off on Wednesday this week, and that is about when she started chasing the shadows. I'm not sure what kind of connection that may have, or if its just a coincidence?

Please help me! I'm going crazy!

I don't see any obvious fix aside from leaving the lights on. Remain calm and don't try to console her. If she is afraid of them, that will make it worse. You could try going up to the shadows and patting them. I guess the usual talking to them wouldn't do much good in her case.

Hi there
My dog is doing the same thing and has been for months now. Ive tried loads of things and none of them work.
Extreme exercise. I made him run 6miles to see if that would calm him down and no..
He is fine when its just me in the house, but when other people come in, that's it. He goes over to the wall. Watches for shadows, starts licking the wall. He goes into this tense state of fear. And obsseses over one part of the wall
Im at the end of my tether with him too. He's driving me insane.

Someone out there please can you give me some advice of how to stop this

I have heard about this crazy obsession before. It is usually with terriers. Nicola, I don't know if you are using the laser lights or something like that as Jenie is, but Jenie, you need to stop the laser lights. Laser lights are good for play with cats. I find they aren't a great toy to use with dogs. They can't catch the light and it is completely frustrating to some dogs. They need to "win" with games. Winning is a big part of confidence building in a dog. Building a dog's confidence helps to extinguish a lot of the negative behavior we see. So, the laser light and not being able to grab onto moving light is what has created this obsession to chase shadows. Nicola, I am surprised that the exercise doesn't help. Exercise is key to keeping a dog's mind balanced. Usually the best thing to do is to completely redirect their attention to something else when they start chasing shadows. If they aren't already trained to do so, start teaching these dogs to fetch and tire them out with that. That is a game that helps refocus them onto something solid and is a much more positive outlet that they can are able to put their mouths around. Don't rely on the dogs to tire each other out and keep each occupied. You need to be interacting with them and spend time playing with them. Just as an FYI, I don't like shock collars. At all. If there is a negative behavior ocurring, there is a way to train them away from it. If one technique doesn't work, you keep trying until you find the right one for your dog. If you need to search out trainers in your area to help you accomplish this, if you need to go through 4 or 5 trainers to help you accomplish this, then that is what you do. Any trainer that tells you a shock collar is necessary, isn't as good as he/she claims she is.

I just want to say that the laser lights should never used for any animal dogs or cats. The only one that gets amusement from them are the people using them. I believe that they cause anxiety and frustrations for animals long after they are put away. I can't imagine what problems they cause in animals when people use them long term.

Good to hear from a cat lover on this issue bushg. I have never used them with cats and I know someone who does that doesn't have any problems. Then again, she uses plenty of other toys to play with the cats. I have seen how some dogs react to them, and if some cats react the same way, I am in complete agreement with you.

Hi ruby.
I will try some of the techniques you have given me.
My poor dog. He is so frustated by the shadows. He is a border collie and there minds are so active. I don't use lasers and I have never thought of ever using a shock collar. I have been told by a friend to put some stones in a plastic bottle and shake it when he goes near the wall. Im a bit worried about doing this as he is so sensitive to noise as it is. What do you think. Is it a good idea.

Border collies are tough nicola. They are such wonderful dogs but don't do well as a family pet. They are a working breed and need a job. I know how easily frustrating it can get because you give them a lot of exercise and it still isn't enough. I wouldn't do the stones in a bottle. I know some trainers still use it but I believe it creates a more unbalanced dog. They can see that the bottle is "attached" to you because you are holding it. So, you are far more likely instilling a fear of you in the dog than training it to stay away from shadows. Do you have any doggy daycares or a rescue facility that has a training center in it, nearby? I would suggest you look into agility training. Border collies do amazingly well with that. It will keep him focused, tire him out, and will create a great bonding opportunity for the two of you.

*edit* if you have a decent sized back yard, you can create your own agility course, once you see what it consists of and how to train him on one.

Hi ruby.
Unfortunately I live in the orkney islands which is in the north of scotland and there is no where up here that does agility training as I have looked into it. There are dog training classes. But apart from the shadow thing he is a really good dog. He does what he is told and he is really easy to be trained. But I can't seem to stop this shadow thing and the anxiety that surrounds him when there is people in the house.
Im going to have to look into the agility thing again. I think I might speak to my vet. I know he would be amazing at agility because he is so eager to learn.
I have not had him castrated. Do you think that this should be done. My husband does not want him to be castrated. But I have heard that this might calm down dogs. Is this true

Neutering (castration) is not a cure all for negative behavior, but it has been known to help in many cases. If nothing else, if you neuter him you won't have to worry about him developing testicular cancer later in life.

Are you near any farms? If so, I would think that there are farmers who have trained their own dogs to herd their sheep or cattle. If you know of, or are friendly with any of them, maybe you can work out a deal. Have them train your dog to herd for them and, during the day on your way to work, you can drop him off to help the farmer, and pick him up on your way home. It is kind of a stretch, but I am trying to think of something that will help satisfy his urge to work and tire him out enough at the end of the day so that he will cease his obsessing over shadows. He needs something that will engage his mind in a positive way. If you leave him alone most of the day because you are working, this may be the reason he is exhibiting this strange behavior. He might be trying to "herd" the shadows.

Hi "Jenielynn121",

I have gone through all the postings and would like to ask you, if you have been able to solve the issue of your dog with chasing shadows and reflections.

We just rescued a month ago an 8 year old white boxer which is deaf too.
She has exactly the same issue as your dog. It is at a point that it gets dangerous and
She could easily hurt herself. She is going crazy with reflections, laser, lights and shadows.

We are exercising, training and "working" her on a daily basis.

I would higly appreciate any advice based on your experience to resolve this issue.

THANK YOU.

I actually just saw a television program on this very thing starring top dog trainer Victoria Stillwell (the program is called "Its Me or the Dog" and plays on Animal Planet). The shadow/light/reflection obsession is actually a form of obsession disorder (similar to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in humans). Many dogs are entertained by shadows, etc. but when they begin to salivate or chew excessively at the forms on the wall it becomes an obsession. Many dog breeds are actually prone to this disorder, having especially fine tuned hunting senses meant to pick up on shadows, etc.

The trainer in the program used a buzz word to interrupt the obsessive behavior. Victoria set up a situation in which the dog would be exposed to the shadows and would call out "Enough!" in an attention getting tone (not negative or positive in nature), clap her hands, and walk from the room (everyone else in the room would need to leave as well). She repeated this exercise repeatedly until the dog followed her out of the room. The idea was that any attention, positive or negative, would reinforce the behavior. Praise was given when the dog began to follow her out. This all worked very well with the Irish Setter on the program who was so obsessive that he would actually fall into a trance and crave the reflections and shadows -- it had all become a ritual (much like handwashing for people who suffer from OCD).

The dog also responded to light reflections caused by cookingware. The owners were made to walk in front of the reflection and the dog when he seemed to be focused on the reflection. The owner would simultaneously call out the buzz word, "Enough!" If a dog has a form of obsessive disorder, they may begin to transfer their obsession if they cannot seek out their normal obsessions. It is important to stop these obsessions as well with the same buzz word and a reclamation of the object or body block. The dog on the program began to see amazing results within two weeks.

I hope this helps. The show is really an amazing one and Vistoria Stillwell is very, very knowledgeable.

Thank you for your feedback.
We will try it but need to modify the procedure somehow...
... because the challenge is that she (our dog) is deaf, which makes the situation even
More difficult.