Dog Trainer Sydenham – OCD Behaviours
OCD in dogs is a real thing. Lately I’ve met many rescue dogs suffering from this condition. But what is it exactly? Advice from dog trainer in Sydenham.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a potentially disabling psychiatric condition where obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions take over a person’s life.
Canine Compulsive Disorder (CCD) is very similar to human OCD. Dogs are also compelled to perform repetitive behaviours which eventually take over their lives. For example just last week I met a few dogs with obsessive behaviours such as chasing shadows and herding other dogs.
CCD can be triggered by anxiety, frustration and stress but genetics also play a part. It’s more common with high energy working dogs.
Canine Compulsive Disorder Examples:
- Obsessive Licking of objects, people, themselves
- Spinning & Tail Chasing
- Blanket Sucking
- Fly or Air Snapping
- Light or Shadow Chasing
CCD can develop in dogs when their basic or breed specific needs are not met.
CCD is a dog’s way of coping in situations where they don’t get enough mental or physical stimulation. Dogs find other ways to cope by indulging in repetitive actions such as , chasing shadows, pacing, spinning and licking. The more these dogs indulge in these behaviours, the more ingrained the behaviours become until they simply cannot stop.
These kind of repetitive/displacement actions are self-soothing at first.
But when they take over a dog’s life, they start causing extreme stress. CCD has been linked to seizure disorders and abnormal brain function, which is why it might require medical intervention.
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