Should I allow her to spin?

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

We still have Gypsy from the swafford raid and she is improving able to move forward and her anxiety circles are much bigger. Oringinally I coulndt figure out how she stayed up there were so small and fast.

 

I've begun walking her off the property and I've taken her for car rides when the weather allows.

 

My question is do i allow her to spin around me while we are walking? They are big cirlces and they arent problematic but, they are still her comfort circles. When cars came I put her in a stay. She was doing well with that but, she would make the big circles around me every once in a while while we were moving forward up the road.

 

What would you do?

[NCStarkey]

Hi Sheryl,

 

I currently have a dog that had been through many hands before coming here. From some of the behaviors she exhibits, I would imagine that she has spent a good bit of time kenneled. Whenever she is anxious or excited, she will walk in circles that vary in size from two feet to ten feet in diameter. To say that I am not fond of her circling behavior would be the understatement of the year, so I have worked hard trying to manage, and hopefully, eliminate (edited to add " or replace") this behavior. I have had this dog for almost a year, and with considerable effort and consistency, there has been a dramatic decrease in the incidence of her circling.

 

You mentioned that Gypsy walks in circles around you when you are on a walk, and my dog would do the same thing. I wanted to correct the behavior without increasing her anxiety level, so when she circles me, I would calmly walk to the side she was heading to block her path (if she was walking counter-clockwise, I would step to my left, and vice-versa) . I found that by simply interrupting her circle, the pattern was broken. After I had stepped in front of her (thus blocking her circle), she would look up at me rather confused, which then gave me the opportunity to ask her to walk beside me (replacing the circling behavior with a better behavior). If she would resume circling, I would again block her, and perhaps give her a mild admonishment, as well. This worked very well for this dog, and I truly can't recall the last time that she has circled me when on a walk. Perhaps this would work for your dog, too.

 

Regards,

nancy

[juliepoudrier]

Nancy,

Any thoughts on ways to take a similar approach to a dog who spins when excited, but not always near enough to me for me to take any blocking action?

 

J.

[NCStarkey]

Hi Julie,

 

Oh, golly...to tell you the truth, I think that I just got lucky figuring out what to do to end my dog's "circling on a walk" behavior! The dog I am referring to also circles when she is anxious or excited, which means that it happens when I am preparing the dogs' dinner or when we are getting ready to go to the farm. Blocking her movement in these circumstances isn't feasible, so I just ask her to lie down instead of circle. I think that replacing the anxiety produced behavior with a static behavior breaks the pattern, especially when the former behavior was self-gratifying. Is that any help?

 

Regards,

nancy

[2 Devils]

I also would not let the circling but wouldn't be mean about it. She just needs interrupted.

 

Julie - have you thought about a regular whistle than you can blow to just get the attention of the dog and maybe stop the spins so you can then distract with something more appropriate... not real sure what would work but just a thought.

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

Amazing but, after almost 1 year Gypsy found her family. I guess she was ready and the work I'd been doing paid off with her. The woman has alot of training experience and is letting her work out her kinks but, gypsy genuinely liked them and came up to them offering affection.

 

I guess it was meant to be.

[NCStarkey]

Hi Sheryl,

 

Amazing but, after almost 1 year Gypsy found her family. I guess she was ready and the work I'd been doing paid off with her. The woman has alot of training experience and is letting her work out her kinks but, gypsy genuinely liked them and came up to them offering affection.

 

I guess it was meant to be.

 

Congratulations to you and best wishes to Gypsy on her new family! I operated a Border Collie Rescue organization for fifteen years, and I fully agree with you that "it was meant to be". I have always said that fate plays a huge part in the placement of these wonderful dogs.

 

Regards,

nancy

[aljones]

Congratulations to Gypsy! I still remember the first time I met her, at BGWCHS, and I am so glad she came to Friends of Pep for the care she needed and deserved!

 

I just looked up the thread I posted last September so I could see Gypsy's picture again, and here it is, for anyone else interested. (Gypsy is in my first post.)