# Dog keeps spinning in circles all the time



## danielblackmore (May 29, 2012)

Hi, 

I have recently aquired a lovely 9 month old Springer Spaniel. 

He is completely untrained and has been living in a kennel all his life. 

Everything is going great apart from 1 thing, his spinning...

I am not talking about spinning just when excited, I mean he CONSTANTLY spins in circles, to the point it makes me dizzy looking at him. I know Springers are hyper and have a lot of energy

He goes on 2 walks a day (1 x 1-2 hour off leash run with a ball, and 1 30-1hr walk on leash)

I have had him checked over by a vet and all is fine and he is due to be booked in to get done next week. 

I am aware that the reason why he is spinning is probably because he wasnt excercised enough in the kennel and needed to burn energy and play with himself, but the main issue I have is with his training.

As he is completely untrained, I have started basic obedience with him but the spinning is causing some unwanted behaviour that is being re-enforced by the training. For an example, he is learning Sit, Down and stand as some basics, but before he does any command, he will spin aorund a few times first and then react to what I am teaching him. 

I have started taking him to obedience training but he is pretty good on the leash and doesnt spin.

I am currently training him off the leash inside my house and also over the park, would it be a good idea to keep him on the leash for his basic training to control the spinning at first? Or does anyone else have any ideas that could help?

Thank you in advanced


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

The more you exercise him the more he will want but I think he could do with more mental stimulation at the moment so get him sniffing out things, such as his food or do some exercises that working dogs would be expected to do - that should tire him out mentally then you may be able to concentrate on the sit, stay etc. 

Is he on kibble or raw?

Hopefully Springerpete will be along shortly and keep you right.


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## GermanShepardOwner (Aug 20, 2012)

Obsessive spinning in dogs is usually a compulsive disorder and is in response to stress, boredem or high arrousal. It usually starts off as a displacement behaviour and then turns into a compulsive obssesive disorder which i think yours has. 

You say hes been in kennels all his life, this is most likely why. Its a coping mechanism for him, a way of dealing with stress and bordem. 

It can be a very difficult issue to stop, its good you have had medical problems ruled out first. 

I would make sure he has enough enrichment such as toys, kongs (you can freeze them), treat balls, scatter feed etc. 

When he spins do something else, throw a ball, ask to do a sit, anythig to distract. 

Some small changes can make a big difference, feeding times, ways you train, different exercises. Have a look at the routine and see if there are any changes you can make. 

Unfortunately when it gets to the obssessive compulsive disorder it can be very hard to stop as it interfears with normal function, there are forms of medication which have been known to help. 

If it doesnt improve i would contact a behaviourist for help.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

danielblackmore said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have recently aquired a lovely 9 month old Springer Spaniel.
> 
> ...


Some dogs who live in kennels can get kennel stressed and this often shows itseft as odd compulsive behaviours, like pacing whining, literally bouncing off the walls or tail chasing and spinning. If he did it in the kennel in response to stress or boredom then it could have become an obsessive compulsive habit which he is still doing. The more he exhibits the behaviour and practices it the harder it will be to break the habit and compulsion if it is this.

Personally I would keep him on lead at the moment if it does stop the behaviour to give you time to gain trust and get a bond with him and let him settle to his home and routine as you have only just got him, the less he can do it the better.

Although he does need physical exercise, likely he needs something to keep him mentally occupied and stimulated too to take his focus away from the spinning. Chewing is a good destresser for dogs and should help. Also giving him some of his food in a classic Kong if on wet or a kong wobbler if on kibble should help, there is also a busy buddy twist and treat too that you can use for kibble or other things. Kong classics too can be filled with a variety of things to get and keep interest. There are also food puzzle bowls too you can put kibble in or treats.

Recipes - Kong

Wobbler Dog Toy | Dog food fillable toy for paced eating | Kong Co.

Busy Buddy Twist-n-Treat - YouTube

Buster DogMaze - YouTube

https://www.antlerdogchews.co.uk/easy-antler-dog-chew-large

If he is stressed then natural calmatives can sometimes also help and make them more receptive to training. Adaptil can help comes in diffuser form for the house, or a collar form or a spray that you can spray on your clothes or a bandana around his neck, although the collar and diffuser will deliver a continued effect better then a spray.

Adaptil helps dogs and puppys learn settle travel and in kennels

Zylkene that you give orally and is based on casein a protein found in milk has also had good effects and is quite safe.

Zylkene - Overview

Something like these could well help, you can get both from vets but they dont need a prescription and are usually cheaper on line.

With more mental stimulation to do instead of the tail chasing and something to calm him while he settling and re-adjusting it could well help the situation.


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## Buzzard (Aug 10, 2012)

Yes it sounds like this behaviour is an obsessive compulsive disorder brought on by the stress of being stuck in a kennel. Springers are prone to developing this behaviour. Mac our springador started to get obsessed with chasing shadows after we left him for a night with family when we went away. I think it was the stress of it. Try to divert the obsession to something else as soon as he starts. A tennis ball and a game with it, a kong, find it games, anything to break the cycle. Luckily for us we did this with Mac and it seems to have sorted it, although I suspect if he gets stressed again he may start the behaviour again. Good luck with it.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

You may well benefit from a consultation with a veterinary behaviourist who may prescribe medication in order to get the dog to be in a position to break the cycle and then give you specific behavioural modification techniques to follow.

Be VERY careful about redirecting a dog of this nature onto other items such as balls etc as you may replace ONE obsessive behaviour with another.


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## Bonsai (Jun 9, 2012)

Can i tag onto this for some advice myself....

Bonsai has started developing some obsessive behaviour, he has always loved birds watched them out the window then would run to the back door to try to be let out. Sometimes i did sometimes i didnt.

Now i dont even think its about the birds.....he is frantic...constantly running to the back door and if i do open it he is barking but it sounds like screaming its that frantic. Even at night and when we draw the curtains he does it. He fence runs, barks and barks comes back to the door when i open it he just barks and barks its like hes having some sort of attack or is in fear. I have tried training his fave treats games. Sometimes as soon as we stop for 1 sec he starts again and sometimes i cant even get him engaged!!!!

He gets 1.30mins walk a day but im going to up that to 2 hours to try and help, its distressing though last night he was panting frantically and i even moved him to the front of the house his heart was beating so fast i thought he was going to keel over, he was stiff his pupils dialated.

I have got him into the vets for wednesday as i want to check it isnt health related and get some advice, someone mentioned a DAP collar but im not sure if anyone has any experience of these working?

Last night the only way i got him to calm was by forcing him into the other room and took about an hour to calm him then got him to sit and eat a pigs trotter for a while, after that was gone he was better and settled more but kept getting up and whining and pacing, its really upset me


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

If and when the vet gives him the medical all clear then get a referral to a behaviourist, not one that you find yourself.

I am afraid with this level of behaviour phereomones are not designed to deal with.

I would also ask the vet to test for thyroid.

What age and breed is your dog and is he entire?


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## Bonsai (Jun 9, 2012)

He has just turned one he is an english springer spaniel and he has been neutered.

My husband doesnt think we need to go to the vet but i think you can never be too careful


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## GermanShepardOwner (Aug 20, 2012)

Bonsai said:


> Can i tag onto this for some advice myself....
> 
> Bonsai has started developing some obsessive behaviour, he has always loved birds watched them out the window then would run to the back door to try to be let out. Sometimes i did sometimes i didnt.
> 
> ...


Once checked by the vet for any medical issues i would then go to a behaviourist. This is difficult to talk about over the internet as this could be a number of things... its something which needs to be observed in person and worked on.

I wouldnt try anything yourself at the moment without a behaviourists assesment because you could make the behaviour worse with trying different methods.

But first things first definately get him checked by the vet to rule out medical problems.


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## IncaThePup (May 30, 2011)

I'm confused I thought cows milk was bad for dogs? 

"Zylkène is a novel product derived from cows milk that can help support dogs and cats through difficult times"


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Bonsai said:


> He has just turned one he is an english springer spaniel and he has been neutered.
> 
> My husband doesnt think we need to go to the vet but i think you can never be too careful


Behaviours such as this need nipping in the bud sooner rather than later before they become hardwired.

A behaviourist will also be able to give you other ideas to focus his mind such as scentwork etc.


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## Bonsai (Jun 9, 2012)

Thanks for all your advice, i have been recommended a behaviourist by the vet and she is due to visit on sunday to asses him

I will let you all know how it goes but from speaking to her she doesnt think it will be a huge problem to tackle and said it is quite common. She said she will know more when she sees him in his natural environment though.


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## lemmsy (May 12, 2008)

Dogs Chasing Their Tails Are Akin to Humans With OCD | Smart News


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