Another Answer From the Expert
I had done a post on shadow chasing a while back, and I decided to submit one of the comments to the expert to gain some, well, expertise..so here it is
The Question:
My dog, Cali, is a year and a half and she has had a fixation with shadows for some time now. She gets regular exercise every day, I run with her at least 3 miles, rollerblade, bike with her and if not that she runs around the dog park for at least an hour, usually more, anyway, you get the picture. I have been to a beginner dog training class, I have done hours of web research and her shadow fixation has not seemed to get any better. Once she fixates on a shadow she acts as if nothing else exists, she ignores me, dogs, toys, or anything for that matter. I read one of Cesar Milan’s books and there was one dog that seemed to have a similar problem, his diagnosis was that the dog was insecure. This dog was always being dominated by other dogs so, to him, shadows were an opportunity for him to dominate something, it was a sure thing and so he began to fixate on them. Cesar would tug on his leash in a way that would not hurt the dog but just lightly remove him from the shadow and after some repetition the dog stopped going after the shadows. I have tried this with Cali and she still has not stopped. I have tried to distract her with toys which does not really help. So far the best thing that I have found to control her fixation is to use treats as positive reinforcement for her “come here” command. As her response to the command gets stronger with the treat rewards I can control her fixation on shadows by allowing her to willingly remove herself from the situation and focus on me. It takes ALOT of repetition and patience on my part and on her part. I still continue with other methods of distracting her with toys and tugging on her leash but the “come here” command has the best affect so far.
The Answer:
Dear Worried Dog Owner,
I am impressed by your love and dedication to Cali. You are actively implementing methods to reduce her energy level and to create a state of balanced energy. I see that you encourage Cali to exercise at a level that is safe for her age and fitness level. You have created a wonderful leadership foundation.
Dogs that have an obsession with chasing shadows, as you have found are so mesmerized by their addiction that nothing can redirect their attention. You have written that food seems to be the one thing that will redirect Cali away from shadows.
In this case, I would recommend that you use food that Cali finds impossible to resist. For some dogs this could be cheese, chicken breast or even Cheese-Whiz from a can. Other dogs have a sweet tooth. I knew of one dog that would ignore every type of training treat except marshmallows!
The first step is to create a list of food treats that your dog loves-and yes you can use human food. Rank your dog’s treat preferences from one to ten and create what I call “Doggie Trail Mix”, a delightful mixture of irresistible treats that you can pull out to reward your dog for ignoring the shadow.
When you begin a training exercise to teach your dog to turn away from a shadow, make sure that Cali is very, very hungry as this will make your “Doggie Trail Mix” even more desirable.
Create an opportunity for the shadow to appear and use the leash tugging technique to physically redirect her away from the shadow. When she turns, make the turn (even if it is just her nose) and reward her lavishly with treats. Since the shadow chasing behavior is so strong you may have to give her a ‘jackpot’.
A jackpot is a big handful of treats that is presented with the dog when it responds to your request. The jackpot, if it is used sparingly, will increase your dog’s desire to turn toward you instead of the shadow. The best way to use the jackpot is in a random pattern. Perhaps six tiny pieces of food and then one jackpot. You always want to mix it up so that Cali never knows when a jackpot will happen.
Try the ‘jackpot’ technique along with the leash guidance for two weeks and write back and let me know if this tip increases your success in reducing Cali’s obsession.
Wags and Wiggles,
July 11th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
I need to try something like this with Ace because he is so fixated on tennis balls. I encourage it by playing fetch with him because it’s an easy way to tire him out. The only thing I can do is put the ball away when we’re done playing or he will not stop bringing it to me.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:16 am
I have heard of this before and for some reason shadows are a completely different type mechanism of fixation than balls or other obsessive items. Apollo is very ball fixated too and will bring them and beg to have me throw them getting more and more worked up. Speaking of which we will be going to the park to chase balls in a few hours. Wish you and Stranger could come
August 3rd, 2008 at 6:07 am
Brilliant!