The Following Question Is From Alana...

Posted by jennifer on October 17, 2007 in Training & Behavior Tips.

QUESTION:

Is it possible for dogs to have OCD. If I take my little dog to work with me for 3 days in a row and then I don't take her the next day she gets really sad. I mean sad sad, she starts shaking like she is cold with her ears back and pouts. So I wait for a week and then take her one day and leave her home the next and she is just fine. Maybe that is a bad example.

My friend Kim stayed with me for a week doing minor repairs on my home. Surcie (my little dog) spent every minute with Kim. When I would get ready for bed, Surcie would want to sleep with Kim. When I told her to get in her bed, she walked past me slowly and did a low growl. It was amusing at first because she had never done that to me.....not even to a stranger. She loves everybody. Well, when Kim left Surcie became very ill. She was throwing up and had uncontrollable accidents 5-6 times a day. When I took her to the vet the vet decided after many questions that Surcie was love sick. uggghhh. So I have determined that anything in repetition is not good for her mentally. Is that strange? Am I doing the right thing by limiting her constant intake of things.

Alana

ANSWER:

Hi Alana-
THere is such a thing as obsessive compulsive disorder in dogs but it usually comes in the form of tail chasing, light or shadow chasing, etc. not from being "love sick". Your dog is experiencing some seperation anxiety. Dog's are naturally pack animals so if you bring her to work for three days and she expects that, the day you say she can't go- she'll be upset. Any change in your environment when new people come to stay that she forms an attachment to can also cause a depression when that person leaves. The good news is that you can help her with this into becoming much more at peace away from people. You have to establish yourself as the pack leader first and from here, everything is a piece of cake. The less in control you are in your everyday life with your dog, the more out of control and confused Surcie will feel. It's almost as if they take a big sigh of relief when you actually control different parts of her life. This starts with rules, exercise, and leadership.
After this is done, you can actually set up mock scenarios with friends or family members. THe idea is that Surcie developes an attachment, that person leaves but then comes back over and over and over again. Eventually, you will increase the time before the friend returns. The idea is that Scurcie learns that friends don't leave forever and they will be back :-) Hope that helps and best of luck!

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