help?

[lyounce]

i'm pretty new here, i'm not sure how too work this site but i'm catching on lol.. i dont know where i should ask this question but i'm sure someone will see and respond, i got my babygirl bella about 2 months ago, she's now 9 months old weighing 3.5 pounds, she has gained weight sense i got her trying too get her too a healthy weight.. but i was told that she was stuck in a kennel for the first 7 months of her life and when they rescued her, her hair was matted and wasnt well took care of, i've had her hair cut and i take good care of her now, but she has a problem where she constantly walks, and runs in circles.. especially when i walk in the room and she gets excited.. the woman i got her from said the vet told her she was fine and it was just because she was in a kennel for so long.. i have had her too the vet, she is up too date on her shots and healthy but i really dont know how too break her from these circles she does.. when anyone else approaches her she just acts unsure and runs in circles.. sometimes when i'm laying in bed and shes running around she will just walk in big circles, but most of the time its just circles always in one direction, counter clockwise, if anyone knows of something i can do or maybe she has something wrong a vet hasnt thought of or noticed please let me know.

[nanahas3]

This is so sad . I have heard of this being called cage crazy. It is because of being confined her entire life. Hopefully with time she will come out of it. Bless you for rescuing her.

[crazydoglade]

My Lacey was in a puppy mill for her entire life. She's now 3-4 years old and does the same thing. Distraction works well with her, especially if its chips (yes I know its not good for her) or cheese. Give her time. My trainer saus that a habit usually takes twice as long to unlearn as to learn. Good luck.

[chachi]

Its most likely from living in cages but you should also have a vet check it out because there are neurological disorders that cause the walking in circles

[yorkietalkjilly]

It's an OCD type behavior that dogs can develop as a displacement activity when stressed or unsure and don't know what to do with themselves, kind of like when we tap a pencil over and over on a desk or chew our nails or swing our foot. Nervous habit.

This little dog will benefit unbelievably by work, lots of good, patient obedience training to give her a sense of accomplishment, impulse control and self-confidence. She learn to look to you as her team leader or pack leader during this training and grow to love the mental challenge of working to learn new tasks and games and commands.

The very best way to help a troubled dog of any kind is to get it vetted and healthy, feed it nutritious food, begin housebreaking training and then give it a challenging and very active life working and learning many things and how to live as a pet. Your love and patience will be called on continually but the dog will repay you 1 million times over. Simple, basic obedience simply works wonders for problem dogs, as does buying interactive, challenging toys for them to eat meals from and giving them lots of physical activity. All of these things working together will help your dog not feel the stress that has caused this habit.

Once you are training your dog in obedience, one of the things you will teach her is "No", "Enough" or "Leave it", all commands that you can then use to help your dog stop the circling once she relapses into it at times of excitement or stress. Redirecting her by taking her outside or giving her a kong toy filled with kibble treats to play with can distract her when she starts circling, as can a walk outside but overall, the whole training and activity program will just help remove the stress and lack of confidence or fear that causes this OCD, displacement type activity as she grows to love and trust you and enjoy her life in a whole new, wonderful way.

Thank you for giving her a new start.

[MyGirlSasha]

Poor baby. I'm so happy she has a new start. Thank you for giving her that

[luvlee]

She's still a baby and she is finally out of the cage and you're her new mommy. Very very stressful and she's still adjusting to her new life. Maybe one of those anti-anxiety wraps might help? Dogs are very resilient and can un-learn behaviors/habits. Have patience with her. Ask for advice here and from your vet. With your help, she can overcome this. Good luck. Tracey

[MandiesMom]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

It's an OCD type behavior that dogs can develop as a displacement activity when stressed or unsure and don't know what to do with themselves, kind of like when we tap a pencil over and over on a desk or chew our nails or swing our foot. Nervous habit.

This little dog will benefit unbelievably by work, lots of good, patient obedience training to give her a sense of accomplishment, impulse control and self-confidence. She learn to look to you as her team leader or pack leader during this training and grow to love the mental challenge of working to learn new tasks and games and commands.

The very best way to help a troubled dog of any kind is to get it vetted and healthy, feed it nutritious food, begin housebreaking training and then give it a challenging and very active life working and learning many things and how to live as a pet. Your love and patience will be called on continually but the dog will repay you 1 million times over. Simple, basic obedience simply works wonders for problem dogs, as does buying interactive, challenging toys for them to eat meals from and giving them lots of physical activity. All of these things working together will help your dog not feel the stress that has caused this habit.

Once you are training your dog in obedience, one of the things you will teach her is "No", "Enough" or "Leave it", all commands that you can then use to help your dog stop the circling once she relapses into it at times of excitement or stress. Redirecting her by taking her outside or giving her a kong toy filled with kibble treats to play with can distract her when she starts circling, as can a walk outside but overall, the whole training and activity program will just help remove the stress and lack of confidence or fear that causes this OCD, displacement type activity as she grows to love and trust you and enjoy her life in a whole new, wonderful way.

Thank you for giving her a new start.

All the replies are dead-on. It's anxiety driven based on being caged for so long. Read what Jeanie wrote ^ carefully and a few times. Maybe even print it out. She is very well versed on dog behaviors and the like. Take what she wrote to heart and give it a try.

Bless you for taking care of this baby now. She will grow and thrive under your loving care.

[lyounce]

thanks guys, i'm working with her and i'll take everything you all have said and use while i try my best too break her from this habbit, it is pretty pitiful that someone would just leave her in a kennel like that for so long but she has a good home now, and we're learning the basis rules and commands while we housetrain also, (she's stubborn!) but we'll get there at sometime!

[marlenemaria]

Bless you for taking her into your heart and home.

I'm not an expert but seems what everyone has posted makes sense... I can't imagine these precious little things in a cage 24/7, so sad

I'm sure with time she will feel safe and find other ways to soothe her nerves and excitement

[yorkietalkjilly]

Also it will help her if you let her approach you for the next few weeks until she really gets to know you. Try not to call her to you too much - you can teach her the reliable recall later. For now, just allow her to do the approaching and seeking you out - act like the pack leader and don't seek her out. It will empower her and make her feel she doesn't have to defer so much to you while she's exploring and coming to trust in you. That circling is fear and insecurity and she probably increases it when she's having to or wanting to get near you or other people just out of worry of what might happen during that encounter.

Keep training her and teaching her the rewards of learning and impulse control and once she begins to know what to do and then do it, senses she's accomplished some big things from your responses, she will gain much-needed confidence and along with it usually comes a calmer dog. Over time, obedience training and some challenging games where she wins treats and things can re-make a problem dog into a much calmer, happier and settled dog.