I have a deaf, wonderful Aussie mix, about 7 months old. He has one eye that works. I can see he is beginning to show some OCD-like behaviors, as in he is obsessed with shadows and would chase them constantly if I didn’t redirect his attention. My veterinarian loves him so much and has gone out of her way to work with me on different options with redirecting and training. I just want to make sure I am doing everything possible for this sweet little guy and was wondering if you had any other suggestions?
—Jessi H., Whitehall
Jessi, thanks for sharing your concerns for Doc. It sounds like he’s lucky to have such a dedicated owner given the challenges that surround his daily care.
Interestingly, his OCD-like behaviors don’t surprise me given his breed. As you may know, Aussies are high energy working dogs and generally require more than average levels of both physical and mental stimulation. I would also imagine that his physical impairments make it difficult to find ways to safely exert his energy and I speculate that this may be contributing to some of the unwanted behaviors that you are witnessing.
Given that he is probably not a candidate for some of the common activities used by Aussie owners to expend energy and mentally stimulate their dogs, like agility, frisbee or fly ball, I think mental stimulation is where you should try to focus with him. Things to consider include nose work or puzzle activities. I would also imagine that hiking and on-leash physical activity where you can guide him are other ways to help expend energy to help curb some of the unwanted behaviors that you are seeing.
Ask The Vet is a weekly series by Dr. Devon B. Smith, a Baltimore veterinarian who is an associate at Madonna Veterinary Clinic in White Hall. Send your pet questions or photos via the forms below.
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