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Is my

Linda

Well-known member
Darby the only nutty Cavalier on this board, please tell me it isn't so.
h*lp
Last night, we were sitting watching the hockey game (Yes the Leafs won)
Yipeeeeeeee. Anyway the breaker went and we had to get out the flashlight to re-set the breaker, well Mr Darby went absolutely nuts. icon_nwunsure

I have had him chase a laser light before and careful not to shine it in his eyes. He was looking for that darn flashlight all night. :lpy:

Barking at anything that had a similar shape, this morning when I went down to start the mountains of laundry yes mountains. He was going nuts trying to get his shadow it was so funny. Now I am afraid to bring out the flashlight again. :rotfl:

Anybody, please say yes even if it is not so. :yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes
 
I can't remember why, but I remember someone else who played light chasing with their dog, being warned that it was not a good idea.

I had a couple of nutcases the other day:

Joly was sitting to one side of a crate, holding Izzy's floppy dog (the one in the avatar) in his mouth and growling...

at Teddy, who isn't a bit interested in fluffy toys and was on the other side of the crate, growling...

at Joly, who isn't a bit interested big chews, because he couldn't get into the crate and remove the chew to a place of safety.

Talk about wasting breath.
 
Jake gets light obsessed! I can't shine a flashlight and even the sun winking off my jewelry will set him off. And he will wake up the next morning and look for it!
 
Aww Darby are you getting yourself into mischief again!? :badgrin: What a funny little guy.. I am sure you can't wait to teach Kosmo all of your new naughty little tricks! (as if he can wait to learn! icon_whistling )

I don't know if KOsmo reacts to flashlights or not. I don't think so because when the power went out he was in my arms and I was using a flashlight and he didn't bark.. never tried teasing him with one though.. helikes to find interesting things to bark at.. like the stupid door stopper.. :sl*p: :sl*p: :sl*p:
 
Please don't encourage this behavior. It is definitely considered signs of obsessiveness, and if frequently "egged on" he may develop more obsessive tendencies, which wouldn't be healthy.

I had a cav that chased flashlight beams. We thought it was a hoot. Then we noticed that he would chase any light or flicker. Then he would try to catch his own shadow. We didn't try to stop him as he seemed to enjoy the game. I honestly believe that his obsessive behavior and tendencies had a lot to do with his death by bloat. The research that I've done supports my theory.

The next time you notice this behavior, I suggest that you stop it by distracting him any way possible; anything to get him focused on something else. Maybe you could do a few minute training session to review the command he already knows (sit, stay, down, come, whatever!), or take him for a short walk, play a game of fetch, etc. Just re-focusing him will help eliminate the behavior.
 
trust me ..your Darby aint the only nutty cavvy!! i dont think ive met dogs nuttier than my two.!! i dont think they have had any experience with the flashlight but they are definitely plain crazy! :roll:

i bet if they were human they'd be the type that were never serious about ANYTHING!..and who would just want to have fun fun fun!!!! thats good in some ways but trust me .it tires you out!
 
Mine both like to chase a torch light but I try to hide it when I bring it out of the cupboard otherwise they do go nuts. The older one, Lottie, is a bit more obsessed and chases shadows (although this has improved slightly after our house move) and there are times at dinnertime when she is just jumping up the walls as the light catches my knife or fork!!!! :shock:
Julie and the girls
 
Ozzy's a nutter and Woody is a close second... anything from running up and down the through lounge, jumping on and off the sofa, and then running up and down the hallway, Ozzy chases reflections sometimes also.....
 
Maxx's latest obsession since we got a flat screen tv is to bark at animals on the screen then look out the patio doors for them. If you open the doors he will go running round the garden, nose down, sniffing and looking for them :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It's absolutely hilarious to watch :lol:
 
LOL donna that reminds me.. the other night the APL Animal Cops detroit came on and there was this dog that was rescued and was put into the pound until it could be evaluated to be rehomed. Whenever they would come on screen, Kos would RUN up to the TV, bark like a mad man, and jump around actually pawing at the dogs.. he wanted to play.. :roll: :roll:
 
Please don't encourage this behavior. It is definitely considered signs of obsessiveness, and if frequently "egged on" he may develop more obsessive tendencies, which wouldn't be healthy.

I had a cav that chased flashlight beams. We thought it was a hoot. Then we noticed that he would chase any light or flicker. Then he would try to catch his own shadow. We didn't try to stop him as he seemed to enjoy the game. I honestly believe that his obsessive behavior and tendencies had a lot to do with his death by bloat. The research that I've done supports my theory.

The next time you notice this behavior, I suggest that you stop it by distracting him any way possible; anything to get him focused on something else. Maybe you could do a few minute training session to review the command he already knows (sit, stay, down, come, whatever!), or take him for a short walk, play a game of fetch, etc. Just re-focusing him will help eliminate the behavior.
_________________
Mickey


Just for your own information, I do not instill obsessive behaviour in my dogs and if this is the message you got from my post then you should re-read it. I said Darby has chased a light laser in the past, I did not state that we he still does this I also stated that our power went out and he was going crazy over the flashlight.

This is not something I do with him on a regular basis.
I believe you are reading more into it than what I wrote.

I was trying to make my post a little funny, not on such a serious note.

Thanks to those of you who saw the humour in it. :D :D :D
 
I obviously offended you and for that I am sorry. That was certainly not my intention.

You asked about certain behavior that I recognized from one of my own dogs. I shared my personal, and painful, experience. We too, saw humor in our Bailey's funny antics. And what my family and I did may have inadvertently made things worse and lead to increasing obsessive behavior.

I have done a lot of research about the bizarre circumstances of Bailey's death at age two. Learning that all of his funny little antics added up to a problem that I didn't recognize, act upon, and actually may have made worse is something that I have to live with.

In my post, I shared what I'd learned about the behavior, my personal and tragic experience, and recommendations on decreasing early signs of obsessive behavior. I did not think or write that you "instilled" this behavior in Darby. Please re-read my post.

My post was only an attempt to spare others from from Bailey's fate and my feelings of guilt.
 
Mickey

I am deeply sorry for the loss of your beloved Bailey, I may of misunderstood your post. I am also sorry if I offended you in any way at all, in all the past few days have not been good for me at all. :(


I do know that Darby is obessesed with certain things such as the hose when I am cleaning the patio or watering the grass, I re-direct him when this happens. I appreciate your advice and will do my best not to bring the flashlight out unless absolutely necessary such as Saturday.

I would never of dreamed that such behaviour could cause death in an animal. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and once again my condolences to you. :hug:

My older Cavalier Dudley who is almost 3 is completely different from Darby, he is much more Regal and relaxed.
 
Linda:

No harm; no foul. :flwr: That's one of the problems of communicating on the internet; much of the meaning of our messages are conveyed not only by our words, but also by our tone, facial expressions and gestures - which doesn't transmit well in the written form. Perhaps that's why my post could be viewed as accusatory, which was not my intention, but nonetheless how it came across.

It sounds like you had the "smarts" to discourage Darby's tendencies from the start. I wish I was as insightful with Bailey, but hindsight is 20/20, as they say. I also think that Dudley will act as a good role model for Darby, and a distraction at times, too. Now that I have two, I am fascinated by watching how they interact with each other compared to interacting with the "fur-less" family members. They are such lovable little creatures!
 
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