Our dogs can also show the typical symptoms of a compulsive disorder. Being able to recognize them is the first step toward addressing and overcoming the problem.
Especially recently, we have often heard people talk about behavioral experts for dogs and cats. Thanks to the extensive media coverage provided by television, newspapers, and online information, behavioral problems in animals are no longer a little-known or rarely discussed topic.
Until a few years ago, in fact, one of the main reasons animals were abandoned was precisely their dog’s or cat’s inappropriate and inconvenient behavior.
Did the dog bark incessantly, terrify passersby, or do its “business” around the house? The solution was almost always to “get rid of it”.
Today, however, all owners—even those most desperate because of their animal’s behavior—have the opportunity to correct certain character and psychological traits in their dog, thanks to the help of dog trainers and behaviorists.
What are compulsive disorders?
Among the topics most frequently discussed with these professionals are behaviors that could be compared to obsessive-compulsive disorders in humans, known as OCD.
In both cases, these are frequent and repeated behaviors carried out whenever the subject is stressed, bored, frustrated, or experiencing any negative emotion.
These actions are particularly recognizable because they are performed several times throughout the day, until the person or animal can no longer do without them.
Essentially, all intense and unwanted emotions are discharged onto the body, which can do nothing but perform standard, repetitive actions that therefore represent an emotional outlet.
The only difference between humans and animals is that in humans we also speak of obsession, an aspect that is absent in dogs and cats. Obsession is a constant, fixed, persistent thought that appears suddenly, then triggering the need to engage in compulsive behavior.
For example, if a person with OCD constantly feared becoming infected, they would express this obsessive thought through the compulsion to avoid touching anything with their hands, out of fear of germs. Only by carrying out this behavior can the tension generated by the obsession be relieved.
While in humans it is possible to understand what the obsessive thought or image is, this cannot be verified in animals because we cannot enter their minds.
In any case, both in humans and animals, the compulsive behavior remains; it is therefore nothing more than the external manifestation of a thought or image.
What are the main compulsive disorders in dogs?
The most representative example is certainly a dog chasing or biting its tail, but there can truly be many others.
Among the dog’s main compulsive disorders are:
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Dog that bites its tail;
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Dog that tries to catch reflections of light on the floor;
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Dog that licks window glass;
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Dog that ingests objects;
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Dog that runs away from imaginary dangers;
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Dog that licks or bites part of its body;
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Dog that attacks its own objects, such as its food bowl;
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Dog that barks constantly;
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Dog that cries, whines, or does so for no reason.
Some of these behaviors may sometimes be considered normal because they are nevertheless part of a dog’s normal behavior.
An action can be defined as compulsive when it is performed very frequently and with a certain urgency. A dog that is calm and relaxed on the sofa with its owner suddenly jumps up and feels the need to bite one of its legs.
Causes of behavioral disorders
Dogs may display compulsive behavior for many different reasons. Essentially, it is almost always discomfort or an internal conflict that the animal can neither understand nor resolve.
The main causes are:
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Boredom
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Stress
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Isolation
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Sedentary lifestyle
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Monotony
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Fear
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Anxiety
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Seeking attention
There also appears to be a genetic predisposition. According to some recent studies, dog compulsive disorders could be attributed to alterations affecting chromosome 7.
What to do
The help of a behaviorist is certainly essential in these cases.
Compulsive disorders, in fact, must be eliminated at the outset, before they become an integral part of the animal’s modus operandi. Over time, altered behavior tends to replace “normal” behavior.
The main advice for anyone living with a dog affected by behavioral problems is not to reinforce the “wrong” behavior.
The principle on which dog training is based is precisely positive reinforcement. If the dog does something we do not approve of, we tell it not to do it, then reward it with affection and treats when it behaves well.
If our dog is desperately biting its tail and, in an attempt to calm it, we pet it or pick it up, it will associate this action with something pleasant. Therefore, it will continue doing it.
The correct response to compulsive disorders, however, is to distract the dog from what it is doing with toys or a pleasant walk outdoors.