Is My Sheltie Obsessive?

[Jejuna]

He paces around in a circle doing several laps at a time, several times a day. I was putting my daughter to bed earlier and he had jumped on the bed. As she grabbed her doona he got down to the floor and paced in a circle about 1 metre wide 6 or so times.

He also does this when we come home and we're struggling with groceries, bags & keys and trying to open the door. Just round & round & round while waiting for the door to open. It is always in an anti-clockwise direction.

Would anyone know why he is doing this & what I can do to minimise or stop this altogether? I'm hoping to stop any nuerosis(sp?) before it gets worse.

[Di*]

My Sheltie x also circles, always in an anti-clockwise direction esp. when excited. I assumed it was a "Sheltie thing". Would be interesting to hear from Sheltie owners. She's fine in every other way, hasn't become worse and is a Delta pet therapy dog.

Di

[sparrows]

We have a 3 1/2 year old sheltie and I can't say I've ever noticed her circling when excited. She bounces on the spot and play bows and makes a funny yawning growl/bark (awwrr-yip).

However, when she goes out to the toilet she does circle quite a lot before deciding where to go. She also patrols the perimetre. Now that I think of it, it may be in a anti-clockwise direction too. I'll keep my eye on that.

Oh and when it's time for walkies she does laps of the house - but not in any particular direction that I've noticed.

[Jejuna]

The thing is it's not when he's excited or such, he does zoomies around the kitchen or yard, but this is different. Like he has to circle so many times, but he does it slowly or in a sedate manner. If you know what I mean.

But thanks for the input, maybe it is a sheltie thing.

[Di*]

My girl tends to do everything in a circle--she circles her bowl as she eats, fetches in more of a circular way rather than a linear way, spins when excited, circles to settle down to sleep (and has to do lots of circles when she goes to the toilet) and always in an anti-clockwise direction. I'd thought it was some ancient slightly displaced hearding instinct.

Di

[mita]

My late Sheltie, Danny, used to do some circling when he was specially excited or stressed. When he saw the cat sitting on the bottom step & didn't want to go past her, he'd do his circling.

I just accepted it as the 'natural' herding behaviour of this working-dog breed popping out. Just like the scent hound dogs go sniffing etc.

Honestly never occurred to me to label it neurotic or obsessive.

Just a suggestion, maybe give your sheltie some outlet for his physical skills by taking him to agility...or having toys to play with.

Edited January 12, 2007 by mita

[Jejuna]

Honestly never occurred to me to label it neurotic or obsessive.

Just a suggestion, maybe give your sheltie some outlet for his physical skills by taking him to agility...or having toys to play with.

He's too young for agility yet, but I will be looking into it at a later stage. He will be going back to obedience next month though.

[MrsD]

Jejuna, Jonty spins alot when he's excited, but they are very small circles & very fast, he doesnt do it slowly etc as you've described. Most dogs will circle when going to the toilet & when they are settling down to sleep, but what you've described doesnt sound like that.

It is probably more just a behaviour that has become a habit than anything else, but is it possible that it's caused by a neurological problem? :rofl: