# Fixated in the corner



## SolidGold (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi! I do think goldens can become obsessed with things but it sounds like yours might be a little extreme. Have you tried distracting her or using any sort of training/reward methods with her? That might help but if I were you I would talk with your vet about it and see what he/she thinks. Good luck!


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

My guess would be that there is something there to sniff that you can not detect.


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## DooDah (Jun 17, 2008)

Thanks SolidGold,
We have tried distracting her with treats but she's not a very food orientated dog. (unusual for a golden!) Even when we can distract her, she just goes straight back to it as soon as the treats are gone. 

I did wonder if its a boredom problem and she's inventing her own games. Although we work from home, so there is someone here nearly all the time, we do have to work and so can't be playing with her all the time.

Does anyone have any good tips to keep a bored dog happy? 
She's got a Kong and likes chewing bones, but I can't give her food based toys all the time or she'll end up the size of a house!
What would keep a young dog amused for a few hours? 
We've tried colouring books but she just eats the crayons!


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## moverking (Feb 26, 2007)

Could it be a visual issue? Any other signs that might indicate this? I can't think of any to suggest...

When she's staring, can you distract her from it, or is she so fixated she doesn't seem to hear you. I was thinking of a mild seizure activity....

Hopefully more will post with suggestions or similar experiences 

Give her a hug from the WV crew


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Hello and Welcome,
I think that I would take her to the vet and get a complete workup. And then talk to a behaviorist to find ways to distract her when she starts doing the behaviors. I wonder if there is something in the wall that she can smell or hear that you are unable to hear. My cat was like that for awhile in our kitchen in another house and I couldnt understand it and then one night, she came into the living room with a small 
field mouse that had come into the house thru a hole under the deck. Once we plugged the hole and put out some traps the mice were gone and no more starring at the corner of the kitchen. Yes, I screamed when she brought me the mouse.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

How long have you had her? Without knowing about her background, or how much socialization that she's had, it's difficult to say what might be at the root of this, but it sounds very similar to a Cairn Terrier that I recently had in a class. He'd come from an auction of dogs being "liquidated" from puppy mills. Rocky was absolutely _obsessed _with shadows. I've never seen anything like it. He actually exhibited behaviors similar to autistic children. Although he was older (8 months) than what I normally have in my Puppy Kindergarten Class, we decided this would be his best bet, as he'd been totally isolated and unsocialized and seemingly had no idea what it meant to be a puppy. The owners had another rescued Cairn that they'd brought to my classes several years ago, and they were committed to giving this guy every chance.
We worked really hard with him, and set up all sorts of things to stimulate him, including a sort of mini agility course for him. He only began to play with the other puppies after the 3rd class, the first two were spent chasing shadows. It was as if that was all he'd had living in a crate in the mill, and was all he knew. 
They took him through the class twice for the continued socialization and opportunity to play with other puppies. They then enrolled in a Basic Obedience class, and he is doing wonderfully. I saw them recently and they are going to go for a CGC and TDI so they can do pet therapy work with him. He's a neat little dog, still "quirky", but a very happy, engaged dog.
If you have not already, I would suggest enrolling in a group type Basic Obedience class in order to help her get on the same page as you and to help her focus on what you want her to.


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

I would have agreed with Oakly's Dad that maybe there was something in the wall until you mentioned running to the fence to stare when you let her off the leash. It really does sound like an odd obsession with her. Pointgold's suggestion sounds great to me as does BeauShel's suggestion to see a behaviorist. 

Good luck!


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## DooDah (Jun 17, 2008)

Thanks for all your suggestions.

It's possibly a visual problem, although there doesn't seem to be any other indication of that. And she has been vet checked and there were no obvious problems.

It's not a seizure. When she does it her ears are pricked up and her head is cocked in a normal "questioning" manner, and she moves around.

She does seem to become so "interested" in what ever she's looking for that she's oblivious to anything else. Sometimes you can call her several times - then you shout and she jumps and looks at you as though it's the first time she's heard you. But I'm pretty sure she's not deaf.

The most likely thing seems to be either something under the floor or just something to do. We've kept her out of the room today and slowly she's become less interested. In fact both dogs are currently in the garden "fighting" over who owns the tennis ball! 

Did anyone have any ideas about dog toys that don't involve food?
We've tried soft toys and rope based toys but she just rips them up.
Some sort of cat chasing game on the Playstation maybe?


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

Kady will become focused on something under the deck or behind the fence and sit and stare on alert for hours--I just let her.


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## DooDah (Jun 17, 2008)

Thanks Pointgold,

We've had her about 9 months and we think she's about 2 - 3 years old, but unfortunately we don't know anything about her history. She came from a rescue centre and had no previous information. We think she may have been rejected by a puppy farm because she's almost completely white (or very pale yellow) apart from a quarter inch patch of black fur on one side.

Having said that, we think she might have lived with a family at some point as she was house trained, likes people and is happy to get in the car. When we first got her she tried to escape a few times, but now she seems happy and settled here. I sometimes wonder if her spell in the rescue kennels was a bad experience.

I'll think I might look in to BeauShel's suggestion of a behaviourist.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

DooDah said:


> (snipped)
> 
> Thanks for all your suggestions.
> 
> ...


 
I believe that she will benefit most from interaction with live things vs toys, both human and other dogs.


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## AndyFarmer (Jul 9, 2007)

DooDah said:


> We've had her about 9 months and we think she's about 2 - 3 years old, but unfortunately we don't know anything about her history. She came from a rescue centre and had no previous information. We think she may have been rejected by a puppy farm because she's almost completely white (or very pale yellow) apart from a quarter inch patch of black fur on one side.


Can we see a picture of her?? With her ears up LOL


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## DooDah (Jun 17, 2008)

Hi All,

Can I just say what a fantastic forum this is.
Everyone has been so helpful.

So thank you from me - and thanks from these two!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

They are very beautiful. : )


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

They are both beautiful. I saw an episode this morning on Animal Planet about a gordon setter that is fixated on shiny objects on the door and floor. He will just stare at objects. It is the show "Its me or the Dog" with Victoria Stilwell. They are re-running the show on July 1st at 9:30 am.


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