Gentle word of caution - laser pointers

As most know, our little rescue girl Nell is deaf , her previous owner didn't tell us but it soon became apparent and our Vet agrees with us . It also become apparent very quickly that she is totally obsessed with lights, shadows and reflections . At first we thought that this was a case of one sense upping the ante because another one was lacking, but it is more than that, it is an OCD behaviour . She will react at the smallest lights such as reflections on the ceiling from my husbands watch, or even lights from mobile phones , plus sunlight streaming through the windows creating patterns on the walls . The kitchen is a nightmare with lights from the cooker , she has to be shut out of the room , likewise the sitting room curtains have to be closed in the mornings when the sun is shining . She will shake , and shriek in anticipation of lights , getting herself into a proper old tizzy and so I had a chat with our Vet , as I did have my suspicions . Our Vet agrees that this is almost certainly caused by a previous owner ( we are her fourth home ) using a laser pen to exercise/entertain her , how damned shocking this is that this has caused a behaviour which, according to out Vet, can cause real neurological damage and is difficult to break as it is very deep rooted . We are doing what we can to distract , she will chase leaves whilst out but not with the same level of OCD behaviour that she displays for lights/shadows/reflections . We adore our little girl , and will strive to try and break this obsession to the best of our ability , I just thought it worth a mention that these seemingly harmless laser pens can have horrible consequences for some dogs x

 

I so agree with you Kate, some people think it funny but it does cause terrible problems. I have a friend with a working Collie, never been teased with laser lights, but is obsessed with shadows, to the extent we went to a sheep dog trial and there was a sheep within one foot of Molly but she totally ignored it and was looking for a shadow. It is a timely warning Kate and I hope people will listen to you.

 

Can we move this thread to the training board perhaps? This is valuable for everyone to read. I learned a lesson with our youngest cat who also became fixated on a laser light. This was years before we got Harley but it seems so harmless but it can cause serious behavioural issues.

 

I`ll ask a Mod to move it, please ?

 

I never bought one of those for the cats. I feel it's not real play if there is not a solid something they can catch once in a while. When I play with the cats or the dog they always get to win, catch the string, whatever, sometimes. Lately I have read that is the exact reason laser lights are not a good idea if used too much, or exclusively. Some animals give up if they can never catch but some go nuts.

 

In people with some types of anti depressants have been helpful to break this type of obsessional behaviour.its so hard when unthinking people cause so much damage to sweet little creatures. I hope you can find so way to help her

 

I`m sure we will , she is still only a baby at two and a half , and such a darling too xx

 

I've moved this post Kate, as requested. I'm so sorry that poor little Nelly has this to contend with as well as her deafness. I doubt it was caused deliberately, but ignorance can be very harmful too. Hugs to you both x

 

Thank you Karen, for your help x

 

I know 2 people who have dogs like Nell. They are delightful dogs such fun little guys. I hope Nell is ok

 

Poor Nell. The more I hear about the little love I'm so glad you found her Kate.

I'd heard about not playing with lasers so luckily Stanleys never seen one. Will definitely keep it that way now

 

Interesting comment about cats, one of mine is obsessed with shadows, reflections and things like lights bouncing off my glasses. This is to the extent that she plays with the shadow rather than with the toy. But no-one has ever played with a laser light with her, we don't know where this behaviour came from and I've never had a cat like this before. It can actually be quite a nuiscance especially in the kitchen when I'm trying to cook.

 

Sorry to hear about Nell, most probably as you thought you where on the up with her. Hopefully this is one of the last things.
I never get whole lasers/torch think, I use a torch in the dark when we are out for our toilet in back garden (obviously Vanilla..not me). But it only comes on once she has finished so that I can pick up, yet couple of doors away they use it to play with their dog. We see it out of our window, and I warned them. I was talking to a brick wall though.
Same as some of the pet monitoring cameras, they have lase rs built in.

 

I've never heard of playing with lasers, but then of course I'm well past my sell by and there's lots I don't get about modern life.

So Cass won't have this problem. But she does get perplexed by lights and reflections. Today I moved her crate out of the kitchen and put her ordinary bed there instead, which means she can see out of the window, she is quite perturbed by reflections that she clearly hasn't seen before. But luckily she has settled down once I opened the window and we investigated together.

 

So sorry to hear this, Kate. People think those things are so funny...not so funny when the poor animal gets obsessed by them. I'm sure they thought they were providing her with something "fun". Hopefully her obsession will lessen with time...I don't know exactly how that works though. Did the vet give you any ideas about how to break the obsession?

 

Yesterday early morning and evening (dark outside), Red saw her own reflection in the patio doors and started to woof. Never done this before - it’s all new to her. If she does it again, I will open the door to show her nothing is there.

I don’t understand the lasers thing either. I have started using the big torch though when I take her outside - it’s so dark out there and I don’t want to fall over. I don’t shine it directly at her - just her back end so I can see where to clear up .

 

What is wrong with people, that they should want to do this to an animal? Poor Nell.

 

So sorry to hear this about Nell. I'm sure you'll do everything you can to help her through her obsessive behaviour.

I've edited the title to make it stand out more for anyone browsing; I hope that's OK x

 

I'm sorry to hear you've discovered that Nell has this obsession. I've never heard of using lasers to play with dogs (or cats) - it sounds dangerous and it's lucky her sight hasn't been damaged. I hope you manage to break the obsession. It must be particularly tricky keeping her out of the kitchen while you're cooking!

 

Just distraction , Lisa , Nelly loves her toys so its made easier in this respect . I find myself longing for a cloudy day, which is a shame really but the lights dancing on the walls drive her crackers . We have a large standard rose outside the sitting room window , the branches move in the wind , casting shadows in the walls , its been pruned ! I`m sure we will get there, its not for want of trying and she is just a youngster, bless her x Plus , she is now getting a lot more walks than she ever did , still cautious of her knee but so far so good , we hope that replacing obsession with pleasure might help too x