Strange Behavior!

We have a one year old Lap / Shepherd mix and she starting to have some strange behavior! A few months ago she began pacing. She stares at the ground, tail straight up in the air and just walks back and forth for hours at a time. She’ll occasionally pounce and she lifts up her feet really weird almost like she’s walking on something sticky.
She first started this behavior outside so we assumed she was looking at bugs or flies…but she does this inside as well on our carpeted area and the hardwood.
Realistically I know this is not a horrible thing for her to do….she’s not physically hurting herself but we can’t figure out why or what she is doing.
I’ve grown up with family dogs but this is my first time being a ‘mom’ to one so I have no clue if some dogs are just weird and just have odd behavior or if there is an actual problem with her.
I should also mention that she is incredibly smart. She learns tricks very fast and is the most obedient dog. So that just adds to the mystery!
Just wondering if anyone has had the same experience or knows why she’s doing this!

Hi,

I am sure you are a great dog owner but I was just wondering if your dog got plenty of exercise and things to do. It is only a thought because I have a lab who is crazy if he doesn't run for one day. He has to go out for a couple of hours each day and then we make up games for him until he zonks out. I was a bit shocked when we first got him because I had never had such a high energy dog before (even though I have had a lab and other dogs before) he is nuts if he doesn't keep busy until he is tired.

This might not be any help but just thought it was worth a mention.

We walk her twice a day (the streets by our house are very hilly so it's a good hard walk too!!) and we also have this ball toss thing that we use so she can run.

She is a very energetic dog, maybe i can try more excersise!

Hi again,

Is there somewhere you can let her off lead to really run off steam? Eddie (my lab) used to pace, but not all the behaviour you have mentioned, with just lead walking. I was scared to give him too much exercise because my last boy had joint disease quite young. But as soon as I increased the exercise the pacing stopped. Can you also make up games for her at home? We play 'sniffer dogs'. I hide bits of dry food in the garden or house and he has to find it all. I ask him to bring a particular toy and when he brings the correct toy we play ball for a while. He is a full time job but I love him very much. He is resting now but I keep talking to him and giving him a stroke so he doesn't re-charge too quickly!

Have you mentioned the behaviour to your vet? I think you should get a vet to look at her first just to rule out anything.

The lifting the feet thing sounds worrying. I have only known this once and it was a symptom of brain damage (possibly caused by a vaccine, but that's another story).

Well I'm thinking mites here! I say this because when I moved my horse once to another yard, I tied him up, and he kept staring down at the floor, then he started stamping his feet, and pacing around, and I wondered what on earth he was doing (having had this horse about 15 years, I knew it was odd behaviour!). I turned out to be mites which of course I couldn't see, but he could "feel" them and because he couldn't actually see them either, this was the reason for his odd behaviour!

I know we're talking dog here, but you can't see mites can you, so initially, I'd be inclined to use a flea treatment which covers mites, which get in their ears and feet, something like Advocate or Advantage I think covers mites. They are incredibly annoying to them I do know that much!

If you do manage to find out what the problem is please let us know coz this does sound very strange behaviour, and good luck with it.

Itchy feet?
My shorthair used to do this in a field but he was hunting moles.

Hi

A few things come to mind, but it is hard to tell via the old internet!

One is that what you have described sounds a little like hunting behaviour of wolves, foxes etc where they pounce on small critters (someone said moles, but also mice, that sort of thing. If you can find a video of foxes doing this, you will be able to see if it is exactly the same).

Another thing is possibly that she needs a vet check as already mentioned - her behaviour might be some sort of small seizure and she may need medication.
I know of a bc who behaved in a similar way to what you describe and it turned out to be seizure type problems.

Please though don't worry - I am saying this to cover all angles as it were - chat to your vet (it may help if you can video the behaviour).

If she is doing it inside as well, it just might be a sort of hunting behaviour but it would have to be play rather than for real, of course, as it's inside.

Good luck - will you please come back and update us?

Wys
x

Thanks for all the help!
She's due for a vet visit anyways so I’ll hopefully get her in next week.

She's got some other odd behavior too. She always has to have something in her mouth when she’s tired. She'll sleep with my finance’s foot in her mouth. There is no biting going on....and when you try to pet her she needs your forearm in her mouth. Its a behavior that we are trying to stop, not because she's biting or it hurts just because we feel it's bad for her and it's kind of annoying when you're wearing a nice clean shirt and she always get slobber over it!! Hahaha
Oh…and she’s noisy. Not by barking but when she’s falling asleep she moans….like happy moans. Almost as to say…”ahhhhh I’m so comfy!’ it’s loud and funny. I may be nuts….don’t judge! Hahah

She is an extremely happy dog! She wouldn’t hurt a fly and loves to play. She was a very sick puppy when we got her and was suffering from an incredible amount of malnutrition. (she weighed 8lbs at 3 months) and she also has HOD (growing problem) so I’m thinking she may have some sort of brain damage or something along those lines. Regardless she's our 'special' dog who we love SO much! But the thing I can’t get over is she’s smart too…she picks up new tricks right away and we’ve have no problems with training her.

However I’m going to still talk to the vet to ensure that it’s nothing like mites or anything along those lines. If it’s fixable we’ll take the appropriate measures but if not we’ll love her none the less!

Awwww, the thing in her mouth is just puppy behaviour, my little girlie did that, I found it quite endearing actually, so I'd let her have my finger in her mouth!

Yes good luck at the vets, and from what you've now said, I do hope it's nothing neurological like you are thinking, and if she was in a right state healthwise, maybe it just could be something simple like mites, but I have no idea! Good luck with her she sounds gorgeous, I'm loving her noisy sleeping too!