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Why does my 3 year old Italian Greyhound circle so much?

She was a pet store puppy in a small cage for about 3 1/2 months. I assumed that she circles because it was her only form of exercise. I have tried to break her of the habit, but she continues to do it. She'll circle all the way down a hallway. My family seems to think she sees her tail. I disagree.

Public Comments

1. it could be because of her tail, every dog i've ever had does that and they did it even more when they were puppies, as long as she's not running into anything or getting too close to stairs while circling i don't see why it is a bad thing
2. shes porolbey jsut used to the small spaces that she used to be confined to. also she might be really hyper and thats how she takes it out. my dog does that too. jsut spins in cirlces for ever but shes healthy so theres no reason to worry.
3. are you sure its not medical?some dogs that are nutrient deficient circle
4. I adopted a rescued dog and learned that she had been tied to a pole for nearly 2 years. She spent the first 6 months with us jogging around and around in tight circles b/c that was the only activity that she had been able to get. It was a hard habit to break. (She was also quite aggressive, as it has been shown that dogs tied out become extremely agressive--most of the ones that you hear about attacking people are dogs that got off their chains.) After long walks every day with me, she got to see a lot more of the world and received more stimulation. It took about a year, but she does not circle anymore. ANd she is no longer aggressive. Excercise is a dogs biggest need, sometimes even more than food (My dogs prefer not to eat until they've had their walk in the morning.)
5. Call/ Write to these people. It is a greyhound rescue near my home and I know they will be able to help you. I am pretty sure they have seen it all and know how to rehabilitate greyhounds. Each breed has it's own temperament and I think a specialist might be in order in this case. GreyHeart Greyhound Rescue P.O. Box 511342 livonia, Michigan 48151 Phone: 313-937-0472 Fax: 239-561-0782 Email: SmdKwd@aol.com Website: www.greyheart.org/
6. This could be a physical problem or a behavior done for stress relief including boredom. If it is not a physical problem, additional exercise such as chasing balls may help. Any kind of stress reduction can help. If you can interrupt the behavior before it starts by throwing a ball or toy down the hall and ignoring the behavior whenever you see it, that may help get rid of it. Some people think this is attention getting behavior so ignoring it is best as even negative attention could reinforce it.
7. In IGs, this is a classic sign of a neurological disorder. In many cases, it is a result of the conditions in the puppy mill the IG came from. I would contact your vet to run tests to make sure everything is okay. For other IG knowledgable people that you can talk to, please contact the Italian Greyhound Club of America - Rescue. A lot of times, we'd get e-mails, simply to ask the "is this normal" type questions. Check out this link for the Rescue Representative in your area... http://www.italiangreyhound.org/pages/501reps.html