Why does my dog spin in circles and bite air when we go outside?

This sounds like fly biting activity. Dogs with this disorder seem to have hallucinations: they chase flying items only they can see. You have to consider many underlying medical and behavioral reasons for this behavior. * attention seeking * ocular disease * seizures * metabolic or toxic or neoplastic diseases These all need to be ruled out but the most common reason is seizures. ( http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/flybite/flybite.html ) I suggest you seek help from your veterinarian.

Paddy could be dealing with a neurological problem, pain, a behavioural issue, or an infectious, endocrine or autoimmune disease that could be causing the spinning. I recommend you make an appointment to have him seen by a vet as soon as possible to help figure out what's going on and start treatment if necessary. Take a video of the behaviour if you can to help your vet get a better idea of what's happening, and make sure you keep Paddy away from dangers like stairs during his spinning episodes.

Hi, fly biting behavior (snapping at the air as if trying to catch a nonexistent fly) is an obsessive-compulsive behavior, caused by an array of issues that range from eye problems to a form of a focal seizure . This needs to be investigated by a neurologist. If confirms then managed with anti-epileptic medications that are used for generalized seizures. There is research that presented data indicating that some fly biting may be caused by an underlying medical disorder, GI disease being the most common. At home, these dogs consistently presented more fly biting following feeding, suggesting potential postprandial [after eating] discomfort. In these fly biting dogs, the jaw snapping was preceded by head raising and neck extension. When these dogs received treatment for their GI disease, the fly biting completely resolved in most cases in this research group. If your dog is fly biting, make sure your vet performs also a complete work-up for gastrointestinal disease. There is a chance you’ll find something that responds to treatment. Hope this helps but the best thing would be to try and find a specialist preferably a neurologist.

I'm afraid we would need quite a bit more information to be able to answer this question - circling can be normal behavior during play; a displacement behavior seen with excitement, overarousal, or frustration; a compulsive behavior; or due to a neurologic problem such as a brain tumor. Feel free to post another question with more details about his behavior (including when it tends to happen, whether Fozzie is aware of doing it or not, and whether he can be redirected to something else when he is circling), or request a one-on-one consultation with one of us if you prefer - we would be happy to try and help.

Hi there. Repetitive fly snapping when there is nothing present can be a sign of neurologic problems, or can be a compulsive behavior in dogs. If her neurologic exam is normal and she has no other symptoms, then it's more likely to be compulsive - but it would be best to have her evaluated by a veterinary behaviorist to know for sure. Treatment for compulsive behavior issues normally involves increasing exercise and mental stimulation, providing distractions or training an alternative behavior that can be cued and rewarded at times when she would normally start fly snapping, and often medication of some kind. You can find more information on how to locate a qualified professional in your area to help with this here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist

I'm sorry to hear that Shanti is having these issues! Compulsive behavior disorders in dogs can often be successfully treated, but they generally require medication as well as a detailed behavior modification plan in order to make much headway - so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Shanti in person and help you put together a plan to address these issues. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org

That is definitely some sort of anxious behavior going on! It would probably be best at this point to speak with a veterinary behaviorist in your area, especially if Athena becomes so fixated that she repeats the behavior for hours. A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian specialized in behavior, so they can work with you on both training techniques to help reduce the behavior, and medications to help with anxiety while training takes place. If you'd like to learn more, you can check out this site: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about