[kelso]

Not a good idea.

Why?


I just do not see the point. Many other fun things to do.

 

[VegasResident]

Laser=OCD....avoid it

 

[wolfstraum]

It was explained to me that it actually causes some sort of damage to neural synapses in the brain...........a short circuit.....something like the effect of lights blinking can cause an epileptic seizure in people.........I have seen some really really OCD dogs who were conditioned by people playing with pointers with them...one dog would just stare at the ground and pounce, over and over if his owner did not constantly correct him...the dog ended up being euthanized for some problem - possibly related - it was a couple of years ago....

I had a cat who would chase an opthamalscope light years ago when the ex was in vet school, so dogs are not the only ones who can be obsessive about light chasing...

Lee

 

[Samba]

I have seen GSDs obsessed about laser pointers and flashlights. I also knew one who was shadow obsessed. So much fun for the lady to try to walk him under trees on a sunny day even!

I too am of the opinion that there are better ways to play. I don't ever take up light or laser chasing with them. I am sure there are some who would not obsess, but ya never know until ....

 

[Heagler870]

My dog Apollo does the exact same thing and he knows exactly where it comes from. I've been working with my trainer and she said to stop playing with him like that immediately because it's all mental and he doesn't have to use his nose for anything. He knows what a mirror is, he knows the reflection comes from the mirrors, he knows the light of a cell phone. I've never had to use a flashlight so he would not know what that is. He does know what shadows are. I can't exactly stop him from being so obsessed with his own shadow. I try to re-direct him but he goes back to it. I try to take him outside on a walk when he gets obsessed with the shadows on the walls.

 

[AgileGSD]

Heagler has your trainer referred you to a veterinarian for behavioral medication? Very often, that is what is needed to help modify OCD behavior.

This video shows a dog with shadow chasing OCD the description says "Our border collie won't stop looking at shadows. She spends her whole day doing this, while other animals and people just walk around her." It is hard for people who have never seen a dog with this problem to understand what it means for a dog to have a light/shadow chasing OCD. It really changes how the dog acts in every day life.

 

[vat]

I had a female obsessed with light that would stream into the room on the carpet. We played laser with her as a pup not knowing better. I would not recommend it.

 

[VegasResident]

yeah, when my pup was like 13 weeks old he started staring/chasing at the reflections of my watch on the ground when we went out. Made him stare down too much in anticipation.

I immediately covered my watch from then on, otherwise they really might end up like the dog in the video.