Spinners: any opinions - Page 1

You walk by a kenneled dog and it barks at you and spins a complete circle every few barks. Frustration? 
The decoy is working the dog on a 6 foot lead, steps up to the dog out of reach and the dog, while barking, spins. Frustration? 

Frustration seems to be the answer we get from the owners of these dogs. However not all dogs do it. Seems to me the "spinning" is telling us something about the dog and I'm not sure my assessment of this is correct. I get the impression it is a drive/nerve issue where the nervous system cannot handle the level of drive. I would love to hear other views as I want to get this issue right.

Thanks,

OCD.

Hi Blitzen and thanks for your reply. I considered that but i'm talking here, not about tail chasers, but about dogs who do it only in specific identified situations like during their bite work while restricted.

  I think it may be the same issue?

Koach,

The OCD response is the tail chasing or spinning for this dog, and what you described, "specific identified situations like during their bite work while restricted.", is the trigger. I do agree with Blitzen. FWIW

Thanks Beetree.

Spinning at the end of the leash is one thing, spinning in the blind is an even worse problem.  Some dogs can be so high in drive that they can not contain themselves and will spin when posted out.  I also think it is a nerve or threshold issue, it's hard to say with out seeing the dog work.  If it is only while on lead and being agitated it's not that big of a deal.  If the dog is sent into the blind for a blind search and does, it well that would be a big issue for me and more than likely a nerve issue.   

Frustration seems to be the answer we get from the owners of these dogs

Naturally, frustration sounds a whole lot better than not be able to cap it's drive.  That would be the PC way to describe it.  Frustration may be a part of it but it is not the entire story.  I see dogs get frustrated all the time, spinning is not always the outward sign.  I have worked some excellent dogs that would spin on lead and again it is not that big of a deal, yet I would work on correcting it and channeling that drive.  If it is only on lead and not while guarding or doing a "Hold and Bark" it is not an issue for me.

I have the queen of all GSD spinners who is a three year old now and going strong.  She is a large female who is very low threshold and very high drives.  When she is frustrated or excited she spins clockwise or runs in small clockwise circles.  The spinning occurs in play or prey drives.  The spinning is her way of burning off energy.  She also has a very fast metabolism and she burns off energy at a rate I have never seen before even at three years but she is slowing down a little.  She is built like a German Shepherd Cheetah and is super fast and she can do things that other dogs couldn't even imagine doing with speed or acrobatics.  I think the spinning is a pain but she is so big and strong with a great heart and a really intelligent head that I think it is worth the price of admission.  It is worth noting that when she goes into fight drive or competitive drive the spinning stops.  She will chase a ball all day and has excellent stamina but if you get her into fight drive she is a force of nature.  Her obedience is excellent and it is not a matter of capping drives .. the spinning is not a mental weakness as she can out and control herself but she is always like a spring wound too tight.  She is a fun dog to work with but the spinning does get old .. take the great with the bad.

I'm with Slam on this, spinning on leash and in working mode can be different from spinning in a kennel, yet they can or cannot have the same causation. Some dogs only spin out of frustration IN DRIVE, while some dogs develop spinning behavior from boredom in kennels. Some spinning can be result of too much drive and no outlet to express it, in other cases I have seen spinning from less nerve than drive. I have owned dogs that would spin in bite work and never spin or pace in the kennel.....no OCD there. You really have to see the dog in and out of the kennel to get a real feel for causation as there are many variables involved and then multiple variables may be aligning to produce the spinning. Jmo

Thanks Slamdunc, I appreciate your experience and input.