Fish-tank frenzie!

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Fish-tank frenzie!

Posted : 6/19/2010 3:11:35 AM

We have a Jack Russell of 5 years old. I have recently moved in with my girlfriend, and I brought with me two large fish tanks. 'Buddy' the JR now has an unhealthy obsession with one of the tanks and stares and growls at it non-stop all day, sometimes building to an uncontrollable frenzie from which it is very difficult to drag him away from. Very uncharacteristic for him.

I don't think the behaviour has anything to do with me moving in, since I've pretty much been living there for months anyways, and Buddy and I get on brilliantly.

He is also aggressive to some dogs whilst out on walks, in particular black dogs and pitbulls. Buddy was a rescue dog, and has several bite scars on his head.

We are desperate to solve the fish tank problem as soon as possible, and prepared for a long slog to correct the other behaviours.

Your help would be appreciated!!!

JackieG

Posted : 6/19/2010 6:58:44 AM

My first thought was a light reflecting off the tank might be causing his obsession. Sometimes people play with laser pointers with dogs and some dogs can become obsessive about any light due to this. Sometimes dogs just develop an obsession about moving lights/shadows even if they've never been played with using a laser. Maybe the new location of the tank sets up a reflection of light causing his new frenzied reaction. I would restrict his access to the tank and hope the behavior extinguishes.

JRT's are often dog aggressive. Consult a behaviorist. JRT's don't respond well to heavy handed corrections. You will make much faster and more permanent progress if you use positive reinforcement to change his reaction to other dogs. Clicker training is a wonderful method and I recommend it highly. The things you can train or untrain are endless.

clickerlessons.com is a good site and so is Karen Pryor's site. Good luck and thanks for adopting Buddy.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 6/19/2010 6:26:14 PM

I would also look for a behaviorist. Sounds like a form of OCD, which is super common in JRTs.