Border collies are very prone to repetitive behaviours, particularly shadow chasing, or fixating on lights, shadows, reflections or silhouettes. Once they start to fixate in this way, the behaviour can become an obsession that takes over their lives, spending every waking moment staring at floors, walls and doors, watching for any movement. It is distressing for owners to witness and the obsession often means that their previously affectionate pet suddenly becomes reluctant to engage with them in responding to their name or other commands, for petting or for cuddles on the sofa.
See below for blog posts related to shadow chasing and how to prevent and treat the behaviour.
Shadow chasing in border collies can be caused by many issues, but a common way in which the obsession begins is when the dog starts to notice the reflections from watch faces, or lights from laser pens. Owners find the dogs’ reactions amusing and often encourage the behaviour in the early stages, without realising that it can become a serious condition that can result in compromised welfare. YouTube is full of videos with titles such as “Border collie shadow chasing funny”, as in the following video on YouTube:
The dog in this video is very highly aroused and stressed. Animals that chase shadows, lights or reflections become incredibly frustrated because in natural conditions, when chasing prey, or even in more recent times, when chasing a ball, there is a point at which the dog actually succeeds in catching the prey, or the ball, and the feelings of “seeking out” the shadow subside whilst the animal is able to eat the prey or play with the ball. In shadow chasing behaviour, the animal is unable to actually succeed in the “appetitive” phase of the hunting/chasing behaviour – they never succeed in “catching” the shadow which means that their natural prey chase pattern of behaviour is broken, leading to a type of psychological stress that can leave the animal in a very intense state of frustration, over-arousal and anxiety. In the long term, this stops the dog from engaging in many other healthy behaviours and relationships, and becomes a significant welfare problem.
The best thing to do if you notice your border collie starting to engage in fixating on watch reflections, laser pens or any type of shadow, is to limit the dog’s exposure to the trigger as much as possible and get in touch with a behaviourist, preferably a breed specialist.
What are abnormal repetitive behaviours? Abnormal repetitive behaviours, also known as compulsive or stereotypical behaviours, are defined as repetitive, constant, and appear to serve no obvious purpose. In border collies they can often be repeated over long periods of time, and some dogs can spend up to 90% of their waking hours carrying out these … Read more
Border collie repetitive behaviour, also know as compulsive behaviour or stereotypical behaviour is defined as “repetitive, constant, and appear to serve no obvious purpose”. Examples include: shadow or light chasing/fixating, tail chasing, spinning, fly snapping, repetitive licking of legs and feet, digging or scratching at the floor and pica (eating inedible items such as stones). … Read more
Daphne’s owners contacted me back in August 2022. Daphne was only 5 months old at the time, and had recently started chasing shadows. She had very quickly worsened to chasing shadows for up to 90% of the time that she was awake. She would also repetitively run up and down the garden without focusing on … Read more
Border collie shadow obsession (also known as shadow chasing, light chasing, or fixating on reflections), is a fairly common border collie behaviour, in which collies start to fixate on moving shapes on floors and walls. Affected collies may just have brief periods of shadow watching at certain times of day, while others watch shadows … Read more
Owners often contact me to ask how they can teach their shadow chasing border collie not to chase shadows, a habit that, once started, is very difficult to break. If the habit is not managed properly it can quickly become an obsession and starts to take over a dog’s life. They can be so obsessed … Read more