tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post3522407534871907147..comments2024-03-18T03:28:36.581-04:00Comments on Shrink Rap: Doggy Genes and OCDUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-92168654012411040862010-08-16T15:23:18.167-04:002010-08-16T15:23:18.167-04:00Sunny CA: what you're missing is that all of t...Sunny CA: what you're missing is that all of the animals mentioned are domesticated animals, not wild ones. They have been selectively bred to live with humans; if allowed to "hunt and live as free animals" they would die. So your argument is fallacious. <br /><br />Ladyk73: "Inbreeding" does not cause either behavioral or health issues. There may (or may not) be genetic predispositions to such problems, but inbreeding does not cause them.<br /><br />Anonymous: you make a good point that there is no hard and fast line in animals between behaviors that are done for enjoyment vs. those that are done compulsively - but then again the same is true in humans. Addiction issues are a good example. <br /><br />However, flank-sucking in Dobermans is an excellent model for the study of OCD in humans. It is a self-injurious behavior and therefore obviously maladaptive. It is by far most common in Dobermans and familial tendencies have been documented; therefore it was a likely candidate to be genetic in nature.<br /><br />At the present time there is increasing use of dogs as an animal model for research into behavioral issues, various cancers, and other inherited disorders - good news for us that are dog lovers. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-76868967544830470802010-01-23T09:40:11.920-05:002010-01-23T09:40:11.920-05:00I'd like to know how they decided that all the...I'd like to know how they decided that all these behaviors were "compulsive." Does a dog chew because of a compulsion, or because dogs like to chew? It's not feeding a compulsion to buy your dog a chew toy, is it?<br />I'll echo what Sunny CA said about exercise and companionship, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-71262026302687641852010-01-21T14:18:41.482-05:002010-01-21T14:18:41.482-05:00My parent's dog has "issues." He i...My parent's dog has "issues." He is well taken care of, gets alot of attention, and seems to be happy most of the time. But he chews his legs alot, he compulsively chews on little bits of plastic (if he can find any) and he suckels his doggie toys when he is tired and in a happy place. He just seems like a dog with some psych issues (and may have a little inbreeding too). He is generally a happy dog in a calm environment in which he is never left alone for more than a couple of hours.Ladyk73https://www.blogger.com/profile/08293016397853788993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-89152703719772923122010-01-20T00:25:23.424-05:002010-01-20T00:25:23.424-05:00What is common to all the described animals with t...What is common to all the described animals with these "disorders"? They are in captivity. Stall pacing is a psychiatric disorder? Isn't it likely the animals would be fine if they had freedom to run and hunt and live as free animals? <br /><br /> A typical pet dog does not get sufficient exercise and they have energy to burn. In addition, they tend to spend too many hours alone. <br /><br />If Dr. Dodman had any perspective, he'd have studied the effect of exercise and companionship on the exhibited behaviors of domesticated dogs.Sunny CAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11451116932556227816noreply@blogger.com