Why does my dog walk around in circles?

Question

My dog is old, almost 16. I noticed lately that she goes around in circles. She's not chasing her tail, or sniffing the ground. She just goes around & around, like she's confused. It really freaks me out. Is this normal? What does it mean?

My dog is old, almost 16. I noticed lately that she goes around in circles. She's not chasing her tail, or sniffing the ground. She just goes around & around, like she's confused. It really freaks me out. Is this normal? What does it mean?

Don't know how to reply but thanks for the answers. She is, in fact, doing it arbitrarily. I get the feeling she's confused. And she only has 1 eye (lost it in her early years) and the one eye she has left does have cateracts.

I took my dog for a 1 hour (or more) walk and for the first half of it she was really out of it and drifting to the side of her one eye. Finally, near the end, she was getting into the walk and becoming more aware and walking straight. Slow, but straight.

Answer 1

there are a number of things that can cause a dog to circle, like an inner ear infection, canine cognitive dysfunction (the alzheimer's-like state older animals may develop that others have mentioned too), epilsepsy, vestibular syndrome (especially if the dog is tilting its head and its eyes move back & forth), infection of the nervous system, parasitic infection, brain lesions, etc. - i could see eye problems coming into play if she was stumbling or hesitant when walking in general, but not so much with circling. i'd suggest bloodwork first (which is always a good idea in older animals anyway to see how their organ function is going along) and a CT and possibly a spinal tap if nothing else seems to show on the bloodwork results and symptoms worsen at all. if circling's the only thing going on and it doesn't go any further, i may just chalk it up to the cognitive dysfunction and know that she may just need extra special attention & care. science diet makes a prescription food for this disorder (B/D) which may help some. ask your vet for a thorough geriatric exam and see what they suggest.

my dog circled a lot when she was older - always the same direction and the backyard always had a swirl in the grass from this circling - and for her it was a matter of brain lesions & tumours. she lived for several more years after this diagnosis, so don't always assume something is immediately fatal if the doc figures out what's causing it.

Answer 2

Dog Walking In Circles

Answer 3

My twelve year old dog had a head tilt and began staggering some when she walked. She had no inner ear infection and her bloodwork was good. Without a definitive diagnosis and an expensive MRI, the vet determined that it was neurological, likely a brain tumor(s). She also would walk in circles and was restless and pacing. Through it all she always had a good appetite. After about 3 months from the start of her symtoms, her seizures worsened and became more frequent along with her circling and pacing. It was then I made the difficult decision to have her euthanized.

Answer 4

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If you feel you can not afford to take him to the vet, is there an animal shelter near you that has any kind of vet service? In Ireland we have the Blue Cross which is a mobile vet clinic that you just give a donation if you can't afford to pay. I would recommend that youfind out if there is any similar service in your area. Failing that, ring around the vets and see if any would have a look at the dog and allow you to pay later. It sounds like something is not right, but you will not get a proper diagnoses without seeing a vet.

Answer 5

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://biturl.im/aU2aB

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 6

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After I started training my dog, he became very attached to me and loves to stay by side as long as he can. But just going to them won't help. You have to practice what they teach you outside of the class and you need to keep up with it at least every now and then after the class ends otherwise they'll just go back to previous habits. This course is a really good place to go for dog obedience classes. It get's your dog around other people and dogs to socialize while getting the training you need. As for electric collars, I would say to not get one. In my experience, they're only a negative effect on your dog. I mean of course you're going to need to correct your dog, but being positive and encouraging your dog works a lot faster and easier.

Every dog is different, so unless you have a german shepherd or a really smart dog, it might take a while to train her. You might get frustrated with her, but go easy. She's still a puppy and has a lot of energy. A backyard or somewhere to run will help her get rid of a lot of energy that might cause her to misbehave from boredom.

Answer 7

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RE:
Why does my dog walk around in circles?
My dog is old, almost 16. I noticed lately that she goes around in circles. She's not chasing her tail, or sniffing the ground. She just goes around & around, like she's confused. It really freaks me out. Is this normal? What does it mean?

Answer 8

Sometimes because of age, she might be confused. But, also, are you still giving her some type of activity or exercise? Dogs that tend to circle are usually a sign of boredom, because they have nothing else to occupy their time. Play with her some and let her use up her energy, then see if that does't help her rest more and circle less.
realme1960

Answer 9

Is it just circles for the heck of it, or before she lays down?

If she's just doing it arbitrarily, get her checked out. 16 is pretty old, and she might be getting confused.

If before laying down, that's quite common, even if it takes five minutes. Long ago, dogs (and wolves) would circle their territory, starting with the outer region, working their way into the circle, until they were satisfied they had inspected it all and it was safe to lie down. Nowadays all we have left is them going in circles before lying down, but that's where it came from.

However if she's just arbitrarily walking in circles, get her checked out.

Answer 10

Make sure you are walking her for about an hour a day. She may be under stimulated and bored. You have to stop her from doing this it is not normal it is neurotic and damaging to her psychologically. After a walk if she still does it make her lay down calmly. Also provide her with stimulating toys and play games with her like fetch.