Friday, April 14, 2006

Never Play With A Laser Pointer!!

YOU SHOULD NEVER USE A LASER POINTER AS A WAY OF PLAYING WITH YOUR DOG?!

People use laser pointers, a kind of laser flashlight, to shine a light spot on the floor. If you move the light spot around, most dogs will chase the spot and try to pounce on it (the same effect can be produced using a flashlight). I have seen numerous dogs harmed by this game. The dogs become obsessive about chasing lights and shadows, to the point of becoming compulsive about it, running around the yard or home, not being able to relax, and causing the dog to enter into a state of almost permanent anxiety. It is not a fun game for the dog. It can permanently harm your dog. Don’t do it!

It is a lazy way of exercising your dog, and you’ll regret it later on when you see your dog frantically trying to chase shadows and lights, and not being able to stop.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Just because it may cause mental illness in dogs doesn't meant that it will cause it. There is very little to support what your say aside from the words of a few animal behavioral specialists. There are a great number of police officers who use it as a training aid with their working animal for focusing.

GROG said...

Hi, Although I appreciate the comment and concern about the potential harm, laser point chasing may do to dogs, the same could be said about using peanut butter in kongs, or having a favourite toy for the dog to chase, find or retrieve. It is all about moderation, and the owners' intuition about their dog. Just like our interactions with other people, we can tell when something we are doing is being the cause of a potential negative result with our partner or peers. We just need to pay attention and be in tune with our dog's emotional and/or anxiety state if we want a dog without major psychological problems and one who will be the pet we want to be.
ps I have never posted before, I felt I would like to share.

Sam Basso said...

Using peanut butter in a Kong does not have the same effects as using a laser. Lasers have effects that are artificial. Food won't have that effect, unless you did something strange such as starving the dog, or making the dog fight for the food with another dog. It isn't about moderation when it comes to laser pointers. Even one session can start a dog doing these neurotic behaviors, and most people cannot tell that they are doing harm. I've seen way too many cases of the harms of lasers, thus people should be warned not to use them at all.