# I screwed up bad. A cautionary tale about dangers of laser pointers..



## hazmat (Dec 12, 2017)

Hey group. 

As it says in the description, I screwed up bad. I started playing with my puppy with a laser pointer because I was playing with a friend's cat with the stupid laser pointer. I didn't think it would cause lasting effects like it has but hopefully, I caught the problems in time to stop and I will figure out how to heal my dog. 

It started off innocently enough, I guess. It was a cold day and I had the stupid laser pointer sitting on the shelf for when I babysit my friend's cat. The cat will chase it around then will stop and lay over to clean itself and/or walk away to the window... pretty lazy cat. I thought my dog would react the same way but she became obsessive. She would track the laser all over the downstairs even if it wasn't on. She would constantly be looking for it. After a couple of hours the first time, she stopped and proceeded to sleep because she had a long day. But then I played with it a few days later because it was freezing, blizzard, and the pup wanted to be in the snow but was cold within minutes so we had to come back in without a full walk. She would follow the laser around the rooms of the house and it would lead to a treat. I would turn the laser off when it hit a treat but that didn't stop her from looking for it. This time she kept looking for it up til the next day. I distracted her with all the fresh new snow on the ground so she was pretty tired to continue to care after a day. Well fast forward to about 2 weeks later when we played again. She went into every room over and over again. I thought it would be a great way to work on recalls and "leave it" under distraction in the house. She gets distracted by the laser, I say "Come" or "leave it", she comes, treat! Well, she never calmed down after that. Every night, she walks and walks through the kitchen, dining room, living room and a small hall looking for the laser. She won't relax with me at all. She feels the need to find this light. She also chases all light reflections that my watch, phone, tablet, and any other shiny object makes.


The only beacon of hope is that she only does this with me. With my husband, she calms down and will work on a chew or play with a toy on her bed. He can hang out with her anytime, day or night, and she will be completely relaxed with him. The second I walk into the area, she begins searching for the light. 


I hope any person reading this will learn from my mistake. After doing lots of research around the internet about behavior in dogs, I came across several articles that told about the dangers of playing with laser pointers and dogs that have herding/hunting or high-drive instincts. They develop OCD problems that may end up with dogs being on medications or having problems in the future. Now I hope that I caught this in time. I really do. Like I said, my husband can have her completely relaxed and falling asleep whereas, she becomes obsessive with me to the point of being destructive with all the blankets in her crate when I put her in there to calm down(she doesn't have blankets in her crate anymore now and I feel awful). But unfortunately, with where I am, I don't have access to many resources like a trainer that I can just call up and ask to come over or a behaviorist that I can have come to see her. So everything that I am doing to try to correct this problem is coming from whatever information that I can collect from the internet. I am also coming to all of you folks on this forum in the hopes that someone, somewhere, has seen this before and can give me advice to how I can correct it or can point me in the direction of an online trainer/behavior expert who has seen the beginnings of OCD in dogs and maybe we can stop it before it gets too far. 

She is almost 6months old. She gets about an 1 1/2 hours of walks a day (3 walks x 30 min) and about 1 1/2 hours of training split up through out the day with puzzle feeders for extra mental stimulation.


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

Oh no! Hopefully you caught it in time. When we first got Arrow, I just happened to come across one of the "danger" articles you mentioned that had a video attached. That day, I collected all of our lasers that we have used for our cat and other dogs and tossed them in the trash. Didn't want to risk it.

Again, hopefully you caught it in time and she makes a full recovery.


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

I would consult a behaviorist. https://iaabc.org/consultants I would address this with professional guidance now, not wait and see if it gets better on its own because this can seriously affect quality of life for both your dog and you. These days phone and video consultations can be an option as well. Also talk to your Vet and see if they can recommend someone in your area.

Good luck and I hope you can work through this and find a lasting solution.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

I would also cover every red light on any device in the house from alarm clocks to tv, don't wear any glittery jewelry, put away anything that has a light reflecting prism effect i.e. Cut glass or crystal vase. Really shadow and light reflect proof all rooms.

I was lucky in that I found the cautionary articles just when my teens started playing with them with our boy. I put a very heavy foot down, got rid of all the pointers but it did take our pup several days to stop looking for the red dot at the last place that he hunted for it. I remember that spot well, on the deck next to the door.

This is just another thought that won't hurt to do and may help, don't use any treats that you used when you did use the laser, choose activities and areas that have no association with the light. 

It is obvious that you never meant any harm so please don't beat yourself up and thank you for your concern for others and posting. These lasers need to have warnings attached to them.

I wish you and your pup the best outcome.


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## [email protected] (Jan 16, 2018)

*Thanks for the heads-up!*

This is a good warning and I'll heed it. Thanks for posting!!

My next quandary is "Do I tell my husband about it?" He's the guy that might go and tilt all the pictures in a room slightly if he hears that someone with OCD is coming over. He's not a jerk, truly; he just has a weird sense of humor. I think that if I told him that playing with a laser pointer could cause serious issues with the dog he'd heed that, but I'm a little wary.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> This is a good warning and I'll heed it. Thanks for posting!!
> 
> My next quandary is "Do I tell my husband about it?" He's the guy that might go and tilt all the pictures in a room slightly if he hears that someone with OCD is coming over. He's not a jerk, truly; he just has a weird sense of humor. I think that if I told him that playing with a laser pointer could cause serious issues with the dog he'd heed that, but I'm a little wary.


I would tell your husband especially since dogs are so funny when chasing it. Without the knowledge, your husband may come upon one, start using it and think he found a great and funny toy. 

But it is heartbreaking the damage it does. OCD is no joke. My kids thought I was nuts and over the top when I slammed my foot down about the no laser rule. You (general you) don't realize the damage until too late or almost too late.

My sons friend also used one on his dog. My son told him how and why I don't allow them. The friend continued to use it. Our dog does not chase lights. His dog chases lights, any lights. Destroys window blinds etc. 

Please give your husband information he needs in order to keep the pups brain healthy.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

I worked at a boarding facility and a few dogs that came in would stare at imaginary lights all day and do nothing but stare at the ground and walls looking for the laser.


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## [email protected] (Jan 16, 2018)

This is terrible! I hear so much about "don't feed your dog onions, don't let your dog get hold of xylitol, watch out for mercury in vaccines", etc. but this is really the 1st time I've heard about the damage that laser pointers can do to a dog's behavior. Thanks again for getting the word out!


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## JBjunior (Feb 8, 2018)

Lasers are actually used in police K9 training and operations...... obviously not in the same way overall.


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## [email protected] (Jan 16, 2018)

JBjunior said:


> Lasers are actually used in police K9 training and operations...... obviously not in the same way overall.


 How are they used in K9 training?


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## JBjunior (Feb 8, 2018)

[email protected] said:


> How are they used in K9 training?


Funny enough I saw an article in a print magazine today. I found this online though: http://lawofficer.com/exclusive/k-9-laser-training/.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Since you caught it, take a deep breath, remain calm. Your pup will probably forget about it in time. I have an example with something other than a laser pointer. A door. Behind that door lived our son's cat. We kept them separated because our big-boy never learned to respect claws. He played rough, although he never tried to hurt the cat, but we didn't want any accidents. Each time he heard the door open to the "cat's room" he came bounding over to see if he could sneak in and scare the cat. Eventually our son took her home with him. Being locked in a room is no way for a cat to live. For months after the cat left, when we opened that door our boy would come bounding over to race into the room to see if the cat was back. MONTHS! He didn't give up hope for a long time but eventually he realized the cat was gone and staying gone. 

The cat is now happily living in a home with two other dogs and the queen of the house. My big-boy has our gal-dog to play with and all is right with the world (at least a little bit of the world). After awhile your boy will probably figure that little bright bug is gone and start chasing something else around that will make your hair go grey.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Luna liked shadows/ light reflection not by anything we did. I just told her to knock it off make sure I played tugg with her to redirect her. She is not a ball girl. She did even look at the lights that reflect off her flashlight collar at night. If I had caught her glimpsing at a light I told her to knock it off. They just need a healthy outlets so you will need to switch that light fixation to a healthy outlet. It could be a phase that may possibly can turn into a lifelong bad habit as I found on this forum so make sure you work on nipping in the bud but at the same time remain calm. Pups go through some different things that you have to work on. It all seems to work out in the end.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I meant she did not look at the flashlight reflection her collar threw off -ugh!


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## slippednfell (Jun 24, 2011)

Wow! I had no idea! I appreciate you sharing your story to prevent others from doing the same thing. 

I hope that you caught it in time and that no perm damage has been done.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

OP, for now I would keep her on leash and work with her. Do not give her another chance to go search. It will be hard work. Every time you see her search, turn her around and ignore her. Searching for the light should not be rewarded with attention.
In the past I worked with an Aussie pup and had taught her that the laser only shows up when I announce it. So it was, "Daisy, Laser!" And after a little play, I put it away and told her, "All Done" and walked away. She never showed any bad effects but of course I will not take a risk anymore, not with any dog. She knew the association between the little red light and the laser gadget itself.
I did find it interesting though because Aussies are prone to this laser syndrome. I think the main cause is that dogs expect it to show up any time, anywhere. By announcing the laser you take that risk away. But maybe she was the exception.
Thoughts everyone?


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

From what I understand, it can actually cause neurological damage/changes in the dog's brain.

I knew a guy who did this with a puppy. When it was about 10 months old, I observed the dog staring at the ground - and pouncing with both paws every few minutes...he admitted to having him exercise with a laser when we talked about it....so he said he would stop...he was an older guy who was not on the internet at all....within 6 months, this pup was having seizures and was PTS.....

I hope you are able to stop the behaviors and the dog is ok...

Lee


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

A recent thread about a dog that attacked his owners repeatedly, once for turning on a cell phone in a darkened room, shows very concretely how damaging playing with lasers can be! Worth reading:


http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/aggression-good-bad-ugly/729242-frustration-biting.html


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

We use Laser pointers in our training to guide or direct the dogs where we want them to go. My dog, Boomer was trained to do guided building searches with the SWAT team with a laser pointer. The dogs follow the laser to a reward, ball, toy or human The laser is not the reward, but a means to get to bite or other reward. I’m starting Boru on the laser in the next couple of weeks. Used correctly it has some practical applications for us.


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