What is Dog Pacing and Why Does it Happen?

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Dog pacing is very recognizable. This is because dog pacing is very similar to human pacing, meaning that the dog will either walk back and forth or walk without a specific destination in mind. On the whole, dog pacing isn’t particularly problematic behavior. However, it could signal something serious, meaning that it is best that interested individuals take a closer look at their canine companion. There are a number of potential causes for dog pacing:

Anticipation

Dog pacing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, dogs will sometimes pace when they pick up on cues that tell them to expect something positive in the near future, thus causing them to pace as a sign of eager anticipation. Generally speaking, it should be very easy to distinguish this kind of dog pacing from other kinds of dog pacing. First, the dog will stop pacing once the dog gets whatever it was that the dog was anticipating. Second, the dog will exhibit happy, relaxed body language, which should be very different from that of a dog that is anxious about something.

Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common causes of dog pacing. The problem is that dogs can become anxious for a very wide range of causes, meaning that it isn’t particularly useful to say that a particular dog is engaging in dog pacing because they are feeling anxious. For example, a dog could be anxious because they are either waiting for someone or waiting for something. However, a dog could also be feeling anxious because they are feeling stressed out by some kind of unwelcome factor that has suddenly been introduced to their environment, whether that means thunder or sheer strangeness. For the most part, dog pacing isn’t particularly problematic in this context. It is a natural response to something that all dogs are going to feel at some point in their lives. Instead, the problem is when a dog is engaged in dog pacing on a constant basis, which is a sign of something wrong that interested individuals might want to look into.

Boredom

It is possible for a dog to engage in dog pacing because they are not getting enough exercise and other forms of stimulation. As a result, they have a lot of excess energy, which they are going to work off by getting in some dog pacing.

Distress

Distress is a very common cause of dog pacing. For instance, if a dog is in pain for whatever reason, there is a chance that the dog will engage in dog pacing. Unfortunately, the dog may or may not exhibit other signs that will make it easy for the dog owner to tell what is going on, meaning that there might be a need to bring them to the veterinarian to get a check-up. Likewise, it is common for dogs to engage in dog pacing when they need to go outside but are prevented from doing so by some kind of impediment, which can cause them a fair amount of distress as well.

Mental Decline

It is possible for both cats and dogs to suffer from a mental decline that resembles dementia in humans. Generally speaking, this happens because of old age, which causes negative changes to their brains. Sometimes, these changes make them more confused, thus inflicting anxiousness in the process. Other times, these changes cause disruptions to their sleep-wake cycles, with the result that they start pacing at night. Please note that old age can cause other serious medical conditions that can aggravate such symptoms of mental decline. Having said that, old age isn’t the sole potential cause of mental decline in cats and dogs. There are other issues such as brain tumors and exposure to certain chemical substances that can have similar effects on pets, which is a serious problem because that makes it very difficult for interested individual to distinguish between one potential cause and another. As such, it is best to entrust such questions to veterinarians and the like, who should have the expertise, experience, and other resources needed to come up with the right answer.

Compulsive Behavior

Speaking of mental issues, it is possible for both cats and dogs to engage in what we would call compulsive behavior. It isn’t particularly common, but it is very much possible for a pet to engage in such repetitiveness. Moreover, pacing is one of the things that said sufferers might engage in.

Patrols

Dogs are very much territorial animals. Moreover, some dogs take their territorial responsibilities very seriously, with the result that they might engage in dog pacing in order to patrol their territories. Perhaps this will take the form of the dog wandering the perimeter of their territory in order to get a look out at what is going on, or perhaps this will take some other form. However, patrolling is something that can provide some dogs with a certain measure of peace of mind.

What Can Dog Owners Do About Dog Pacing?

As mentioned earlier, dog pacing isn’t particularly problematic in a lot of cases. However, there will be times when dogs can’t seem to stop pacing from place to place, which could be a sign of something serious that dog owners should get checked out. In some cases, there will be contextual clues that dog owners can use to piece together what is going on, thus enabling them to provide relief for their canine companions on their own in an effective and efficient manner. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of cases in which that won’t be enough, meaning that dog owners are going to be much less capable of helping their dogs on their own. Should that happen, interested individuals should seek out veterinarians as well as other dog specialists who can help by performing the procedures needed to pick out the cause of such behavior before implementing some kind of solution for it. Depending on the exact cause, dog pacing may or may not be curable. For instance, old age is something that happens to everyone and everything, meaning that it cannot be turned back. However, there are always ways for dog owners to make their dogs feel more comfortable, which is definitely something that they will want to look into.