You might think you know your furry family member very well, but do you know the reasons behind its actions? We think we know how to deal with any dog’s behavior, but even the best owners can find themselves appalled by some of the strange behaviors dogs show.
It is especially true when it comes to dogs staring at walls. Some humans know how to deal with this odd behavior, but some are not so familiar with some strange canine behaviors.
This article will dwell on the possible causes for dogs staring at walls. There are several reasons why this happens, so stay focused and find out what a dog staring at a wall can tell you.
Reasons Why Your Dog Tends To Stare At The Wall
You might be surprised when you find out why dogs stare at walls. Some reasons are purely medical and need veterinary guidance, whereas others are not that serious and do not involve health problems. However, the good news is that you can always do something to improve or eliminate this behavior.
#1. They Notice Something You Do Not
Staring at the wall does not mean they are involved in supernatural and paranormal activities. It simply means that the dog’s eyes see better than those of humans, and they noticed something you have not.
If the dog is staring at the wall or sometimes the door, it means looking at mice, ants, and sometimes even termites.
Dogs want fun and adventures, so if they are understimulated, they might get bored and suddenly stare intently at something to stay busy. Since a dog’s vision is way better than ours, it is no surprise that your dog stares at any kinds of pests.
Better Sight, Sense of Smell, and Hearing
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and significantly better hearing than their owners, so do not be surprised if your furry friend can notice a bug or an ant that your eyes could not see. (*)
They can also hear squirrels and mice moving even though we cannot. It comes as no surprise since dogs have very powerful senses and can detect things that we as humans cannot see.
Pest invasion is not something you want to have in your home, so contact an exterminator if you’re going to eliminate the pests and bugs and keep your house neat. You could also call pest control to ensure no insects and problems that could be a danger to your dog’s health.
It is not a very serious problem, at least not as serious as other symptoms might be. However, check the area to ensure that your dog’s wall staring is caused by some pests.
#2. Staring at the Wall Due to Compulsive Behavior
You must entertain the dog’s brain, so it might lean towards some compulsive behaviors if you do not provide the dog with the best life.
It is not something to be too concerned about since dogs do this because of boredom when they are stressed or are not stimulated enough for some time. Therefore, this kind of dog staring at the wall is not harmful and should not worry you unless it develops into bigger issues.
People also suffer from compulsive disorders, which is how similar we are to dogs. The compulsive disorder is accompanied by compulsive behaviors, such as staring at the wall, pacing, standing aimlessly, or too much grooming.
Not only understimulated but also dogs with a too much active lifestyle can suffer from a compulsive disorder. For example, a pup with compulsive behavior can stare at a wall and into space, looking for shadows and other signs.
Depressed Compulsive Behavior
Although this is not a serious medical condition, it may leave your pup desperate and depressed, so you can always pay a visit to the vet and look for some veterinary advice.
If you do not want to go to the vet, try finding out the underlying cause for this behavior. Engage your dog in games and other fun activities to stop it from staring at the wall.
#3. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction as a Symptom for Dog Staring
As your dog ages, it is prone to many illnesses and diseases. Similar to humans, older dogs can sometimes show signs of senility. What Alzheimer’s disease is in human language is Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome in a dog’s language. A decline in cognitive function is not a rare case since dogs nowadays live longer than they used to. (*)
Provide Veterinary Advice
If you suspect that your dog suffers from such medical conditions as cognitive syndrome, you should visit the veterinarian immediately to get an accurate diagnosis. The vet may prescribe medications that will improve your pup’s life.
Older dogs are frequently diagnosed with this disease since it causes a cognitive function to decline. Almost 28 % of dogs that are 11 years old suffer from canine cognitive dysfunction, plus the dogs that have not been taken to the vet nor diagnosed.
However, CCD symptoms should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, to be able to diagnose CCD is not that easy and usually ends up with an elimination of the dog. That is why most vets try to find symptoms of anything else other than CCD first.
So, noticing your dog staring at the wall is a cause for a vet visit, and you should do it as soon as possible. These dogs stare not only at the wall but also in space. If you see your dog stare like this, this is a sign that there is cognitive decline.
Changes in the Dog’s Behavior
The many V-amyloid proteins cause cell death in your dog’s brain. Your dog may also look disoriented and run around without a cause. However, with the development of the disease, you may notice alterations in the dog’s sleep habits.
The dog may suddenly lose interest in being with humans and interacting with them or with other pup friends. You may notice that they stare at the wall throughout the day and start being restless at night.
DISH
The previously mentioned actions go by the acronym DISH (Disorientation, Interaction, Sleep, and House training. The dog will probably change how it cooperates and feels about its surroundings. It will lose its older sleep habits and start having sleep disorders.
Most likely, this dog will lose interest in the older house training rules it obeyed, which is one of the major symptoms of CCD.
The odd thing is that dogs usually have only one of these symptoms, which may lead pet owners to do the diagnosis themselves instead of going to the vet’s office.
Disoriented and Old
Staring at a wall may be accompanied by standing in a corner and not moving and walking around without any purpose. Therefore, if your older dog is wall staring, the best conclusion would be that it means that the dog ages.
Visit the Vet
Accurate diagnosis is crucial, so take your pet to the vet. Many symptoms might suggest many diseases, but you have to rely on the vet’s professional advice. Expect the vet to ask you to work on your dog’s mental stimulation, such as games, exercises, and other stimulating activities. It is very important to keep your dog engaged.
You can even ask the vet to prescribe medications to help your dog sleep at night instead of staring at the wall. For example, the vet could prescribe selegiline and some supplements in terms of food to improve the behavior.
#4. Seizure Disorder as Cause for Dog Staring at Wall
Known as focal seizures, this disorder in a dog is so silent and hard to notice and might be one of the reasons why canines stare at walls. The focal seizure (also known as a partial seizure) can be so quiet and subtle that you may not be able to catch it.
We usually associate seizures with saliva dripping from the mouth of some sort of convulsion, but a focal seizure can sometimes happen in the form of your dog staring at the wall.
So, do not be disguised by the absence of mouth-frothing or some other major symptoms because partial seizures can also be presented only by staring at a wall.
How Worried Should You Be
You can try to distract the dog. Whatever it is doing, try to channel the attention somewhere else. If it does not respond and you cannot distract it, you can almost be sure that it has a seizure.
Call the Vet if Your Dog Stares – Again!
If pups not only stare at the wall but also seem disoriented, move weirdly, lose sight, or fall, contact the vet immediately. Partial seizures can happen due to epilepsy or cancer.
Still, the good news is that there are medications that can deal with them if you get to the vet’s office on time.
#5. Head Pressing
Head-pressing is a weird and unexpected behavior since the dog presses its forehead against a surface, for instance, the wall. You may find this funny, but you should have the dog examined. Head pressing can happen due to many hidden problems, such as infections, poisoning, head trauma, or even some serious tumors.
#6. Liver Disease
Who would get rid of the toxins in your dog’s body if it were not for the liver and kidneys? If something goes wrong with the work of these vital organs or there is some disease, you can expect your dog to get depressed, and do not be surprised if it stares at the wall or in space.
Severe liver disease can cause hepatic encephalopathy, leading dogs to head pressing.
Other symptoms common for liver disease would be weight loss, changes in eating and drinking habits, feeling less hungry, and urine problems.
#7. Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration
Sudden acquired retinal degeneration is a condition that deteriorates the retina fast, which ends up with the dogs losing their vision very fast. This sight loss can lead you to believe that your dog is staring at the wall when it cannot see properly.
This degeneration causes the dog to bump into things, feel disoriented, pace around, or suddenly standstill. You might mistake this for attention-seeking behavior when in reality, your dog will stare at the wall due to its blindness.
FAQ
Final Thoughts
It is not a very common behavior, so you might be surprised if you find out your dog is staring at a wall. When this happens, the best thing to do is to notice the other symptoms that accompany the behavior and decide whether it is serious enough to take the dog to a vet.
Your dog may be getting old, it may be losing its sight, it may suffer from canine cognitive malfunction, or it might lean towards a compulsive behavior.
Whatever the reason, make sure that your canine friend is feeling fine afterward, and take quick action since the reasons behind the staring are usually neither positive nor funny.
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*photo by Wirestock – depositphotos