Maine Pets

I don't have a pet but I do have many small children, I want one of those follow the dot things, the kids are climbing the walls anyway this winter, why not make it more fun???!!

The advice given in the article for exercising winter dogs was great except totally off the mark in recommending laser pointers. This can cause MAJOR behavior problems (OCD) in some dogs, to include dogs chasing all lights and all shadows, all the time, and thus creating a dog who never relaxes or has down time, and is always frantically looking for the light. For the most part, herding breeds are the worst when it comes to lasers, but any dog can get loopy with lasers and in some dogs this can even cause seizures. Other dogs may require medication for OCD to combat a problem that is easily avoided. Some dogs suffer no ill effects for lasers, but it is not worth the risk. I even knew one dog who learned to chase the moon because of the laser play, and he needed drugs. Nancy Freedman-Smith CPDT Gooddogz Training