You can ask any pet owner; some animals are exactly that quirky. That being said, many dogs, not just yours, have certain peculiarities. Trancing, also referred to as "ghost walking" or "weed walking," is a behavior that many dog owners have noted as being a little unnerving when first observed by an owner.
How Do You Explain Dog Trancing?
How Do You Explain Dog Trancing?
Trancing occurs when a dog walks very carefully and slowly under curtains, tablecloths, overhanging vegetation, etc. so that it barely touches them; in other situations, the dog may freeze and look as though they are "in a trance." It may be a little unsettling to witness if the dog begins to do it at home and you haven't witnessed it before. These canines move so slowly that it seems as though they're trying to approach something covertly and make as little sound as possible with their footsteps. The word "trancing" comes from the fact that they also seem to be in a nearly trance-like condition.
Bull Terriers are known to exhibit tracing so frequently that some websites assert that this trait is specific to the breed. However, a fast search for dog trancing videos would quickly disprove that, as it is evident that other dog breeds have also entered trances while being observed in real time by their owners.
Contrary to popular belief, not all Bull Terriers are trance-like. Although a Bull Terrier may have a higher propensity for trance than another breed of dog, this does not guarantee that a Bull Terrier will trance and another breed of dog will not.
Is There a Specific Kind of Seizures?
When they witness a dog trance for the first time, some people mistake it for a focused seizure. This may occasionally be the case if there has been an underlying medical issue. If this is an indication of seizure activity, it can be determined by a few key observations. You cannot "snap" a dog from active seizing by calling its name or issuing a straightforward recall order. Even during a "deep" trance, a trancing dog will respond to a named call or recall order in some way, even if it's simply a quick flick of its ear to improve hearing. Dogs that are tracing will be perfectly normal prior to as well as following the trance episode; however, dogs that are having seizures may frequently not appear to be normal either way.
When they jolt their dogs out of their trance, they almost seem a little upset that their episode was cut short, leading some dog owners to believe that their pet genuinely loves this strange behavior. When left unattended, the majority of trancing episodes only last a few minutes, after which the dog quickly returns to its regular, content, tail-wagging self. This is quite different from when a canine is emerging from a seizure. When a seizure episode ends and the dog is no longer actively having seizures, it may take many hours for the dog to return fully to normal. It's crucial to let your veterinarian know if your dog starts tracing more frequently or if it suddenly becomes erratic in its behavior later in life.
Does trance represent a behavioral disorder?
Some owners may worry that trancing is a sign of an underlying behavioral issue like obsessive-compulsive disorder or that it is the condition itself. Knowing that Bull Terriers, a breed well-known for trancing, are additionally prone to OCD behaviors like tail chasing may add credence to their anxieties. But when BT Neuro polled Bull Terrier owners in 2004 to determine if there was a connection between tail-chasing and trancing, they were unable to discover any. It does not follow that just because your Bull Terrier trances, they will inevitably begin tail-chasing in the future. Some dogs, however, may react better to behavioral therapies like greater enrichment activities like food puzzles, toys that are interactive, and additional exercise, as trancing is a compulsive behavior in and of itself.
Is it a learned behavior to trace?
What happens if you wish to bring another dog into your family but your current dog is a trance-inducing animal? Is tripping an ability that can be acquired through learning? Although the reason dogs trance in the first place is still mostly unknown, several dog owners with multiple dogs have discovered that the non-trancing dogs will go into a trance after witnessing the other canine in the home consistently engage in the behavior. Sometimes one dog will choose to trance under a single thing, while another canine would rather trance under an entirely different item. However, another dog may trance over the same item as the first dog.
Although it sounds like a strange quirk for the animal to have, tracing is just that—a quirk. What is evident is that trancing is typically not a precursor to obsessive-compulsive disorder and is not life-threatening in most situations. So feel free to let your dog act strangely when you catch them triangulating!
Related Post: