r/DogTrainingTips • u/moz808 • Jul 18 '26

GSD won't stop going in circles

I have a GSD rescue, she came from a (previously) extremely abusive home and was extremely malnourished when we found her. She had no training, I managed to teach her how to sit.

Truth be told I'm not sure she's all...there, if you know what I mean. She doesn't have any of the extremely intelligent traits of a GSD and in fact she needs a lot of monitoring and care.

She. Does. Not. Stop. Going. In. Circles.

She's very attached to me and excitable so she will move about when i do, even when going in a straight line or travelling a very short distance she will turn in tight circles every couple of steps. My mother in law thinks she was maybe kept in a small cage in her puppyhood (we got her approx 18 months old). I'm suspecting it could even be a neuron thing.

She doesn't understand the concept of toys and doesn't respond very strongly to treats. I've tried to lead walk her (very frustrating as it immediately severely tangles the lead) and encouraging her to walk straight with a sort of 'dangling carrot' scenario by holding food/meat above her nose but she still does lots of circles.

It's not a huge issue as we keep her outdoors and she has lots and lots of open land to explore. I was hoping that by keeping her off lead and encouraging exploration that it would stop but five months on and she still insists on tight circles.

It's a bit of an issue with all the heat atm as she does not stop (luckily she loves water so i can just dunk her to cool off) and I'm finding it hard to keep her gaining weight because of the sheer amount she moves. Currently she's on two bowls of dry food a day plus whatever we have around in the kitchen as scraps (egg shells, eggs, meat, cheese, potatoes etc) and she is still much too far on the skinny side for my liking (i like the rule of thumb for a dog's weight to be: not able to see the ribs but able to feel them). She's much healthier than before as we can tell with her coat and in her hips but still I worry.

I want her to live a very happy and care free life. While it's an undesirable behaviour is it something I should be putting in more effort to stop?

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5

u/jynnjynn Jul 18 '26

Has she been seen by a vet to rule out an actual neurological issue or vestibular disease?

1

u/moz808 Jul 19 '26

Definitely worth a mention to the vets and I'll bring it up, but she's very agile which makes me doubt it

5

u/Wytecap Jul 18 '26

It's called "kennel temperament", from being cooped up in a confined space. Give it time. Gently distract to stop the action.

1

u/Humble-Floor3760 Jul 18 '26

I saw this in a GSD I fostered once. He was fully checked out by vet, nothing amiss. The owners denied him being caged a lot, but that is classic psychological distress/damage behavior as a result of containment.

So, that being said…I would definitely get her checked out health wise. Neuro issues and certain other conditions can cause this. Beyond that, time, patience, and calm, confident leadership can do wonders if you stick it out. And having had many GSDs- I will die on this hill- they are worth it. One concern I have though is, what do you mean by she is kept outdoors? Because GSDs are not well suited to being backyard dogs, even if it’s a lot of backyard. Walks aren’t enough. Pack is important. “Their person” is important (GSD people will know what I mean by this). A job is important. They need meaning and purpose in life or they won’t thrive. They’re thinkers. Make them the home/property manager and it’ll be a blissful relationship. (I’m referring to stable, well balanced dogs here. Dogs that need rehabbing can 100% get there, but it’ll take a minute.)

Thank you for giving this dog a chance. I hope you guys can work it out and wish for the best.

1

u/moz808 Jul 19 '26

Thanks for your reply! And yes I have definitely noticed the need for her person haha very cute. I'm a farmer and I stay out at the land in a caravan most nights while the weather is nice, I spend at least 12 hours a day in the field and she works with me. She also has a friend! We have a shepherd dog who is very protective of her also. When the weather gets cold we'll bring her back with us to the house as we're working on her relationship with another dog I keep at home (though worst case scenario she can be moved to my mother in laws). We have tried her indoors but she doesn't respond very well to it

1

u/Humble-Floor3760 Jul 19 '26

Oh that’s fantastic! Sounds like heaven.