Have you tried playing with your dog with a laser pointer? The whole world seems to shrink into this tiny red dot for the pet. He is ready to run and jump after her to exhaustion. What is the reason for this behaviour?

Root Behavior

The main reason is the hunting instinct. The dog perceives the laser as a target, a prey that needs to be caught. But there are differences from other games. If the pet plays with the owner or, for example, with a ball, his goal is quite large and material. Laser is accurate - very small, fast, it is impossible to grab it with paws or teeth. It spurs the hunting passion.

Possible problems

It is important for the dog to reach the goal and receive encouragement during the game. She must catch the prey. However, if you suddenly get tired and turn off the pointer, the pet's target simply disappears. The animal does not understand how it dissolved, so it can continue to look for the laser dot, or even just sit for a long time and look at the place where it was at the last moment. If such a case is often repeated, then this can lead to mental disorders. Then you need the help of veterinarians and behavioral experts.

Alternatives

Now there are a large number of toys for dogs that will successfully replace the laser pointer. These are the usual balls, "dumbbells", as well as special puzzles for dogs that will keep your pet busy for a long time.

Remember that any dog ​​needs a lot of physical activity. Whether you buy a laser pointer or not, you still need to provide your pet with long walks and games. His health depends on it.

Recently, small laser flashlights have gained great popularity, a thin strong beam of which, like a pointer, shines several tens of meters ahead. Pet owners have appreciated this fascinating invention.

The most creative of them tried to adapt this device for playing with a dog. Working on the principle of a sunbeam, the point left by the pointer teases the animal with its inaccessibility and forces the dog to chase the beam with rapture and excitement, trying to grab the elusive prey. The advantage of this entertainment is also that you can play it even in complete darkness, when you can no longer see sticks or balls.

Becoming more and more popular as a toy and training aid, however, the laser pointer is not an unequivocal acquisition.

Dog owners have a lot of concerns about lasers.

• Will the laser beam damage the retina if it accidentally hits the eyes of an animal? This can really happen. Fortunately, commercially available pointers have a fairly low power, which is only enough to designate a light spot, but nevertheless, try not to let the beam fall into the eyes of the pet, and, of course, never intentionally shine at close range in eyes.
• Does the fixation on the capture of a luminous spot harm the psyche of an animal? The owners of dogs with an excitable nervous system claim that animals, having tried the game with a laser pointer, become literally a slave to a bright ray. Able to run tirelessly, they, apart from inaccessible prey, see no one and nothing and, subsequently, completely switch from the owner to the pointer. To prevent this from happening, try to start and end the game with some neutral object that you are holding in your hands. Let's say, going for a walk, show your pet a ball, leave it several times, having interested the dog. After that, take out the laser, play with it as much as you want, and at the end of the game - again the ball. Thus, the animal begins and ends the entertainment with something directly related to the hands of the owner.
• Is it not harmful for the dog that the game does not have a logical conclusion - it is impossible to catch the prey from the very beginning? They say that playing for the sake of playing is more characteristic of cats. The dog pursues more specific goals - pursuit, capture, possession of prey. However, in fact, dogs very often play without any purpose. And an example of this is the favorite game of dogs of all time - the pursuit of a sunny bunny. From the fact that the animal runs for 10-15 minutes a day for a pointer, there will be no great harm. By the way, in most cases, the dog decides whether such a pastime is interesting to her. There are individuals who, realizing that the beam on the ground appears from the object that the owner is holding, firmly switch to their hands and try to play with the light source.
• Will a dog confuse a laser pointer with red brake lights on cars? Despite the fact that in most cases dogs perfectly distinguish between different light sources, caution still does not hurt. Try not to play with a pointer near roads or houses, so that the associations associated with the game do not tie to the city. As soon as you go out into the field or into the forest, turn on the light.
• Will the dog be taken away by anyone who offers him to play with a laser? Opponents of such entertainment argue that any person who waves a bright luminous dot in front of an animal will be able to freely take your pet away. This fear is only partly true. It all depends on how strong the bond you have with your four-legged friend. If the whole walk, in order not to strain, you only wave a red or green beam in front of your pet's nose, the dog will really get used to walking not with you, but with a cheerful light spot. And she, by and large, will not care who provides her with such entertainment. Constantly switching your dog's attention to different activities will allow you to maintain contact with the dog and not let him forget that the laser pointer is just one of the ways he owes you a good time.

There are many things in the world that do not carry a practical purpose, but bring joy to animals and their owners.. Contrary to popular belief, a dog is not just a working mechanism, the main thing for which is expediency.

She also likes initially meaningless things - running through thick grass, swimming, catching splashes or diving into a snowdrift for a snowball that instantly crumbles into pieces. A laser pointer is just one way to entertain and captivate your pet, make your walks more varied and rich, and, in the end, further strengthen the bond between you and your faithful friend.

Natasha Sherwood

Imagine for a second: you go out with your dog for a walk and suddenly a miracle happens! Your dog, without any leash, does not leave you a single step, does not pay attention to other dogs, cyclists, passers-by, and even “traces of unseen animals” are not of interest to him. He does not run headlong to explore the places where he has ever found something tasty and is even ready to follow any command without looking askance at your pocket with goodies.

How to create such a miracle? I'll tell you: it is enough for your dog to have a well-developed hunting instinct, and you will only have to buy a laser pointer at the nearest kiosk for about 100 rubles. And now, attention! I would never, ever advise anyone to do this! Why? I'll explain now.

Just what the doctor ordered

For the first time I saw a laser pointer in action, or rather, inactive in my own backyard. My housemate tried to get his Labrador to move a little in this way, as by the age of seven he had recovered greatly. The owner of the dog, who works as a cardiologist surgeon in our district hospital, knew firsthand about the dangers of obesity for the cardiovascular system. True, the Labrador, who is distinguished by immense kindness to the whole world around him, apparently extended it to the light of a laser pointer, and therefore categorically refused to catch it. In addition, the gun-toting past of the breed seems to have been completely erased from the genetic memory of this particular animal. The frustrated surgeon explained to me that he was advised to play with a dog with a laser pointer, because, it turns out, dogs are ready to catch her fire indefinitely, thereby providing themselves with long-term physical activity. And I decided to try...

Failed Guinness World Record

Damn the day I bought this laser pointer from the press kiosk, because the first time I showed my dog ​​the running light, the world ceased to exist for him. Rather, it all narrowed down to a single red dot on the ground. At first it was fun: the dog ran, jumped, tried to catch the light with its paws, and even with its teeth. Only the excessive concentration of the dog on the game strained: no irritants at all could distract from it! And also the overexcitedness of a dog, which in an already excitable setter, looks, frankly, intimidating.

Serious concerns arose a little later, when, going out for a walk, the dog, barely having time to do its business, immediately began to spin around me and my pocket, where, as she knew, the laser pointer lay. She went berserk not just from the light, but even from the characteristic sound that occurs when you press a button.

Further more: at home, the dog began to react excitedly to any rapidly moving light spots, for example, sunbeams from a mirror. During nighttime car rides, passing lights, whether they were other car headlights or streetlights, began to send my dog ​​into a laser pointer-like frenzy. You understand what it threatens, even if the animal is fastened with a special car harness.

That's when I threw away my laser pointer, realizing that a little more, and I will enter the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the world's first crazy dog!

What do the scientists say?

Their opinion is categorical: games with laser pointers are harmful to the dog's psyche. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine) Nicholas Dodman explains why in his article. The moving light awakens in the dog the inexorable instinct of pursuit. You yourself have noticed more than once: even the most non-aggressive dog will chase a cat if it runs. Clever cats that have been living on the street for generations do not run when a dog approaches them: they prepare for defense, they can hiss or wave their paw with their claws extended, but they do not run. And most dogs calmly walk past a sitting cat.

Is it good to artificially induce the pursuit instinct with a laser pointer? Badly! Because the instinct must be satisfied: the dog must catch what it is chasing. In this case, the instinct awakens, but can never be satisfied. And this dissatisfaction harms the psyche of the animal.

This is known to instructors who train service dogs to search for drugs, weapons, etc. They always have real drugs and weapons in their arsenal and from time to time let the dog find what she was told to look for. Otherwise, they argue, the animal becomes nervous, overly excitable, and soon becomes unfit for work.

But what about cats?

Cats are a little easier. The fact is, says Dr. Nicholas Dodman, that these animals hunt in a slightly different way than canids. You yourself have probably noticed that the cat quickly loses interest, it has a rather short period of concentration. This is due to the fact that in nature, felines never pursue a prey for a long time: if the prey is not caught the first time, then it is saved, and the predator calmly sits in an ambush to wait for the next one. Others are canines that pursue prey for hours, sometimes running for ten kilometers, exhausting and driving the victim.

Therefore, special toys with a laser beam are even produced for cats. For example, FroliCat. You can either control the light yourself, or place the toy on the table and turn it on automatically.

If your cat has played for 5-10 minutes and has lost interest in the light, then you can be calm. If you observe an obsession with the process: the animal cannot stop, although it is already very tired, immediately stop the game and never start again. There are still cases when cats go crazy with laser lights.

In fact, it is possible to take a dog so that it cannot tear itself away from the game, and not only without harm, but also with health benefits, it is possible. I will talk about this in my next article.

Larisa Solodovnikova

Victoria(Odintsovo), Samoyeds

They follow directions like crazy. constantly waiting and looking at the hand, if there was a pointer there))). It only started to jam after half a year of very rare use. Now, with new batteries, the dot is either not visible at all, or it is not at all, or it is clearly visible. I will buy another one just like it.

Anna(Ulan-Ude)

The pointer is a great thing for active dogs. My toys are played on the street for a short time, quickly losing interest. Although I teach to toys from the very puppyhood. But for a magical ray, she is ready to run tirelessly. It is very convenient in those cases when time is short, but you need to have time for a walk to give the dog a load. In the morning, for example, I drive the dog longer. As a result, after a walk, the dog sleeps off. Home riots have stopped. Everyone is happy...

Julia(Moscow), Rhodesian Ridgeback

The range of the pointer is good, the point at night is large - you can drive the dog far. As a puppy, after the disappearance of the point, he was in prostration for about 10 minutes - he ran and played everywhere. and now I just taught him to run up to me when the dot disappears. all the same lost, but at least he goes along and executes the commands (for them, after all, he gets a point)). it’s just a pity that you can only play outside in winter: in the summer we walk for the last time before dark. and in winter, the pointer quickly freezes and stops shining - you have to keep it in your sleeve. and another huge plus - little finger batteries (not tablets), which are sold on every corner.

Natalia(Moscow), labrador

Will there be more?

Tatyana(Moscow) , Labrador Retrievers

Bought this in Spain. Bought it specifically for the dog. We still have a nozzle with dancing lights on it. At home we play with lights, on the street we rush like crazy behind the beam. The older one is crazy about this thing, she taught the younger one too, now they are driving together.

vladimir(Khabarovsk), Cane Corso

Excellent thing! They used it at the stadium, standing still, chasing the dog after the beam along a large circle of the treadmill.

Kristina(Moscow) , Yorkshire Terriers and Labrador

I have not tried to play with a dog using this pointer. We bought such a pointer in Thailand 2 years ago. Batteries eat up very quickly. But as soon as you change them, the light becomes just as bright again. The laser hits very far!!! Seen from everywhere. I know many dogs that run after these lasers. Our Yorkshire Terriers don't run after him.

Anastasia(Moscow), Dalmatian

This pointer is the only way for us to run the dog out for a walk. And the dog is happy and I'm calm. The laser is very bright, it is clearly visible both in the evening and during the day.

Olga(Moscow)

But is this pointer harmful to the eyes of dogs, yet 5 mW it already belongs to the class of dangerous to use

Store response:

Tatyana, English bulldog

We have been using the pointer for 3 months. Before that, we tried it with a regular one from friends, the dog liked it. When they went outside with this pointer, the dog did not react in any way. Came home - began to play! Was worn like crazy, excitement is more than enough! But "it blows the roof" specifically, then I went around the whole apartment, looking for this point. We concluded that it is better not to get carried away and play in a fenced area (in an apartment, preferably on a carpet so that it is not slippery). They began to use it as a reward for something. But over time, she got fed up with this toy: after running errands, the dog remains calm, and may even ignore it altogether. But the husband is still not overjoyed))) If you don’t like it, you will have a great gift for February 23)))

betelgeise(Moscow), border collie

Vesh!!! :))))

We asked the caudates what they think about laser pointer games and here's what they told us.

Border Collie Chuck:“... And then, out of nowhere, a bright ray appeared on the floor! Then he also suddenly disappeared! I tried to catch him but he jumped on the wall and then on the ceiling! For some reason my master laughed very loudly. And now I can't think of anything but this ray! Waiting for him to reappear...

Jack Russell Terrier Joy:“Every time I go out for a walk with my man, I know that I will definitely hunt for a fast ray! Although it’s much more fun for me to play with a ball or a rope, for some reason they don’t take such toys to the street for me. A bright ray always comes in the same clearing. And I can never catch it! No matter how fast I run! And he always disappears completely unexpectedly! Because of this, I sleep badly all night! I even dream of this ray in my dreams! One day I'll catch up with him!!!"

Yorkshire Terrier Frank:“Now I see these rays everywhere: they are at home, they are on the street, but there are especially many of them on the road when the night is from cars! It's strange that they always scold me when I run there! I do not understand! There are rays ... "

T Axa Judy:“Now, to calm down after playing with the beam, I am chasing my tail. At least I can definitely catch him!”

Let's look at the pros and cons of playing with a laser pointer.

Games in pursuit of a laser beam help the caudate get rid of the energy that has accumulated in it all day. Here and running and jumping, and turns! And excitement! However, this game is not so harmless.

The laser beam always appears unexpectedly! For caudates, this element of surprise is quite stressful. Even after a few games, you may begin to notice that your tailed animal has become restless, he is overly emotional about any glare, sunbeams, and even light bulbs on household appliances.

What to do: Make the appearance of the laser beam predictable. Choose a specific place for such games and only play there, give the caudate a signal before the game: it can be the words ("Where is our ray?", "Let's play!"), Sound (clap hands) or the pointer itself (you need to show it to the caudate ).

The laser beam always disappears unexpectedly and the tailed one can never catch it.

To understand how the caudate feels at the end of such a game, imagine that you work hard all month, come early and leave late, and spend all weekend on this business - and all for the promised big fee. But one day, when you come to work in the morning, you are greeted by the closed doors of the office and a note "You are fired." Well, how is it?

The feeling of a mission unfulfilled is the main argument against such games. For any hunter it is always a great happiness and a real success to catch his prey. But no matter how hard the tailed one tries, he fails over and over again. Because of this, serious mental disorders often appear: the dog becomes extremely excitable, restless, can walk up and down the room for several minutes, chase its tail, start licking various objects, and start barking too much.

What to do: at the end of the game, point the beam at or, which you quietly put on the ground while the tailed one is chasing the beam. The tailed one will eventually receive at least some consolation. If it's a toy, then play with it.

Don't forget to signal that the game is over. You can say "Game over!" or all!" and put the pointer in your pocket, so that the tailed one can see it.