# Pacing German Sheppard?



## BlueTaelon

We adopted her today and the family she came from rescued her about a year ago. They said she paces, often in circles and always has. They were not kidding, we got home about 3 hours ago and she's paced non stop. I know they need a lot of exercise but I thought it best to keep her home a few days and get to know her before going on walks/runs. I know she was often kept in a crate in her previous home before they moved into a bigger place and she doesn't seem to know how to play. Tried getting her to play ball to burn some energy and no luck, she just takes the ball from you and drops it in another room and forget chasing it.


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## DJEtzel

First of all, it's "Shepherd"

Second of all, thanks for adopting her! 

She could have an anxiety issue, or the pacing in the previous home could have been due to long crating and lack of exercise. She's probably pacing now in your home because it's a new environment and she has to settle in, along with getting exercise. I would start taking her on long walks right away and trying some fun positive reinforcement training with her to get her mind working and see if it wears her out enough to lay down and relax. If not, you may want to talk to your vet about anxiety meds to calm her down a little. Good luck!


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## BlueTaelon

DJEtzel said:


> First of all, it's "Shepherd"
> 
> Second of all, thanks for adopting her!
> 
> She could have an anxiety issue, or the pacing in the previous home could have been due to long crating and lack of exercise. She's probably pacing now in your home because it's a new environment and she has to settle in, along with getting exercise. I would start taking her on long walks right away and trying some fun positive reinforcement training with her to get her mind working and see if it wears her out enough to lay down and relax. If not, you may want to talk to your vet about anxiety meds to calm her down a little. Good luck!


Thanks for replying, were 4 days in and lots of exercise has been wonderful in stopping the pacing and now were only seeing it when my daughter leaves her sight. She's settling in well, just have the separation anxiety thing to deal with. Other then that she's been a wonderful dog. Today was the 1st day she actually played


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## Elana55

The German Shepherd is a herding breed. They will often circle as an outlet to stress and as an outlet to insufficient mental stimulation. A dog that paces ancd circles constantly may be obsessed with the behavior. Training and redirecting the dog to do something that requires mental involvement or taking hikes (both are better) should help. It may take time.. new dog in a new place. 

The cricling is what the dog will do tending sheep.. the work by trotting a perimeter around sheep all day long keeoping them in an area the sheep graze. Circling is a herding behavior for most herding breeds as they circle to tend (the German Shepherd behavior) or to drive or to hold a group of animals such as sheep or cattle. 

If you dog is pacing.. not trotting.. pacing being a distinct gait where the dog moves both legs together on the same side with a moment of suspension, it is not unusualy. Many German Shepherds will pace instead of trotting but switch to the trot when they need to really move out.


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## Gunda

I have a 5yo Shepherd and last night she started pacing frantically, I took her outside twice but she wouldn't settle and was really distressed, I took her to the vet and they examined her and took some blood tests then I took her back again today tests were OK but she is making gurgly stomach noises, vet said she should be ok in a day or two. Brought her home and she slept for a couple of hours (probably since up all night) she has now started pacing around and standing again. She has never been a good eater and she has not eaten for the last two days. She gets a lot of exercise two walks a day for about 45 minutes, which is more than she used to have a few months ago. She has always been slightly anxious but nothing like this, I am hoping it is due to her stomach upset that is making her not relax any ideas?


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## spotted nikes

Can you try feeding her some small meals of boiled skinless, boneless chicken and white rice? Offer just a little a few times a day, and see if that helps.
Could she have eaten something that is dangerous, like a cooked bone, or part of a toy/plastic, etc?


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## Gunda

spotted nikes said:


> Can you try feeding her some small meals of boiled skinless, boneless chicken and white rice? Offer just a little a few times a day, and see if that helps.
> Could she have eaten something that is dangerous, like a cooked bone, or part of a toy/plastic, etc?


Thanks for your reply, she is a lot better today she was obviously in a lot of pain and I did not realise that is what they do in this situation, she has been having lots of tests at the vet and she has to have another blood dye test as they think she may have addisons disease (not related to this upset he thinks) but it may explain why she has never been fussed on food.

The night before last she was so unsettled but jumped on my bed and snuggled up to me and slept all night (she has never done this in her life)

If it was any other dog I might have thought she may have eaten something but she hardly eats usually, I have given her some small meals of rice/chicken which she has eaten since yesterday and is now drinking again so that is good, I will continue with the vet tests ( I can't believe how much money it costs!) many thanks for your reply


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## synrgy501

I have a Collie who did the exact same thing. We took him to an internal medicine specialist who put him on a prescription food and now he eats better than ever. As for the pacing, well, there were squirrels in the chimney and we didn't realize it. Being a herding dog I think the sound drove him nuts. Squirrels are gone, an the day they left the pacing stopped.


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