IS YOUR DOG AUTISTIC?

Traits or behaviours suggestive of a more autistic dog-mind include:

• Obsessive/repetitive/ OCD-type patterns of behaviour

• Hyperactivity

• Hypersensitivity to sound (including more intense noise phobias), light, movement and touch

• Fear or dislike of ‘the new’ or any change in routine and a greater desire for ‘sameness’ in all aspects of daily life

• Self-stimulatory behaviours, such as light or shadow chasing, or more persistent licking of walls, bedding, carpets or furniture

• Anxiety disorders

• Higher social anxiety or reserve

• Problems with social recognition and connection

• Higher need for control in all aspects of daily life

• More reactive/explosive patterns of aggression when under mental pressure, that the dog often struggles to control.

Note: Some dogs may have more or fewer of these traits and others may have them in milder or more severe forms.

• See Matt Baker’s column on Border collies,