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Comment by electroglyph | Hacker News Reader

i haven't seen any mention of lasers here, so i'll add my laser anecdote. I have a very active German shepherd rescue. I made the mistake of introducing him to the laser pointer which I used to exercise my previous dog, a doberman. Now he lives and breathes for laser. He nags me all day long. He sometimes sees laser dots where there aren't any. His appetite for laser can never be satiated, heh

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Squeaky toys are our GSD's main play toys, even just seems to like carrying them around. Games of chase, tug-of-war or just as a way to annoyingly get your attention with squeaking.

The other weird obsession seems to be hunting related. I once attached a toiletry holder in the shower that uses a pump to create the suction. It made a popping sound when I removed it and the GSD came running over to find what made the noise. Even a year later she still gets in the shower to see if there's anything there, especially if I'm crawling around cleaning. Maybe thinking I'm looking for it as well.

Studies show laser play actually makes dogs n cats stressed. They need to win to feel fulfilled. They cannot actually catch the laser, so they dont get fulfillment. It can cause a form of PTSD.

Just as an addendum, i looked into this after a few hours of laser play left my pup wandering around searching for it like she was paranoid, her mouth was agape, it was obvious she was worried, not looking to play.

When i found evidence supporting this view, that flew in the face of all i thought i knew about lasers n dogs, i realized how foolish i had been to think pup enjoyed it rather than it being unfulfilled prey drive and protection of the home drive.

Final addition, we eased her stress by letting her chase it out of the house. It never returned.

Sometimes known as “laser pointer syndrome.” It can drive dogs particularly crazy, and may also affect cats in the long term.

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