I don't know if this is in the right section or not! Do you think that we can attribute some dogs behaviour to 'human' conditions like autism etc? Do dogs suffer from these kind of illnesses/afflictions too? I sometimes wonder with Decoy, he is adorable and well behaved but not 'quite the full ticket' for want of a better word. He like most dogs likes routine, but to a staggering degree. If anything is out of the ordinary he really doesn't like it and seems to get really upset by it. There is nothing wrong with his behaviour, other than he does things compulsively, like the poo eating thing, which after 18 months I have finally cracked - it was pure compulsive habit, and the only way I could solve the problem was to break the cycle of immediate consumption, by using a muzzle and then finally he stopped. He also does this twisty thing, whereby if he can think of nothing else to do, or something has altered in his usual routine or upset him, he twirls round and round in front of you (like tail chasing, but not really after his tail). He isn't normally developed and is really small with a small head. With obedience he is brill, because he knows what to do and it is a set pattern, he loves it! We love him to bits, but I have often wondered if there was more to it? Is it silly to attribute human conditions to our pets? I don't know if I have put it across properly what I am trying to say, and I am certainly not trying to offend anybody:) Julie:)

I don't know if it would be considered 'mental illness' like in humans, but there are many incidents of compulsive behaviors in dogs. Brains can have troubles of all sorts, imo. There are those who also believe that dogs can become seriously depressed (chemistry, not moping kind).
Meds and alternative therapies can work to alter this, but they're still being researched for long term benefits, since much of these theories are relatively new. :)