Hi All
This is a bit of a long post, so please bear with me.........  I have recently found myself  an owner of a 2 year old male Jack Russel. Cutting a long story short, he belonged to a family member who recently had a nasty illness and is no longer in a position to look after him so i volunteered to have him as the thought of rehoming him was already hard enough for her and this seemed to soften the blow. I am in a position to take on another dog, am at home all day, have plenty of space and land etc.

So, i have had dogs for my entire life but never this breed (only ever German Shepherds) and his behaviour is concerning. Jake has been with us for 4 months now, has settled into our home and is tolerant of my gsd's. The problem is, i have no idea why he displays the behaviours he does,well i do have my own ideas but not sure if i am on the right track and would like advice from someone who knows the breed well.

The problem is, Jake is a never ending ball of energy, but not in the way i would expect, he just can't seem to calm down at all. From the minute he gets up he is like a rocket, he never sits still and is constantly seeking attention. He has a habit of constantly spinning in circles if left to his own devices. I am used to high energy/drive dogs but this is something else.....

He has more than adequate exercise but seems unable to settle. If i leave the room for a second, just to go to the toilet or put the kettle on etc he will start the spinning in circles. If i put him in his pen (very large puppy pen) he will start spinning. If we have a visitor it starts again. I have started some training with him as he didn't have any previously and that is going ok.

I mentioned this to my cousin and she said he has always done it and she assumed it was normal terrier behaviour. If i try and interrupt the spinning he will then offer a different behaviour, such as walking in circles around a chair, its almost like he is in a trance as he just goes on and on and on........... I am worried that this is stress related and i want to ensure i am doing all i can for his happiness and wellbeing but at the moment this one tiny little dog is harder work than 9 German Shepherds. Any advice would be great.

Thanks in advance

I've not experienced this with my terriers but I had a friend a few years ago who rehomed a border collie cross - he did it, no matter how much exercise he had, it was like a coping mechanism adopted while in kennels to cope with boredom I think and even when rehomed it continued - if I remember rightly my friend got a load of mental activity games, things like a babble ball, a treat ball, etc etc to amuse and use his brain and to try to distract him from the mad running in circles and break the cycle as it was out of habit by the time my friend rehomed him. It took a while to stop though if I remember rightly but eventually he calmed down and did it less.

Hopefully one of the behaviour experts on here will know exactly what it is - if different from my friends situation - and will be able to give you good tips.

Thankyou for your reply. Blimey, i hope its not down to boredom, i really can't do much more with him than i already am to be honest. He has a lot of exercise, a lot of playtime, a training session per day and is living in a multi dog household with interaction with the other dogs etc 

I wonder if he is on the same food as in his previous home? Some additives in Some foods can make Some dogs hyper and unable to stay calm or settle...........been there - done that with a Rott till we worked out why.

Food first as tatty says but otherwise, spinning is typically a compulsive behaviour linked to stress.  It can simply be a matter of never having been taught an off switch but more likely is to do with an inability to otherwise cope with a spike in stress, be that good or bad - as you've described, he starts at certain events such as visitors or being left on his own (he probably hasn't been taught how to cope with being alone/not being given attention, hence the spinning).

Treatment I believe (not having dealt with this directly myself) is usually distraction when it happens, identifying likely triggers so you can reduce/manage them, providing entertainment such as kongs and treat balls, and appropriate exercise.  It would be a job for an experienced behaviourist though I think, so they can spot what's setting him off and guide you through the process in person.  Some spinning dogs need medication, if it's very severe - I know someone who took on a dog with very severe spinning (much worse than you describe I think) and with her, it's taken medication and a lot of behavioural work to help the dog.

I really would get help in for this dog.

I too believe it could well be related to stress. I have a terrier cross who was a rescue and he joined us at 5 months old. He very rarely settled, seemed to sleep with one eye open and lived his life at 100mph. When my daughter bought her own home she wanted to take him with her to live at her house where he would be the only dog. We thought he probably wouldn't cope with the change but it has actually done him a massive favour and at her house he is like a totally different dog. He is very chilled out and more than happy to settle down and sleep and relax.

When he comes to my house and joins my other dogs he reverts to his old ways and just can't settle down quietly - the slightest movement from anyone or anything and he is bouncing around and jittery.

Being an only dog means he doesn't have to compete for anything at all, there are no other dogs in the house for him to interact with and he is so much happier in himself and far, far easier to live with He returns to my house if she has to go away and on days when she has to work for longer than he would be comfortable with being left and it is as though his off switch has broken. He gets on well with the other dogs but plagues the life out of them to play.