Two per cent of the world’s dogs suffer from canine compulsive disorder. Like people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), affected dogs can get stuck in a rut of quirky, repetitive behaviour. Not all dogs show the same symptoms, however. German shepherds are more prone to chasing their tails, while Dobermanns repeatedly suck their flanks. To help the tortured animals, Andrew Luescher of Purdue University in West Lafayette in Indiana, is recruiting affected dogs to test whether drugs used to treat humans with OCD work on them. He also plans to use brain imaging techniques to diagnose the condition.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
2
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
3
Lost books by ancient philosophers recovered from 'unreadable' scrolls
4
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
5
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
6
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far – plus 6 other great reads
7
You should turn off fans when it's too hot – but how hot is too hot?
8
Most portable air conditioners suck – but there's an easy fix
9
Possible signs of ancient life on Mars are rich in complex carbon
10
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
