I was just looking through the blog’s web stats, and wanted to post a comment for the person who stumbled onto the weblog twice while trying to run a search on “bull terrier strange behavior frozen.” In case you happen to come back and read this, the behavior you are probably seeing is what is known as “trancing” in the Bull Terrier world. It basically involves a dog moving in extreme slow motion under a branch, blanket, plant, or some other overhanging item that is tickling his/her back. Whether this is normal behavior or not depends on who you ask… but it is certainly VERY common in the breed, as a poll I have running on the Bull Terrier Neurological Disorder Resources site seems to indicate. At the very least, it does not seem to be directly linked to spinning, SOA, or any other disorder, however some veterinary professionals consider it abnormal behavior nonetheless and possibly some sort of seizure behavior. Even those that I have spoke with that do consider it abnormal have also said that it seems to be harmless in and of itself, so unless you’re seeing other strange behavior I wouldn’t worry about it.

Our Mojo ‘trances’ several times a day under our umbrella plant in our living room, as do many other Bull Terriers and Miniature Bull Terriers I know of. According to the poll results so far, 75% of respondents dogs do it, the majority of those being dogs otherwise reported as ‘normal’. I’ve also seen video footage of a Labrador Retriever doing it, and heard of it in Jack Russell Terriers and Basset Hounds so it apparently isn’t limited to our breed.