Do certain breeds trance more than others? While we’ve never seen our Chihuahua trance, it is reported that Greyhounds, Bull Terriers, Salukis and Basset Hounds top the list of trancers. But it is not exclusive to these breeds because there are also reports that an odd Whippet, Jack Russell, Labrador, Irish Setter, Cane Corso, Cavalier, Australian Cattle dog, and Puggle have participated in trancing too!
How dogs behave when trancing
The first time I saw this was with a friend’s Saluki, who liked to trance in her closet under her clothes. My friend called it “playing slo-mo dog.”Since then, I’ve had a Saluki of my own who tranced when he walked under a particular bush in the yard. No, he wasn’t having a focal seizure, as some people who’d never seen it suggested. You could call him out of it (with effort), or interrupt him, and he’d be back to normal, although noticeably miffed at having his trance time interrupted. Trancing seems to be something the dogs that do it enjoy immensely.
Donna Moran’s Greyhound, Festus, is a trancer. “His favorite place to trance is under our crape myrtle,” Moran says. “He goes into a deep trance and we judge how deep he is by how high he raises his tail. While in a deep trance you can call, whistle or squeak a toy and you will not distract him, you no longer exist nor do any of the other hounds. Festus’ trances last three to five minutes; when he comes out of them he trots off, happy-go-lucky, all is right with the world.”
Her little male Whippet, Tigger, has watched Festus and now trances for a very short period of time under the same tree, but she has never been quick enough with the camera to capture him.
