Caroline Coile began to notice her dogs behaving very strangely, starting with Bibi, a Saluki breed. This dog was usually very lively and always active. However, one day, Coile caught it walking extremely slowly beneath the clothesline.
It had its eyes half-closed, tiptoeing with each step while letting the fabric brush lightly against its back. Everything unfolded in what looked like slow motion. The dog remained in this state for a few minutes, leaving Coile—who is a researcher specializing in canine genetics and behavior at Florida State University—astonished.
This behavior has only been observed in dogs.
There seemed to be nothing unusual about it at first, but after a while, Coile encountered the same scene again. This time, it was another Saluki, not Bibi, but it repeated the exact same actions.
This time, the dog chose to walk under a tree in the backyard. It was still half-asleep, slowly tiptoeing. And again, the dog allowed the leaves to brush against its back, caressing it lightly.
“At that time, we didn’t know what that behavior was“, Coile said. “We would just say, ‘Oh, look, it’s turning into a slow-mo dog again.’” It wasn’t until later, after further investigation, that she discovered her dogs were experiencing a phenomenon known as ghost-walking.
What is ghost-walking?
In English, it is referred to as “ghost-walking” or “trancing.” And this behavior has only been documented in dogs. Scientists have not observed any other animal exhibiting such behavior, including cats, which sometimes also display a bit of slow motion.
“Ghost-walking” is characterized by dogs choosing to walk slowly and cautiously beneath a soft, hanging object (usually leaves, grass, tablecloths, curtains, clothing, etc.), allowing the object to lightly touch or caress them.
This behavior is most commonly seen in bull terriers. So much so that if you search for “dog trancing” or “dog ghost walking” on YouTube, you are likely to find a series of videos featuring bull terriers.
A dog using a tablecloth to trance.
So, if you catch your dog sneaking around under a tree, curtains, or a clothes hanger, you don’t need to panic. There’s no ghost leading the way; instead, you have a dog that is meditating.
