When is chasing tail on

Whilst rare, severe tail chasing has been attributed to epilepsy and is sometimes described as a seizure-related symptom.

For some dogs, the behaviour will disappear naturally, for others veterinary intervention may be required to properly diagnose and treat the underlying conditions. As a rule of thumb, if the behavior is getting more frequent or persists longer than a week, see your vet. They will usually run a series of diagnostic tests to rule out underlying medical causes including neurological disorders, injury and allergy. If the cause is psychological, more comprehensive treatment may be required.

If there is an underlying medical issue, it may be easily treated before it becomes a conditioned response. If your vet identifies the cause as psychological, you may need to implement a behavioural modification program.

This requires the owner to identify and predict when the dog is likely to chase his or her tail and and initiate an alternate activity, such as playing with a ball, training, feeding or a chew toy. Your dog will then learn to self-comfort in other ways.

If you have been rewarding the behaviour with positive attention or treats, you will need to remove all rewards and may need to reduce attention by turning or walking away and ignoring the behaviour. It's a fairly common behavior, but it might not be normal.

In fact, it's not something that should be encouraged. There are some dog behaviors that are referenced so frequently they've become cartoon punchlines and canine cliches, things like peeing on fire hydrants, barking at mail carriers and excitedly chasing their tails. We can understand why dogs pee on fire hydrants when you've gotta go, you've gotta go or bark at mail carriers stranger danger.

But why do dogs chase their tails? It turns out, tail-chasing is a little more complicated. No one is entirely sure what compels a dog to chase their tail, and some dogs may not stop even when they catch it. It could be due to boredom, lack of exercise, genetics, stress or a medical issue, among other reasons. But other studies have not [reached the same conclusions].

Williams cites a study suggesting that some breeds Bull Terriers, German Shepherds and Staffordshire Bull Terriers may be more likely tail-chasers, but even dogs without tails might just chase their own backsides.

Dogs could start to demonstrate this behavior when they're young—between 3 and 6 months old—or it might begin before they reach puberty, she says. More likely than not, they may be lacking mental stimulation , looking for attention, or simply trying to burn excess energy. That's the case for lots of dogs — especially younger dogs and puppies. Often, these dogs find that running in circles is great fun! For puppies who might not recognize their tail as part of their body yet, it can even be a source of fun.

They see a fuzzy object in their periphery and assume it is another animal worth chasing. Running in circles doesn't appear to make dogs dizzy in the same way as humans, says Wag! If your dog chases their tail on occasion, that's totally normal. However, if this behavior is constant, it could signal a more serious issue. According to veterinarian Dr. Steve Weinberg, in an interview for the American Kennel Club , "Obsessive chasing could be due to a brain abnormality akin to seizure-like activity.

Other reasons could be a painful area where a tail was docked, an infection or even cancer. Some experts believe that tail chasing may even signal mental illness in dogs. As The Guardian reports, obsessive tail chasing is considered a symptom of canine compulsive disorder. If left unchecked, this behavior can become self-destructive, resulting in dogs damaging their tails. If you believe your dog is obsessively chasing their tail, consult your vet.

According to research published by the Journal of Small Animal Practice , there may be a connection between compulsive tail chasing and high blood and cholesterol levels. Researchers found that the 15 tail-chasing dogs they observed had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol and both high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than the control dogs. More research needs to be conducted on the genetic link, but this was an interesting finding, nevertheless.

Keep in mind, there's a vast range of reasons why your dog is chasing their tail. If you two are getting outside for plenty of exercise and playtime together, but you still notice this behavior, you may want to keep an eye on it. If you observe your dog chasing their tail in obsessive, nonstop ways, you may want to hop over to the vet just to ensure there's nothing wrong.

A dog that has an itchy tail from parasites such as fleas or ticks might be more likely to "chase" their tail in an effort chew on the itchy spot. While, dogs are more likely to sit down and try to contort their body in a way to reach the itchy spot, they may try chasing their tail at first. July 12, No Comments. Subscribe to Our Newsletter. Email Address. Trending Today. Can You Afford A Dog? Trending This Week. Newsletter Sign Up. Help My Dog is Become a Pack Member.

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