Tail Chaser! - Page 1

Hi Everyone! I've unfortunatly got a 4 month old tail-chaser. Has anyone got any tips to correct this problem, or is it genetically caused? I'd be grateful for any help. Thanx

 

I have a very high strung female that does the same thing and it is very aggravating to me. She is a Sch female and I think she does it because she is so active she can not stand herself, she does it when she has nothing else to do. I think she smokes CRACK in her kennel.....

hi isabelle, look l think you may have another problem there, tail chasing can also be a mild form of epilepy, have a chat to you vet about it, hope you get is sorted

sorry should be epilepsy

There are a variety of reasons why some dogs chase their tail. Before you give up, be certain that you have spent the time and energy and yes, money, to see qualified vet specialists. You say you have a female harem there too, but I hope you are not considering breeding this dog to one of them. There are medical reasons why this happens and it can be simply behavioral where the dog is bored or has been somehow actually taught to associate such behavior with good things, such as attention. There are behavioral modification programs as well as medications and treatments, depending on what the real problem is. But it takes discipline and dedication to break this habit if it is indeed a learned behavior.

We have a 3yr.old female that chases her tail once in a while. I think she just likes to get dizzy!! She will also chase light reflections, but this was a learned behavior. These things aren't as serious as what Isabelle described. I'm really sorry about your dog!

Hi Hodie. Don't worry, I've no intension on breeding with a dog thats got such a complex problem. He's been checked up by various vets, all with the same diagnosis = absolutely healthy! At least thats ok!! When he's around me or the kids, he doesn't even look at his tail, but as soon as he's got the feeling he's being neglected, he'll first look at me and wait until he sees i'm looking, then he looks at his tail, and there you go, he's got me right there where he wants me to be!!!!! He may just need more attention than other puppies of the same age?!?! I think you may be right with your comment that he may connect his tail with success. The question now is , how can I correct my own behaviour towards him, so that he stops this behaviour. It drives me nuts to think that I may be the cause of this problem, because I handled incorrectly. Anyway, thanx alot to all of you who took the time to give me a few tips or hints (in the hopfully right directon) to this somewhat other problem, and thanx also to the future tips Gratefully your's Isabelle

Hi Isabel Some years ago I fostered a dog for GSD rescue that was chasing his tail he was 7mths old when he came to me. he was so obsessed with his tail that he spent most of his time chasing it I tried all the usual things but nothing worked. This dog had mutalated his tail quite badly and after some discussion with my vet we decided to ampute his tail as a last resort. within days of his tail being amputated he began to circle and chew on his hind legs. As this dog had such a poor quality of life due to him constantly going in circles I had no choice but to put him to sleep. soon after this I purchased a puppy and at about 12weeks he started to chase his tail.Having had recent experience of this and knowing the outcome I knew I had to stop him right away. This I did by smacking him with a riding crop every time he chased his tail and quickly giving him a toy to play with this did work although some what cruel ( sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind). This dog always grabbed a toy when excited but i am certain had I not stopped him at a young age he would have continued to chase his tail. Sorry for going on but I hope this is of some help.

My mix breed did this. I stopped her by giving a firm clipped 'NO'. If she stopped she was praised. If she started again she was put into a down/stay. After about five minutes in a stay (she was about seven months when I finally had enough), she was given a raw knuckle bone as a reward. It gave her something great to focus on instead of her plain ol' tail.