Desperate for advice with working GSD pup - Page 4

Don't be too fast to judge Ladyfrost.

I've seen a dog that chased his tail and chewed it down to the bone over time, regardless of the meds he was on.  They then docked the tail and he started going after his own hind feet and eventually was put down.

Sad to say, but you can't save them all. 

E Collar on a high level.

so not appropriate on many levels.

he only suggested one level - high.

 

agree, not appropriate.

Ecollar will not cure schizophrenia and it won't cure an ocd tail chaser any better. It becomes torture at that point because the dog has no more control than a person with tourette's.

Many dogs do a lot of things in an "obsessive compulsive" way.  Barking, digging whatever.  You can remove / reduce those behaviors with an E Collar you can do the same with tail chasing.

If that doesnt work, and docking doesnt work then there are more extreme options.

 

Personally I like and would use the E Collar.  Or you can play around with some "behaviorist"..

A dog with schizophrenia if thats even possible would be a hazard to all those around him.   I would put such a dog down.  I think the construct of a compulsive disorder and treatment options would be somewhat different.

Haz,

You have obviously never had to deal with a compulsive behavior.  By definition it can't be stopped.  That's what makes it compulsive.

bzcz...if you read past 1st sentence we would be able to continue discussion and give somewhat of an advice to the poster, because we don't know the extend of the behavior...for those who cannot read between the lines (joanro), i though i stated clearly enough that we need to know more info on the dog in question not dog of a friend who ate his own hind...so to simplify...let me re phrase...

besides tail chasing is there any other behavioral issues, like lack of focus? food obsession? constant scratching? allergies? etc.?

I believe dogs ''do'' what is good for dog. Less than 1 % are ''untrainable' due to something other than enviromental or learned behaviors.  go seek trainers in your area with success storys which they can demonstrat to you [ talk is cheap, typing even more so] many owners unintentionally encourage bad and destructive behaviors in their dogs. Some owners can retrain their charges, some can not. You must try to change this dog. Seek good advice and methods from a pro in your area