Tail Chasing - Page 1

Anyone got any thoughts on this, why some dogs do it and if any particular bloodlines are known for it?

Margaret N-J

It is a behavioural habit of high prey dog lines usually started early by pups who are kenneled or who are bored...ones who are not on a routine work schedule of tug, chasing tugs or balls and ball chasing on ropes....this is broken by kenneling them when you see them do it...donot  let them continue....get their mind off of tail chasing with a hoof to chew if in kennel and you cant work them...if you can work them   distract them immediately and run with tugs on ropes or balls on ropes...get them interested in the moving prey of a stick ,tug or ball...not their tail....

if you laugh at it or let them continue it because you think its cute...it will become a nightmare..

our rescue started tail chasing when he got fleas and the habit seemed to stick

yellowrose you are sooo right it became a total nightmare we stopped it by using interruption ie clapping / rattle bottle

My boy use to do this occasionally when he was younger.
He didnt do it "neurotically", so to speak. It seemed to me more like prey drive.

He would see it out of the corner of his eye and try to get it. When he acheived his goal, he would pull himself into a sit. Then get angry and start chasing it again! After a while he would lose interest.

I have not seen him do it since he was about 4 months old. It never presented a problem to me so I did not correct it.

I agree with yellowrose though, if you see this as an issue, try distracting him in a productive way.

TM":  Yes any distraction immediately,,,clapping hands is my most favorite attention getter...I teach all pups from three weeks old to attention to the clapping hands....so when older a clap of the hands gets their attention...or use a coffee can with dog food in it...rattle and pitch the opposite direction.....us a clicker     or a whistle   or   the newest thing I just learned last night and dont know where this came from   but    this trainer     throws a chain at the dog on the floor  to get attention.....?????????   will let you know later if it is working......just heard about this last night in Wisconsin.....I will let you know if it works for the reason being done at a later date.....This is obviously for inside on tile or wood floors.

Its a new on on me......::::????? but I wont criticize it if it works....cant tell you that yet,

my girl likes chasing anything that moves, including her tail. she only does it occasionally, and everybody including myself gets a big kick out of it. no nightmare here, in fact i would like to turn it into a trick like one of my friend's dogs who would chase his tail on command. people where i live think it is cute and funny.

Tail chasing is not cute or funny it is a serious behavioural problem.

I've seen dogs that are so completely obsessed with chasing their tails that it is all they do.

I see nothing cute or funny in this.  As YR said, it can quickly become a serious behavioral problem.  People have had their pets in therapy due to this.

I say boredom is the number one cause of tail chasing.  Exercise your dogs and give them things to stimulate their minds if they need to be contained in kennels or other for long periods of time. 

Habitual tail chasing is considered an obsessive, compulsive disorder in a dog. Dogs obsessed with chasing their own tails can eventually get to the point that they want to do nothing else. They can cause enough trauma to the tail that it becomes infected and sometimes an amputation is required. I think all dogs chase their own tails at one time or another,  especially puppies. but if it become an obsession with the dog, you have a very  major problem. Some dogs that are  habitual tail chasers go on to develop neuropathies or DM in later in life so it may be an early indication the dog is experiencing some sort of painful or  annoying sensation in the rear end. As others have already said, many times redirecting the dog's attention to focus on something like a game or training will help break the cycle.  I'd think twice about using an habitual tail chaser for breeding.

well you're entitled to your opinions but we think it's cute and funny. she does not do it obsessively at all, in fact rarely does. if she's in a really playful mood she might turn around a few times chasing it and then if  i grab her tail and wave it around she will again some more. she never catches it, so after a couple minutes she flops down and gives up. no trauma to her tail either since she never catches it. i like having dogs that make me laugh.