This may be a stupid question on my part but. Here it is anyways........
My dog LOVES to chase his tail.. He does this two/three times a day for about ten to fifteen minutes. Does that mean he views his own "tail" as a prey item?
This is typically seen in dogs who are either bored senseless or slightly neurotic. It is not something I would encorage. Once the pattern is set it is typically hard to break because the dogs essentially get high from it.
Yes, it's very bad. If your dog is young, try to break him out of it IMMEDIATELY. My friends had an imported bitch out of Czech lines (if I remember correctly) who eventually had to be put down--she literally chewed half of her tail off. Incidentally, she suffered from chronic ear infections. I wonder if it could be related?
I would talk to you vet about this right away this generally is a debilitating condition and it is an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If you don't get the help your dog needs it could lead to it having to be euthanized, depending upon how sever it is, and how long the dog is allowed to continue to do the tail chasing. A lot of people think it is funny but in all reality it isn't, this leads to the dog own self-mutilating. Call a vet and see what information they can give you, stop him when you see him doing it and him praise him whenever he stops. It will probably result in the use of an Elizabethan collar for a month and maybe seditives depending how severe it is. Good luck
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. -Josh Billings
Deanna & Renee,
Thanks for your feedback, it was because of sheer boredom, lack of time playing not because there was neurosis or anything else. I spent a lot of time playing with him and training and that behavior immediately stopped.
Dee-Dee.. Hmm. You cannot "amorphize" what you "perceive" the dog's behavior to be showing. It may have been OC, it may have been like Deanna pointed out BOREDOM. How do I know this? Because the behavior has completely stopped the last few days when I spent more time paying attention to him. If it were "true" OC, he would have continued to do this regardless of what I did. So, the answer was right in my face... BOREDOM. This behavior is no different from constantly going after the birds/cats/whatever the heck else and that doesnt make the dog obsessive compulsive.. It simply is PREY DRIVE. I understand that if I allowed this behavior to continue then it COULD become a problem..
Mike, I honestly hope it doesn't reoccur, but IMO only 1 day have past (from when you posted and then responded) and who is to say that it won't reoccur. What I should have said was generally it is a debilitating condition and can be associated with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I apoligize for not making myself more clear. In no way shape or form did I mean to say YOUR DOG had OCD, I should have said it COULD-my point that I tried to stress was to CONSULT A VETERINARIAN <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. -Josh Billings
day two..no tail chasing... Hmm.. consulted with TWO vets...(I have a friend who is a vet too) and they all say to play with him more, and that it was most likely BOREDOM. Deanne was RIGHT ON THE NOSE. Thanks so much for everyone's input.
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