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Dec
A dog may chase its tail to alleviate boredom get attention or deal with discomfort in the area. Sometimes these kinds of disorders cause dogs to chew or lick themselves.
A dog may chase its tail to alleviate boredom get attention or deal with discomfort in the area.
What makes dogs chase their tails. With three decades of veterinary experience Weinberg has seen a wide variety of animal behaviors and illnesses including many dogs with a seemingly endless desire to chase their tail. Sometimes dogs chew their tails because theyre bored or curious about their tail. Other times a dog chewing their tail can be a sign of something more serious.
Here are a few of the most common. Boredom Oftentimes dogs will chase their tails because they are a bit bored. Its a way for them to have fun and expend some energy.
This is especially true for puppies who may not even realize that their tail is actually a part of their body but see it as a toy. In general puppies are also more prone to playing and can turn practically anything into a dog chew toy which sometimes includes their tail. Tail-chasing might also be caused by boredom or lack of exercise says Dr.
Stephanie Liff DVM and Medical Director of Pure Paws Vet Care in New York City. Dogs require a lot of stimulation and exercise to keep themselves in peak physical and mental. Dogs will also chase their tails when they are infested with parasites like intestinal parasites.
It is a behavior that can help to move tapeworms and make them migrate out of the rectum. Your pup can have microscopic parasites that you cannot see. Dog chasing tail can also be a sign of a behavioral problem these kinds of behavioral problems can come about for many reasons confinement physical abuse past injury or trauma separation anxiety and so on.
Sometimes these kinds of disorders cause dogs to chew or lick themselves. In case your dog has compulsively been chasing his own tail he can cause serious. Well puppies chase their tails because they are innocent and stupid but there are a lot of older dogs as well that tend to bite and chew their own tail.
This is mostly because as a canine starts to age his mental awareness and sharpness begin to decrease. A dog may chase its tail to alleviate boredom get attention or deal with discomfort in the area. Most experts think that dogs chase their tails also known as whirling for multiple reasons including boredom hyperactivity litter experience and the desire for attention.
Other theories assert that the activity comes from the prey drive stress discomfort medical problems or genetics. If chasing their tail truly reduces the neurotransmitters chemical messengers attached the nerve-racking event the dog is probably going to keep doing it more more once hes stressed. For a few dogs this behavior becomes a ritualised and repetitive attributable to the reward thats associated.
Reduction of the physiological feeling of stress or frustration. If your dog is trying to get hold of their tail to bite or chew it then they could be experiencing some form of discomfort and you should take them to see a veterinarian get to the bottom of the problem so to speak. Potential problems in puppies might be fleas or worms.
In older dogs it may be impacted anal glands or a more serious medical condition. Worms Fleas Medical conditions Sometimes the dogs have worms fleas allergies or any other health issue that lead them to chase their tails. So if you find your dogs condition severe while chasing his tail and doing it more often you MUST visit the vet at your earliest.
Genetic Problem Some dog breeds are prone to tail-chasing for unknown reasons. According to VCA Mission Animal Referral And Emergency Center older dogs may chase their tails due to a decreased awareness of their bodies. Heres a quick overviewThe most common reason for why dogs chase their tails is boredom.
If your dog is still a puppy hell likely outgrow this behavior. If it continues into adulthood it can also have other reasons such as stress anxiety pain discomfort or OCD. Like other weird behaviors our dogs might do understanding them will make us better pet owners.
While it may be a behavior we look at as charming or silly from our dogs its actually important to understand why our dogs chase their tails. Dogs might chase their tails if it theyre infected or irritated by fleas or ticks. The severity of the problem can vary quite a bit depending on what exactly is wrong.
Dogs can also chase their tails as a compulsive behavior. In other words they can chase their tails due to an underlying mental illness that causes them to unnecessarily chew bite and chase their tail. Why Do Dogs Chase Their Tails.
Its a puppy thing. Before we delve into the problems that may exist that lead to tail chasing lets talk about puppies. It doesnt matter the breed all puppies are adorable.
And if you have ever had a puppy you have probably seen them chase their tail at. Tail chasing behavior is just what it sounds like dogs occasionally catch sight of their tail and chase it around in a circle. This behavior is common in puppies but most typically grow out of it.
Tail chasing behavior that continues into a dogs adulthood however may be more complicated.