The dog is chasing its tail. Painful conditions of the body

A dog is a mobile, inquisitive and playful creature. However, a passion for one's own tail can also indicate serious health problems for the animal. Consider the pet's antics and determine if there is cause for concern.

Discomfort

Exists whole science about the behavior and education of dogs - cynology. Experts say that rarely the dog runs after the tail because of a good mood. For most puppies normal behavior. But if the habit does not go away with age, the animal's interest in body parts increases, measures must be taken.

It is necessary to find out what motivates a four-legged friend to action. Pay attention to the nature of the chase. It may be accompanied by barking, howling, attempting to bite yourself.

Most of the problems, four-legged friends are unable to solve on their own. They are trying unsuccessfully to get to problem areas, and people take it as a game.

Inaction leads to grave consequences. The main measures to eliminate symptoms are as follows:

prevention of the appearance of worms;
inspection for the presence of ticks, lice, fleas;
If external signs no infection, the dog must be shown to the veterinarian.

Diseases

A doctor can help determine why a dog is chasing its tail. The reasons often lie in:

tissue irritation anus- manifestation of consequences minor damage, allergies and diarrhea;
inflammation or blockage of the anal glands wild pains and itching - pets crawl their booty on any surface (floor, carpet, earth);
violation vestibular apparatus- the animal suddenly begins to spin around its axis;
liver disease - in addition to chasing the tail, vomiting and diarrhea appear.

It is possible that the veterinarian will not detect health problems.

Psyche and genetics

If the cause has not been identified, it is likely that the pet requires more attention from its owners. The dog does not care whether they laugh at it or scold it. She seeks any reaction to her existence.

There are individuals with serious deviations due to DNA. If a dog runs after its tail and bites it, this may indicate a mental disorder. Weaning a pet from a bad habit, in this case, is not realistic. group of drugs and special exercises will help to correct behavior, but the gene pool cannot be changed.

The disorder accompanies the animal throughout its life, periodically manifesting itself in bursts of anxiety and aggression. Even tribal representatives, no matter what indicators their breed possesses, are not allowed to breed. mental disorder will be given to the puppies.

The question of the psyche is poorly understood. The disease is diagnosed when the puppy is 3 months old. Until that time, his running after the tail is perceived by the owners as a harmless game. Previously, people did not attach importance to the psyche of the problem. Some seizures were considered symptoms of other illnesses.

If you have symptoms, you should seek help from experienced professionals. It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question why a dog runs after its tail. Many points require further study.

Should you be concerned if you notice that your pet has started running in circles and catching its tail? Many dog owners try to deal with this pet behavior on their own, often taking the wrong steps, leading to the aggravation of the compulsive behavior.

In order to act correctly, you need to know about the reasons why the dog began to behave this way.

Causes of Obsessive Behavior in Dogs

It is not uncommon for animals to catch their own tail, in which alarm threshold exceeded. Such dogs, staying at home alone, begin to whine, bark loudly and gnaw on furniture and clothes. They have observed rapid breathing, salivation increases, animals can randomly run around the apartment, hide. Anxiety may be caused different reasons, and any action of the host can serve as an irritant to start such behavior.

So, for example, the owner of the dachshund on the forum said that when feeding a pet, he was constantly pulled and distracted. And now every meal at any moment can provoke this inappropriate behavior at the dog. By eliminating the provoking environment, you can help the animal get rid of the obsessive state: feed in a different place, change the bowl for another.

Fear or fear of loud noises also leads to compulsive behavior. It can be a loud phone call or an alarm clock. Or, for example, this situation: guests came and rang the doorbell, and the dog barked loudly and woke up the child. The owners sharply pull the dog and silence it. The next time, the doorbell may serve as an impetus for playing with the tail, the dog no longer barks, as this is forbidden, but begins to spin and catch its tail.

If the pet is just limit in motor activity (strict collar, chain), then getting rid of a bad habit will not work. It is necessary to exclude the reason causing such behavior. On the contrary, if it is impossible to perform a stereotypical action, the level of anxiety in a dog may increase.

Dog owners believe it can help development of competitive behavior. The animal is taught new commands, for example, “lie down”, “sit”. First, the pet is trained in the absence of stimuli. And then, when the dog can remain calm while executing the command for at least 20 minutes, you can try to add a stimulus, gradually increasing the strength of its impact.

For example, if the dog was annoyed by the ringing of the phone, you can record and turn it on quietly. If the animal behaves calmly, then you need to praise him and treat him with something tasty. It is better if these trainings are carried out before something pleasant for the dog, such as feeding. So negative associations are replaced by pleasant ones. The number and frequency of exercises depend on the severity of the obsessive state of a particular animal. The duration of training can be several weeks, while you need to work patiently with your pet, not to force the process.

Obsessive behavior can be caused improper docking of the puppy's tail. If the operation was unsuccessful, and a vertebral fragment remains, then nearby tissues can become inflamed, thereby causing the dog to want to lick or gnaw its tail. In this case, the animal must be shown to the veterinarian, and, most likely, you will have to resort to surgical intervention.

If the pet injured the tail, then there may be a violation nerve endings which also leads to restless behavior of the dog.

But if the coordination of the animal is suddenly disturbed, then this may be a manifestation of such an ailment as vestibular syndrome. And in combination with vomiting and liquid stool, this may indicate liver disease.

You should check the dog for glycemia - increased content blood sugar (especially if the pet is a representative of a small breed).

Mood related behavior

It happens that when left at home alone, the dog begins to get bored and he has to look for entertainment for himself. Tail running is the most accessible. And then, in order to attract attention to himself, he begins to make similar movements already with the owner. If, seeing this behavior, you immediately begin to stroke the pet, flirt with him, then he will realize that in this way you can achieve your location and will try to manipulate you. And if you do not focus on this action, then the dog will forget about this behavior, and will not try to repeat it.

The second way to get rid of a bad habit due to your pet's boredom is to increase physical activity. Take longer walks, try new routes. Use this method: throw objects at him and ask him to bring, and for good performance commands play with it.

Fortunately, in most cases, a dog, like a cat, runs after its tail, because it good mood And for her, this is a kind of entertainment.

But if there is even the slightest risk that the behavior is related to the disease, do not hesitate to go to the veterinarian.

Often a pet trying to catch its tail with its teeth causes tenderness and a smile. Majority inexperienced owners dogs perceive this behavior as a fun game that allows the dog to occupy himself in his free time.

Game or problem?

Little puppy getting into new house turns out to be alone. The brothers and sisters that surrounded him before have disappeared and the kid, ready to play all day long, is trying to find something to do. It was at this time that most dog cubs look around and notice a funny tail, as if living its own life. own life. Not realizing yet that the tail is part of him, the puppy is trying to catch up and get acquainted with an interesting subject. But the tail, oh horror, runs away from him, not giving into the teeth, or every time it slips out of the mouth when trying to grab it.

The owner should understand that tail chasing is not a cute feature of the pet's behavior, but serious problem, which can lead to a deterioration in the health and quality of life of the animal.

First of all, there is a real threat of serious physical injury such as severe self-mutilation or even amputation of the tip of the tail.

In addition, long-term running in a circle leads to an imbalance in the vestibular apparatus and deterioration general condition animal. In especially severe cases, such obsessive states can cause physical exhaustion and even illness of the pet.

The worst thing you can do to get rid of a bad habit is to try to stop your dog from doing it. This is difficult to do for several reasons:

Firstly, you will not be able to provide the animal with round-the-clock attention, and left unattended, the dog will try to resume stereotypical actions.
Secondly, following the owner's prohibition, the dog may acquire another bad habit - swallowing inedible objects, or even increased aggressiveness.
Thirdly, similar radical measures aggravate between pet and owner and lead to increased nervousness in both.

Second necessary rule- Changing the pet's lifestyle. Fill his life and interesting games, the attention of the owner and healthy diet. The realization of the natural instincts of the animal - the desire to hunt or pursue prey - helps a lot. For this, apply joint games with dogs (, fetching) or joint sports (chasing a mechanical hare, field trials for hunting breeds, ).

In about half of the cases, the prescribed treatment and lifestyle changes are enough to remove unwanted behavior and over time, completely wean the pet from a bad habit.

If you and your four-legged friend bad luck and you hit the other half, you will have to work hard to get rid of the tail races. Animal psychologists advise teaching a dog the so-called "competitive behavior" - a chain of sequential actions that reduce general nervousness in the presence of a stimulus.

Most often, training elements are used for this, for example, the “sit” or “lie down” commands. At first, the dog is taught to perform such actions in a calm and relaxed state. Subsequently, when the skill is worked out and fixed, stimuli are introduced. First, in a weakened form, seeking the execution of the command, and then increasing its strength. In addition, competitive behavior in without fail applied at the time of the resumption of the chase. It looks something like this: when the dog tries to catch his tail, the owner does not scold and does not prohibit unwanted actions, but gives necessary command to achieve its implementation. After that, the pet is praised and encouraged, reinforcing pleasant associations.

This path is long and difficult, often the animal may experience breakdowns and relapses, after which it is necessary to return a couple of steps back and resume training from the previous stage. But if you apply maximum firmness and perseverance, the unwanted habit will be defeated.

Liked? Share with friends:

I advise you to subscribe to the e-mail newsletter, so as not to miss the latest articles and free video tutorials!

Online Form - 05 Main Form (RSS in postlayout)

*Confidential Data Guaranteed! No spam!

Any form of dog behavior has its own motivation. Many are familiar with the situation when a dog chases its tail, and, grabbing it, begins to torment and gnaw it. What explains such a run? There can be quite a few reasons and not all of them are harmless. In some cases, this behavior indicates that the dog is seriously ill, which means that he needs veterinary care. The pathology is called "tail catching syndrome". In this article, you will learn why your dog behaves this way and how to wean him from this bad habit.

Main reasons

The reasons why a dog chases its tail can be quite varied. They fall into three main categories:

The first includes behavioral features, when “tail catching” is a behavioral reaction of a dog to various situations.
The second group of reasons is as follows: the dog reacts to physical discomfort in the back of the thighs and anus.
The third category is various pathologies, the symptoms of which are pain and itching in this area.

A separate and most serious reason is psychological problems. The disease is called "tail catching syndrome" and is an independent pathology.

Features of dog behavior

Consider why healthy dog chasing his tail. The main situations that can cause this behavior are:

Manifestation in a young dog hunting instinct. The puppy is interested in any moving object, including his tail. He just can't help chasing a fleeing target.
Boredom. In the event that the animal is rarely walked, does not play with it, it makes up for the lack of motor activity by a kind of chase. This is an opportunity to run and have fun on your own in a small space.
The desire to attract the attention of the owner. Perhaps she feels lonely, and so in an unusual way tries to draw attention to itself, to cause a reaction of the owner - negative or positive.

physical discomfort

Everything that gives the pet pain or other discomfort in the area of the tail or croup, causes an attempt to get rid of them, which the dog does, trying to reach the problem area. It can be:

burrs stuck in long hair and prickly skin, or tangled hair in the back of the body;
irritation and itching of the skin in extreme heat, especially in the presence of a thick coat;
if the tail is docked incorrectly, the sharp edges of the stump can press and injure the skin;
tail injuries can lead to nerve damage and pain in this area.

Painful conditions of the body

If the dog often runs after its tail, then this may indicate various diseases And pathological conditions organism. They are symptomatic of pain or severe itching in the anus and back of the thighs:

Allergic reactions that cause rashes are sometimes localized in the anus and cause severe itching there.
Hormonal disruptions during estrus in females can cause states of psychological instability, which manifests itself in a similar way.
Inflammation of the anal glands as a result of their blockage is the cause severe pain. Wanting to alleviate his condition on his own, the dog tries to reach the place of localization of pain.
Helminths that live in the rectum also cause itching in the area anus. Dog, in an attempt to eliminate unpleasant feeling, undertakes various activities. In addition to circling in one place, she can ride on the priest on the floor. Helminthiasis - especially common cause“tail catching” if the dog leads a street lifestyle or its diet contains raw meat.
Hypovitaminosis is another possible reason skin itching and circling in place.
Vestibular syndrome develops as a result of inflammatory processes flowing in inner ear or striking auditory nerve. As a result, the dog loses spatial orientation, suffers from severe dizziness.
Liver disorders can be suspected if this symptom is accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition of the animal, yellowing of the mucous membranes, lack of appetite, nausea, and stool disorders.
Late castration is fraught with hormonal disruptions, and hence the behavioral features that can be manifested by anxiety, as well as circling in place.

Psychological problems

In some cases, the disease in which the pet chases the tail is an independent pathology and is called "tail catching syndrome".

The pathology is genetic in nature and is an obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive desires that turn into repetitive actions).

The disease is diagnosed in early age and progresses over time. It can be corrected by providing psychological help and the use of sedative therapy, but the complete elimination of symptoms does not occur. Dogs with similar pathology are excluded from breeding programs because it is inherited. They do not take part in dog shows.

Pathology is a symptom of neurosis obsessive states and is accompanied by an increased level of anxiety in pets. It is manifested by seizures without loss of consciousness, the cause of which are areas of pathological electrical activity in temporal lobes the brain responsible for animal behavior. Periods of circling around its axis can usually last up to 10 minutes. Before this, the sick dog examines his tail intently, accompanying the action with a squeal or growl. Unreasonable fears, hallucinations, painful aggression can join. The disease is exacerbated in the case of prolonged keeping of the animal in a confined space (in a cramped enclosure), which causes an increase in the level of anxiety. Other irritants can also provoke an attack: loud sounds, strange dogs on its territory, sharp shouts.

Given mental disorder in addition to "catching the tail", it also has whole line symptoms:

constant licking of paws;
gnawing one's own fur before the formation of bald patches;
clicking teeth;
unpredictable aggression;
coprophagia (eating one's own or other people's excrement);
one point look.

The first signs of the disease may appear during puberty, during hormonal adjustment organism.

How to get rid of an unwanted habit

First of all, it is necessary to find out what are the reasons why the dog rushes to pursue itself.

Behavioral features can be easily recognized. In the event that the dog or puppy is doing this as a form of entertainment, the movement is not intrusive. They easily forget about him as soon as the owner offers them a more exciting activity.
The owner needs to carefully examine the back of the thighs, croup and anus, for reasons possible discomfort(hair problems, incorrectly docked tail and others).

If discomfort is caused by any internal pathology, then only certain treatment will help:

when allergic reactions use antihistamines;
inflammation of the paraanal glands is eliminated by their cleaning with the use of anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agents;
prevention of helminthiasis consists in regular deworming with special complex means.

Therapy for tail catching syndrome is the most difficult. It is almost impossible to completely defeat her, since she has genetic origin. All applicable remedial measures are symptomatic, and if they are canceled, relapses of the disease will be repeated. Moreover, it is useless to apply penalties to the dog, to put on a muzzle. The obsessive desire to perform this or that action will not disappear.

The main goal of the owner is to reduce elevated level anxiety and eliminate the formed bad habit. In a calm environment, behavioral adjustments are made to distract the animal from obsessive actions through positive reinforcement and development new reaction on annoying factor. Competitive behavior training is used when, when circling is resumed, the dog is given commands that it has already been trained in advance. Having achieved their fulfillment, the dog is encouraged with affection or treats, gradually weaning from unwanted actions and reinforcing the positive association.

Thus, we figured out why the dog runs after the tail. This action may be a variant of the norm, and may indicate a pathology. But in all cases, the dog's life should be filled with positive communication with the owner and interesting activities, which will also serve as a distraction factor. These can be walks, joint activities that help the realization of the hunting instinct in the form of running after a mechanical hare or fetching.

Many dogs love to chase their tail. This type of behavior is very common in dogs, but not often their owners can understand this behavior of their animals. Most likely, you have watched a dog chase its tail around itself and wondered why it does it. Is this behavior normal in dogs? Answer: sometimes. As the owner of your pet, you must learn to recognize what dog behavior is normal, and thus find out when, however, such behavior will deviate from the norm.

Chasing your tail can be completely natural and safe behavior in some dogs, but signal a serious behavioral problem in others. Therefore, let's take a closer look at the reasons that can cause such behavior of the animal.

Entertainment

Puppies or young dogs may chase their tails while playing with themselves in this way. Very young puppies cannot even understand that the tail is part of their body. Since dogs are genetically potential predators, they will always find something to run after as they grow and develop.
This trait also leads to the fact that dogs are lovers of chasing dogs smaller than themselves or other small animals. In the understanding of young dogs, the tail is just a toy attached to the body, which you can run after. Many dogs will start chasing their tail when they get bored.

Health problems

But be careful, dear owner, watching a picture of such entertainment of your pet! Your dog may be chasing his tail for more than just fun. Happens. That the animal feels some discomfort in the tail area and may try to bite it. Most often, the problem is associated with fleas, anal glands or skin problems. If the dog is chasing his tail frequently, it is best for you to go and see if the dog has any medical conditions.

Behavior problem:

Some dogs may develop the unhealthy habit of almost constantly chasing their tail or spinning around themselves. This behavior is not normal, so do not leave it unattended. Dogs may actually suffer from this compulsive habit, which can be caused prolonged voltage and anxiety. Rest and relaxation, positive attitude and care from the owner can be beneficial for the animal.
It should be noted that some breeds of dogs, such as bull terriers and german shepherds may be predisposed to chasing their tail. However, this does not mean that all representatives of these breeds will run after their tails.

When tail chasing is a problem

If your dog starts chasing his tail very often or seems to be obsessed with this habit and it is not easy for you to distract him, this is worth paying attention to. Special attention. The problem may be caused by a physical or psychological disorder.
To find out if the animal is sick, it is necessary to examine the skin on the tail and around the anus. Make sure that the dog does not have fleas or wounds of any kind. Even if everything looks normal, you should visit the veterinarian. It is possible that the dog may have worms or itching, which is easily eliminated with the treatment that the veterinarian will prescribe.
It is important not to ignore the fact that when a dog is chasing its tail excessively, it should not be left unattended so as not to cause obsessive dog behavior or other problems with your pet.