Why does a dog chew its tail? Not just a game: The dog chews the base of its tail.

Shepherd dog, male, 3 years old - bites its tail. This was noticed before, but this summer the disease worsened greatly. I plucked some fur from the base of my tail, an area about 30 cm long. Only a little hair remained at the end of the tail. The skin in this area bleeds. Even when the food is attractive, he gets distracted and pulls his tail with his teeth.

According to the description, your dog has perianal adenosinusitis. Will explain. On either side of the anus there are two glands that secrete an odor secretion. In the wild, when in danger, animals very often release this secretion. In domestic dogs this function is no longer needed. And the secretion stagnates in the sinuses and causes severe itching. The dog is twitching its tail and hind legs. Skin problems begin. If you live in a rural area, then you probably have a rural veterinarian. Ask him for Mastisan or Mastiet-Forte. And from a syringe without a needle, administer 5 ml of this medicine to the dog three times a day. And also administer rectal suppositories with novocaine once a day. You can buy them at the pharmacy.
If your veterinarian can, then you need to empty the sinuses of the accumulated fluid. Also give your dog an analgin tablet at night. If anything is unclear, ask.

Comments on the consultation:

03/23/2011 anna
da very panytno napisano u meny buuiterier i toje takaya prablema no vse ravno ot hvosta ne othosit vse pereprobivala mojrt bit s nervami problema.

03/28/2011 Veterinarian Gordeeva E
For Anna: Have you emptied your dog’s paraanal sinuses?

10/23/2011 Alena
We have a German (girl) 1.8, he gnaws his tail until it bleeds and periodically runs after it, the local veterinarian threw up his hands, what should we do???

10/27/2011 Veterinarian Gordeeva E
For Alena: There may be 2 reasons for your dog to behave this way: or she suffers from shepherd neurosis, which is very common in German shepherds, and the behavior problem will have to be treated. Or the dog’s anal sinuses are inflamed and overcrowded. This can be checked by a veterinarian or by yourself. Then, by curing the inflammation in the paraanal sinuses, you will achieve the disappearance of this behavior. If you want, you can take a survey with me to identify behavior problems.

03/09/2013 Teresa
If you want, you can take a survey with me to identify behavior problems. I also want to take a survey to identify the cause in my dog, the problem is exactly the same.

07/03/2015 Maria
About the fact that the German Shepherd is chewing its tail... I also want to take a survey

09/23/2016 Laura
About the fact that the German Shepherd chews its tail... I also want to take a survey.

11/12/2016 Stanislav
male avcharka 1 year and 2 months old, chews his tail and runs after it, the tail is naked from tip to base until it bleeds, does not gnaw

A dog chasing its own tail is a completely familiar picture. At this moment, the dog can simply play, but sometimes this happens due to unpleasant or painful sensations.

Attention! The owner needs to pay attention to the pet, especially if it has been chewing its tail for several days, blood appears, and the dog whines or growls.

Young dogs and puppies often play around by trying to bite their tail. They behave this way most often out of boredom. The pet is taken into the home at the age of one to two months. The puppy is taken from the friendly company of its mother, brothers and sisters. At first, the dog is alone in the new house. The puppy perceives its tail as a moving toy and does not understand that it is part of its body. The pet tries to catch this interesting object with its teeth, but the tail escapes at the last moment.

When a puppy is healthy, he is easily distracted from his work, runs to his owner, and plays with members of the household.

Important! If tail chasing is obsessive and your pet shows anxiety, then it needs to be shown to a veterinarian.

An adult dog bites its tail

Playing with the tail is not the norm for an adult dog. An animal bites parts of its body when something bothers it. In this case, the dog may lose orientation in space and fall exhausted.

Causes of tail chasing can be:

physiological;
psychological;
household

Important! The dog needs to be examined by a specialist, undergo the necessary tests and be treated according to the veterinarian’s recommendations.

Physiological factors

The desire to bite one's own tail is often caused by problems with the animal's physical health. The table shows possible causes.

For adult dogs Fitoelita, Bim, Lugovoi, Dana, Bars, Celandine;
for puppies – Doctor Zoo.
Effective sprays and drops against fleas and ticks - Frontline, Bolfo, Beaphar.

Preventive treatments include repellent drops (such as Advantix) and flea collars.

All products are purchased at a pet store or veterinary pharmacy. The drugs are used in the recommended dosage so as not to cause an allergic reaction on the dog’s skin.

Psychological factors

Among the psychological problems that cause a dog to chase its own tail are:

Stress. The dog’s nervous system can be shaken by: a change of owner, a change of place of residence, severe fright, or causing physical pain. It takes time for an animal's nervous system to recover from stress. A veterinarian's consultation is required.
Boredom. If the owner does not engage with his pet, the animal begins to have fun on its own. In such cases, the tail becomes a favorite toy. By biting its tail, an animal can cause physical harm to itself.
Too intense training. The opposite situation to the previous one also causes exhaustion of the dog’s nervous system.

Household factors

Improper maintenance and untimely hygiene lead to the formation of hairballs. Matted fur pulls on the skin, causing itching and pain. The dog's tail can get thorns and burrs, which bothers it. The pet grabs its tail and pulls out the burrs along with its fur. The owner needs to monitor the condition of his pet's fur.

If a dog bites its tail until it bleeds

By chewing its tail, the pet injures itself. The wounds hurt, they get infected, the dog behaves even more restlessly, and sometimes gets seriously ill. It is important to identify the problem even when the dog starts chasing its tail. Timely measures will prevent you from gnawing parts of your own body until they bleed.

How to help a dog?

The fact that a dog bites its own tail is not an independent problem. There is a reason for this; it needs to be found out and the irritating factor eliminated.

Important! To clarify the problem, you need to consult a veterinarian. It will be necessary to analyze and correct many factors.

Table of possible causes and methods for eliminating them

The owner can prohibit the dog from biting its tail, but this is the worst solution to the problem. An obedient dog will most likely follow the owner’s orders, but there may be negative consequences:

aggression;
the emergence of the habit of swallowing objects not intended for food;
compulsive walking in circles;
violation of the dog's trust and attachment to its owner.

In addition, the owner cannot be with the pet around the clock and control it. In the absence of the owner, the dog may injure itself.

The problem should be given attention and solved with the help of a specialist, not prohibitions.

Important! Just because the dog obeys its owner, itching, pain and other unpleasant sensations will not disappear.

Video - Why does a dog chew its tail?

Positive effects of training

During the training process, the dog learns to control its behavior. Therefore, having ruled out health problems, begin training with your pet. One of the stages of training is learning games that should satisfy the animal's hunting instinct. An active lifestyle, games with the owner and exercises form the correct behavior of the dog. Training such as Frisbee, fetch, and skijoring are a kind of therapy for the dog’s mental state.

Inexperienced owners, once seeing their dog running in circles after its tail and zealously gnawing on it, are very surprised. This is not just fun or self-entertainment. The trouble is that the zealous gnawing of fur with teeth in such an inconvenient place has serious reasons. Why does the dog do this? What should the owner do in such a situation? Let's find out in detail.

What makes a dog attack its tail?

There is no truer companion in life than a dog. This is the most faithful and devoted friend. But unfortunately, while helping and protecting their owners, they themselves cannot tell about their problems and illnesses. That's why, when something bothers dogs, they try to help themselves. This also happens when the dog begins to attack his tail. The owner is surprised, but the dog suffers, he is not having fun. The causes of the problems may be:

When an allergy is the cause of the problem, the owner must identify the allergen with the help of a veterinarian. Sometimes allergies can occur suddenly as a result of mixing dry food and natural food - this should not be done!

Not every experienced owner is able to correctly determine the reason why a pet chews fur in the tail area. Therefore, you need to turn to specialists for help. After all, ignoring the problem will not eliminate it. And if there are two dogs in the house, then if a problem is detected in one of them, the second should be isolated as soon as possible. Otherwise, she faces the same troubles.

Many dog owners have observed this picture when their four-legged pet begins to actively chase its tail and bite it. At first glance, it seems that this behavior is very funny and, as a rule, the owners do not pay due attention to it. But in fact, this may be a symptom of some dangerous disease.

As mentioned above, this does not always mean that the animal is simply having fun. In fact, the reason may lie in the presence of a certain pathology. The fact is that in this way the dog tries to remove what is bothering it - it could be some kind of foreign body, pain, itching, etc.

The reasons that provoke a dog’s desire to chase its tail can be divided into two categories:

Psychological reasons

Dogs, by nature, are very energetic, active and cheerful animals. They usually love to play, they like it when their individuals pay a lot of attention. Excessive activity of the nervous system can provoke overexcitation. In this case, the pet will run around the house or enclosure like mad, jumping anywhere and, among other things, attacking its tail.

This behavior does not last long. In addition, it can be stopped by restraining the dog in an appropriate manner, although it will be quite difficult for him to calm down.

Another classic psychological cause is neurosis. This term refers to an obsessive state that the animal tries to cope with through some monotonous activities. For example, a pet may lie for hours and lick its paw, or run in circles behind its tail and bite it.

Many dog owners have observed this picture when their four-legged pet begins to actively chase its tail and bite it.

The dog itself can be anxious, because not all of them can boast of a strong nervous system.

Such pets are almost constantly restless. This is manifested, among other things, by attempts to bite one’s own tail.

You should also understand that a four-legged friend may simply get bored with his owner. Especially if he is not at home or does not pay enough attention to him. The animal tries to “call” the owner by barking or, and also to attract attention by actively hunting for its own tail, as if showing that it wants to play.

This cannot be ruled out either. Moreover, the risk of a dog chasing its tail and trying to bite it due to illness is quite high, so special attention must be paid to this.

The tick, as you know, can cling to almost any place, but, as a rule, it chooses an area where the fur is not so thick, for example, near the anus. In addition, it is very difficult for the dog to reach here to get rid of the uninvited guest. That is why fleas predominantly settle here, which are also attracted to the sebaceous glands located in this area.

If running in a circle and trying to attack your tail is accompanied by symptoms such as weakness, lack of appetite, diarrhea, excessive salivation, vomiting, then this may indicate serious problems with internal organs, for example, the stomach, intestines, liver, etc.

Please note that if your pet has a docked tail, he may try to attack it, since he simply will not recognize the part of his body. Such a desire of the dog must be decisively suppressed.

What should the owner do?

Of course, a dog owner can help his pet, and this should definitely be done. The owner’s actions directly depend on what specific reason provokes this behavior of the dog:

The dependence of this behavior on the breed

Is there a connection between a dog's desire to chase its tail and bite it with breed? Partially yes. It's no secret that dogs of one breed can be calmer than others. The calmer the animal, the lower the likelihood of this behavior.

It is important to understand that all dogs are susceptible to disease to a certain extent, regardless of their breed. So there is no difference here. For example, German Shepherds and Japanese Spitz are equally affected. In any case, you will have to find the reason for this behavior and eliminate it, since the proper health and mood of your four-legged friend depends on this.

If you are alarmed by your pet's new, inappropriate habits, it is very important to try to find out the reason for them. Often changes in behavior indicate the development of some negative processes in the animal’s body. For example, a common question that owners often ask the veterinarian is why a dog bites its tail. Let's try to figure out what this seemingly harmless feature signals and why it is dangerous.

An animal can bite its own paws or tail in a playful mood (small puppies often do this) or as a result of some disturbing sensations in the tail area. It is usually not difficult for an attentive owner to distinguish between playfulness and aggression. If the habit begins to seriously bother the pet, that is, the dog chews its tail constantly, until it bleeds, and even growls or whines at this time, it is likely that pain is bothering it in this area.

The reasons for this may be different. For example, an animal is bothered by itching in the back of its body. It can be caused either directly by dermatological diseases, such as lichen, scabies, or by skin lesions associated with problems in the body itself, for example, rashes and itching from poor nutrition (allergic reactions, individual intolerance). In such cases, the veterinarian recommends reviewing the animal’s diet and taking appropriate measures, in particular, stopping mixing store-bought food and homemade food.

Another reason why a dog chews its tail may be inflammation of the paraanal sinuses or glands, which is common in animals living in city apartments, causing significant discomfort in the pet. Such dogs often lack physical activity and have to restrain the urge to have a bowel movement, which ultimately leads to illness. A veterinarian will help eliminate the inflammation, and to prevent it from happening again, it is advisable to change the living conditions and review the pet’s regime.

But what if none of these reasons are confirmed? What if the dog has no worms, no fleas, no skin rashes, no problems with internal organs? The explanation may be stress, for example, moving to a new place of residence, a change of environment, fear and other psychological problems. Over time, the behavioral disturbances they cause usually go away on their own. And if it doesn’t go away, you should consult a doctor.