my dog will not stop chasing her tail?

Question

she slobbers none stop while she is chasing and she refuses to stop I take her for walkes and I try to play with her but as soon as she is out of her kennal she starts circling .maybe this is reagular behavior for a Bully I'm not sure, she is only 6 months and we have 3 boys who like to play with her so im sure she cant be bored

Answer 1

Hi,

It is a very good question and I am glad you asked about it. It looks like a compulsive-obsessive behavior. There can also be different reasons for that like a genetic disposition, environmental influences, lack of exercise (which you said it is not the case). Tail chasing can also be a sign of itching and inflammation at the base of the tail, lower back, or anus caused by allergies, liver disease, fleas, or anal sac disease.
You might need to examine all the possible reasons to find the real cause of your dog behavior.
Some dog behavior look funny for us humans for a while, but many times there is a serious problem behind those behaviors and it should never be encouraged in any way. I guess that you are already very concerned about it and even if it looked funny for a while it is not funny anymore...

You have a powerful breed too and the first thing that I would try to establish is if your dog gets enough of proper exercise. By proper exercise I mean about an hour of walking AND running everyday in the morning. Your dog is still a puppy and it has a lot of energy that needs to go somewhere. Playing with kids is great but it can never replace a good workout. I don't know your exact situation so I am only guessing...Please try to think about if your dog gets enough vigoros exercise (walking/running/ running next to a bike is great too). If he does then there is probably a different reason for his tail chasing. If adding more exercise on a regular basis helps than maybe that's all that your dog needs to stop the tail chasing behavior...

I found very good articles about tail chasing for you:

"Why do dogs do it? At first, it seemed that this behavior served little purpose and was a mindless, repetitive behavior that helped pass the time. But in the last 10 years, tail chasing has been regarded as a symptom of a compulsive disorder, much like compulsive self-licking. This implies that the dog has some genetic predisposition toward this behavior when in situations of anxiety or conflict. Being classified as a compulsive disorder also means that the activity has its roots in a natural behavior. Furthermore, its label as a compulsive disorder implies that it can be treated with anti-obsession medication, such as fluoxetine (Prozac®).

A Genetic Disposition

Tail chasing tends to be confined to certain breeds, which is evidence in support of a genetic predisposition. One study showed that the vast majority of tail-chasing dogs were of bull terrier or German shepherd lineage. A detailed study of bull terriers suggests that the disorder is transmitted via recessive genes. Although genetic in origin, environmental stress plays an important role in promoting the expression of the disorder. It is quite possible that a susceptible dog may not chase his tail at all if his environment is ideal, and that a dog without the genetic susceptibility may never chase his tail even under the most extreme environmental provocation.

Environmental Influences

Conflict underlies tail chasing in dogs. Conflict can take the form of confinement, social isolation, adversarial situations with people or other animals, and lack of opportunity to perform species-typical behavior. If a susceptible bull terrier is kept crated for many hours a day and deprived of social contact, especially when young, it is quite likely that he may erupt into tail chasing behavior of some level. Conversely, removing an affected dog from a stressful situation may reduce or eliminate the behavior.

The exact expression of tail chasing varies considerably between individuals. Some may only tail chase mildly and with little enthusiasm. Owners may accept an explanation that this is just “normal” behavior for the breed. Other dogs are affected so extremely that they chase their tails practically non-stop, running in tight circles, and snapping at the tips of their tails. Self-injury can result if the dog actually catches his tail. Bull terriers have been known to wear off their back pads by continuous tail chasing as they pivot around on their hind feet. Tail chasers of this degree pause only to grab a mouthful of food or to sleep and are clearly seriously dysfunctional. They seem to have no pleasure or interest in life other than chasing their tails and make poor pets as they display little or no wish for social interactions.

Tail chasing may begin as a “displacement behavior.” The dog finds himself in some dilemma he can't resolve, and displaces his anxiety into a behavior that has nothing to do with the problem. Tail chasing is believed to derive from dogs' natural predatory instincts. They may see their tail as something that isn't part of them, and something worth chasing and catching. Chasing the tail may provide dogs some relief from their conflict because it fills a behavioral vacuum.

Tail chasing may start gradually and build up to high pitch or it may begin suddenly at an intense level. The majority of cases start when the dog is pre-pubertal (around 4 or 5 months of age) or adolescent (6 to 9 months of age). Some dogs start suddenly later in life, often as a result of some acute incident of stress. Typical precipitating factors include an incident of trauma to the tail, neuter surgery, or a geographical move. Some dogs start for no apparent reason other than the fact that their freedom is curtailed.

Dogs exhibiting compulsive tail chasing often have other compulsive behaviors. For example, bull terriers may also pace in wide circles or show compulsive behavior towards objects such as tennis balls.

Affected German shepherds often engage in compulsive pacing and circling behavior, too, including running in large figure eights. A tail chaser that is physically prevented from tail chasing is likely to displace into some other repetitive compulsive behavior.

How to Treat Tail Chasing


Lifestyle enrichment program, including increased exercise, a healthy diet and clear communication with owners.


Provide the dog increased opportunities to perform species-typical behaviors, particularly chasing and fetching. This can be achieved via various sporting exercises e.g. flyball, Frisbee, long walks through fields, and playing fetch.


Alleviate oppressive circumstances (e.g. excessive periods of confinement).


Medication. Any of the human anti-obsessional drugs will likely reduce or sometimes eliminate the tail chasing behavior in dogs. Drugs such as fluoxetine (Prozac®), paroxetine (Paxil®), sertraline (Zoloft®), and clomipramine (Clomicalm®) have all been found effective. Unfortunately, these drugs alone are not always effective in tail chasing and sometimes augmentation strategies have to be employed. In German shepherds, the addition of the anti-convulsant, phenobarbital, to an anti-obsessional drug regimen is often helpful.

Amputation of the tail is almost invariably ineffective in resolving this problem."

Please check other links I am providing here as well.

Good luck!

Alex

Answer 2

Well clearly the dog is getting neurotic with it's tail chasing.
I consider this like people who bite their nails or twirl their hair. It is an OCD thing. Call the vet or a few of them and ask if they think she should have some meds to get her through this rough patch. Follow whatever they say. This to the extent that you are talking is a disorder, not just a diversion.
I've seen this in a dog to excess before and I'm sure that the dog was put on meds to get it to chill out and grow through the problem.
Good luck

Answer 3

The tail on a dog is just an extension, not really needed as the wiskers on a cat, A dog chases its tail due to this fact, not because of playing or just happy, confussion goes a long way, and we men are the same way. a dog feels that something or someone is following, the only way to prevent it is to tape her tail down untill she gets use to it not being seen.
I had seven dogs and all but one chased his tail, he was crazy!!
lovable yet crazy. she'll be ok.

Answer 4

I have a 1 1/2 year old pit bull and he still chases his tail sometimes. It's very funny to watch. It is just something to amuse them don't worry it's natural.

Answer 5

Go to PetSmart (or maybe even WalMart) and buy this stuff called Bitter Apple Spray. It's a biting deterrent - tastes like crap but is not poisonous. It's kinda like that stuff you paint on your nails to prevent you from biting them, only it's a spray. I would recommend spraying it on the dog's tail. I'll bet you they won't bite it ever again. Good luck!

Answer 6

Remember Ol' Yeller?

Answer 7

sometimes it can be a sign or stress or frustration. but some dog breeds are more prone to doing it, we have a staff who nearly a year old and she is ocd about chasing her tail

Answer 8

It's completely normal...plus it's a lot of fun to watch. Some dogs just never grow out of it. She's fine...

Answer 9

all dogs do that....if my dog isn't chasing her tail, she's chasing the tail of some other dog.

Answer 10

my brothers golden retriever mix chases her tail when she gets excited and she still hasn't grown out of it.