Why is a dog chasing its tail - normal behavior or an alarming symptom? Why does a dog chew its tail? Not just a game Why does a dog bite its tail?

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Every dog ​​owner has noticed the scene where the dog chases the tail, spins like a top and grabs it with its teeth. If this happens sometimes during the game, then a person need not worry. But if a dog constantly chews, chases, tries to bite off or gnaw its own tail, then you need to take a closer look. Such behavior cannot be ignored, and it does not go away on its own.

All the reasons why a dog chews its tail can be divided into physiological and psychological.

Allergic reactions to food, grass blooms, travel agents or other external factors cause itching on the paws between the toes, in the armpits and in the groin. These are areas where many blood vessels pass through. These areas do not include the dog's tail and pelvis, but allergies often manifest themselves here as well. In this situation, the dog chews its tail and paws immediately, and a person should be alerted if he sees red dots or bumps on the skin.

Demodicosis and lichen rarely appear in the tail area - both of these skin diseases do not cause itching, therefore, if they appear, the owner will only notice a change in the skin, and not the dog’s desire to gnaw and bite this area

Is it dangerous

In an animal constantly exposed to a bacteria-contaminated environment, any open wound can lead to disastrous consequences. When a dog chews its tail until it bleeds, it causes a bacterial infection. The tail vertebrae are close to the wounds; if pus settles there, the animal may go into septic shock.

Prolonged self-trauma of an open wound leads to the fact that the upper skin cells do not have time to form, and old wounds are difficult to heal. In addition, an open bleeding wound can degenerate over a long period of time and form “wild meat”.

The owner needs to prevent the animal from biting its tail. A plastic casing that is placed around the dog’s head will help with this. It does not allow you to reach your own tail. Put it on as soon as you notice a wound on the tail. If the animal calmly allows itself to be treated in this place, then cut and select the fur around it so that it does not touch the wound. If the animal allows you to apply a bandage, you should not miss this opportunity.

When the wound cannot be bandaged, for example, it is at the junction of the dog’s body and its tail, then it is enough to sprinkle it with wound-healing powder. The only exceptions are dogs that live constantly on the street, especially in the summer. An open wound is attractive to flies, which can lay eggs in it - after a few hours you can find many maggots there. To prevent this from happening, the wound must be covered, at least with a bandage secured with a plaster.

The third action of the owner of a dog with a wound on the tail is to find out the reasons. You can lift the fur of the affected area yourself and see what the surrounding skin looks like. The answer to your question can be seen immediately in the form of an allergic rash or a banal flea.

If there is any suspicion of psychological stress, start training with a dog handler, even if it is only a suspicion, and the dog is surrounded by attention and stress. If the emotional experiences of a four-legged pet result in such behavior, then autoimmune diseases are one step away.

Since childhood, we have become accustomed to the fact that if a dog chases its tail, that’s how it plays. No, this is not a game at all. Cats are a different matter, but dogs have some pretty serious problems with chasing their tails.

Why does a dog chew its tail and chase it? Let's talk about this in more detail in the article.

Then why does a dog chew its tail? Plays like hell. Is not it so? You guessed wrong. The answer to this question is given below.

Self-stimulation

When a dog chases its tail, this indicates that something is not right with its psyche. As a rule, tail chasing occurs when the animal is stressed or does not like something. Dogs with a strong psyche are looking for another way to discharge in a given situation. Weak animals begin to actively chase their own tail.

Why does a dog need this? Chasing your tail is a process of self-stimulation. The dog thus enters a state akin to alcohol or drugs, if translated into human language.

After such a chase, you can notice abnormal breathing in the animal. Someone will say that the dog was running, hence the difficulty in breathing. But if you carefully observe how a dog breathes after a run and after chasing its tail, the difference is obvious.

Why does a dog chew its tail? Now we will find out everything.

Nervous pet

Dogs, like people, have their own types of higher nervous activity. In its pure form, one or the other is rare, but one predominates. There are choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic dogs.

Like choleric people, dogs are prone to hysteria. But if a person can express his emotions by screaming, for example, then a dog is deprived of this. She expresses her nervousness and hysteria by beginning to chew her tail. Now it becomes clear why a dog chews its tail.

The further into the forest

In other words, the more nervous the pet is, the more it discharges on the tail. It gets to the point where the owner begins to wonder why the dog chews its tail until it bleeds. Many owners think that this is a sign that their pet has fleas. They go and do tests, looking for some non-existent diseases.

And the problem, most often, is in the owner himself. If the dog is uncomfortable being around him, if contact is not established, and the owner does not hesitate to raise his voice at the pet, a dog with a weak psyche begins to fall into hysterics. Sooner or later, this ends with the animal discharging itself on its own tail, biting it until it bleeds.

How to avoid?

The dog chews its tail: we found out the reasons for this. Real neuroscience, nothing less.

How to avoid such manifestations? First of all, treat the dog properly. It is clear that a dog is just an animal, and there is no point in humanizing it. But this does not mean that your pet should be rewarded with blows, shouted at for no reason, and swearing.

Remember the golden rule: a dog is a mirror of its owner. And if the owner is nervous, then his dog is unlikely to remain adequate.

This means that we have sorted out the behavior towards the dog. We now also know why a dog chews its tail. If you notice that the pet begins to hunt for the tail and gnaw it, without being embarrassed by the owner, stop it. Strictly ban it, that's what needs to be done. We say “no” and block unwanted behavior. But under no circumstances is it possible.

It is advisable to keep the animal busy all the time. When a weak dog has nothing to do, he does not know what activity to come up with. So he begins to run after the tail, and when he catches up, bites it. And the owner thinks: why does the dog chew its tail? What is wrong with her has not been observed before.

If you go somewhere, leave toys for your pet. Play with your pet while walking. And it often happens that the dog runs around on its own, without a leash, chasing its tail. The owner is somewhere out there, far from the dog. Or talking on the phone, or admiring the surrounding landscapes. And it’s not clear whether the dog is walking on its own or with its owner.

Don't neglect training and daily exercise. This is especially true for large dogs. A breed like the German Shepherd, for example, requires mental stimulation. Go for a walk in the evening, practice obedience with your dog for about fifteen minutes. This benefits her greatly.

Let's summarize

The main purpose of the article is to tell readers why a dog chews the tip of its tail and the entire tail. What do you need to remember?

Dogs with the choleric type of VND are susceptible to similar behavior.

Very often, a pet begins to run after its tail and chew it when the animal is uncomfortable being near its owner.

This behavior must be strictly discouraged.

Large breed dogs require regular mental and physical exercise, then there will be no time to suffer from chasing their tail.

Conclusion

We found out why a dog chews its tail and runs after it. As little stress as possible, and as much training as possible.

Many dog ​​owners can observe the following picture: a dog bites its tail with anger. Some people think this is normal and don't pay attention to it.

But this is not correct, because any strange behavior of your pet is a sign of his dissatisfaction, or a sign of some kind of disturbance in his well-being. There are several reasons why your dog bites his tail.

If your dog is a little puppy

If you have a puppy, then you should not worry about tail bites. For small dogs, this is quite normal; this is how they play with themselves. When your puppy gets bored, he uses his tail as a toy and starts running after it on the floor and chewing on it. It is very good if you are a baby, train the dog before exhibitions.

Tail bruise or injury

Another reason for biting one's tail may be an injury or bruise to the tail. If you suspect that this is an injury, then it is best to take your dog to the vet. He will be able to recognize the fracture on an x-ray and apply a special fixator. After all, the tail is an extension of the spine, and any damage to it can lead to disorders in the musculoskeletal system.

Poor dog nutrition

It is very bad if your dog is not eating properly. In dogs, this has a very negative effect on the body. And the first sign of improper nutrition is if your dog bites his tail. To ensure this, never mix dog food with table food. If you cannot avoid this, then go to the veterinarian, he will advise you on what food to exclude from your pet’s diet.

If you are preparing your dog for exhibitions, our salon can help you. Be vigilant and take care of your pets.