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biting his tail

rocky

Well-known member
vegas has just started to chase his tail he goes round in circles trying to bite it, is this normal?
 
My two have chased their tail before, it was when they were pretty young (3-4 months old) and they wouldn't do it for long at all. I would distract them if I ever saw them do it, since I believe this breed is prone to OCD-type behavior. How long does he chase his tail for before he stops? Is he causing any bleeding on his tail when he bites it, or does he even "catch" it at all?
 
He may have an anal gland issue or worms. I would definitely take him to the vet.

If no physical cause can be found, I would look into whether it's a compulsive behavior or just a normal puppy behavior. IMHO it's best to rule out health problems before behavior.
 
I'm with Cathy, I'd get a quick check up at the vets. It could be just that funny puppy stage where they want to pounce on anything they see moving (including their own tail), but if it is more than just an occasional isolated incident it is probably worth getting checked out.
 
It is normal in one sense i'd say... but also could be something health related. IMO its probably the anal glands that are maybe needing emptied. Does he pull his wee bum along the floor as well?

Holly chased her tail and pulled her bum along the floor, and when we took her to the vets it turned out that her anal glands needed emptied. The vet showed me how to do it too... but BOAK!!!!! Bleugh! haha.
 
thanks for the replies, he actually catches his tail and just bites on the end of it i have also seen him shuffle his bum along the floor but not at the same time that he is biting his tail, but i will get him checked out anyway to be on safe side
 
If this is happening a lot -- eg several times a week or more -- especially as he is catching and chewing the end of the tail, you do need to talk to the vet -- lots of dogs will occasionally chase their tail but if it becomes a habit and/or if the dog starts catching and chewing the end, this can be a problem -- they can start to mutilate themselves, etc. Some young dogs seem to more or less grow out of this if it is really mild and occasional -- Jaspar used to tail chase a bit when under a year. But he never tried to actually catch it. He does it a few times a year now only.

There are lots of theories of what causes it; it tends to be either medical or behavioural. There is some clear evidence that for some dogs there's a genetic predisposition.

See:

http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=94&cat=dogs
 
he has done it once today that i have seen and it only lasted about a minute if i see him do it i am going to try and distract him, i didn't know it could mean so many things
 
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