Every so often a dog can
be seen circling round and round at high speed, chasing its own tail.
It snaps its jaws at the vanishing tail, then spins around in hot
pursuit, sometimes circling so many times that it becomes dizzy and
disoriented. For
the human observer what starts out as an amusing folly on the part of
the
dog and seems to be no more than a simple play pattern,
eventually becomes disturbing. It begins to look like the
stereotype that has become a behavioural abnormality, rather than a
rhythmic game. Sadly, this is not too far from the truth because
persistent tail chasing is usually the failing of dogs that have
been kept in unnaturally boring
conditions.
Dogs are social beings and they are also intensely exploratory.
If they are deprived of companians-both canine and human or if
they are kept in a constrained or monotonous environment, they
suffer. The worst mental punishment a dog can be given is to be
kept alone in a tightly confined space where nothing varies.
Fortunately this rarely happens with domestic dogs. But
wild dogs in zoos have often been housed
in small, cramped, empty cages, condemned to a life sentence of
solitary
confinement. Observations of such animals has revealed that they
frequently develop 'tics' and stereotyped actions, such as paw biting,
tail chewing, neck twisting, pacing and other damaging patterns
of
repetitive behaviour. Sometimes these 'tics' become so savage
that
dogs repeatedly bite into their flesh and develop running sores.
This
self punishment may seem destructive but it has the effect of
providing
acute stimulation in a world that has become an unbearable limbo of
boredom.
Tail chasing is a mild form of this behaviour. It is often
seen
in a puppy that has recently been isolated from its litter mates.
Taken
to a new home it is suddenly robbed of all the rough and tumble play so
typical
of a lively litter, and it will seek new forms of stimulation.
If
its owners do not play with it enough the puppy may find it difficult
to
start up a game and it is then that the tail chasing becomes the best
companion
available. There is no harm in this providing the circling does
not
become a compulsive obsession. Many lonely puppies do it for a
while
and then grow out of it. Only when it persists into adulthood
does
it indicate a fault in the dogs environment, and a greater need for
social
interaction and adventure. It can normally be cured by increasing
these aspects of the animals life.
The only exception to this rule is when a dog is suffering from some
stubborn irritation in the tail region such as swollen anal glands or
lasting pain from a badly docked tail. But in such cases other
more
specific responses such as rump dragging and tail nibbling are more
likely
to occur.
Tail chasing can develop into a harmful habit, with some dogs known
to mutilate their genitals during the persuit. For this reason, tail
chasing is just not entertainment for the dog - and often the owner -
but a serious problem. Dr Robert Holmes, a veterinarian and animal
behaviourist, told an Australian conference. "Something should be done
to break the habit straight away." said Dr Holmes.
Dr Holmes said that in extreme cases, tail chasing resulted in physical
damage or the habit becoming obsessive. He said that in the worse case
he had seen, a tail chaser had to be put down after it started
mutilating
its genitals.
In these sorts of cases the
dogs grab hold of their tails, then turn their attention to other
things in the area - in this case the undercarriage. In other cases
dogs have
been known to pin their tails against walls or lie on their backs to
enable
them to bite their tails. The chase is part of their natural predatory
aggression and may finish with growling, biting or injury to themselves.
Identifying the cause of the habit is the first step in breaking the
habit. While boredom was the most common cause of tail chasing, there
were eight other possible causes. Owners often report that it started
suddenly but they didn't worry about it, and often thought it amusing
or just one of those things dogs did.
Apart from boredom and breeding, other predisposing factors could be:
Frustration or conflict; tail trauma; owner reinforcement; flea allergy
dermatitus, annal sacculitis; cuada equina syndrome or stimulent drugs.
An example of owner reinforcement, was where the owner held, stroked or
verbally soothed the dog to stop circling.
It may be necessary to restrict the dog's view of it's tail with an
Elizabethan collar or bucket over the head. Sedation of the animal
through
drugs may also be necessary.
After a month of complete suppression of tail chasing, the short term
prevention measure can be steadily removed. Drug treatment should be
reduced over a week period and the bucket or collar could be taken off
under strict supervision at the time of the day tail chasing was least
likely. If the tail chasing resumed, then the bucket or
Elizabethan collar should
be resumed for another month.
reprinted with kind permission from
John Chandler, Secretary/Webmaster, ACDSCNQ.
