Dog won't stop chasing it's tail

gnolan

Yes 'it's'! It's a 'she' but she's realling pi$$ing me off. I'm assuming its cos she's bored but its almost manic at this stage. She's a year old or so and has been doing it everyday.

Its not as if she just keeps spinning, 80% of the time she gets the tail in her mouth and ends up squashed against the wall or on her back with her tail in her mouth! From other behaviour I'm beginning to think that she's just a f ucking moron! Any ideas?

The Sweeper

Yeah.

Tail chasing can be a sign of high anxiety in dogs. And since you apparently think yours is a 'f ucking moron', I assume you're probably not sending out positive dog-related signals to her. She's probably desperately anxious to please you, and you probably don't give a monkey's: QED, highly anxious dog.

Change your attitude first, and your dog will change hers.

And you need to do it sooner rather than later, before you come home to find blood up the walls because she's managed to take the tip of the tail right off.

Do you shout at her or send out very negative vibes when she chases her tail? Are you generally nice to her, or is she the 'stupid f ucking dog' more often than not? Do you play positive reinforcement games with her?

Is she basic obedience trained?

What breed of dog is she? If she's one of the traditionally more intelligent breeds (e.g. border collie or collie mix), her higher intelligence could be adding to her anxiety and making the tail chasing worse. Try going to some training classes with her, because the level of interaction will improve your relationship and also keep her more occupied. Agility training is very useful to intelligent dogs, and will also train you how to properly motivate and reward your dog.

There are other possiblities, including pain and irritation of the tail, but to be honest based on your post I think it's more pain and irritation of the owner, and you're going to have to change before she will.

lucky111

Yeah my rottweiler has a long tail and does it constantly
But he's only a pup [ 5 mth ]:D

gnolan

When she chases her tail she's told 'No', the only really negative word she hears from me. When i do this she stops....momentarily, then continues. I'm certain its not a way of trying to please me, she does it when there is no one else in the room, i've come downstairs to her spinning in circles. Last week i told her to stop, she stopped, went into the other room where i could hear her doing it again.

She is a German Shepherd, like i said about a year old. She is not trained, does not give much trouble, but those problems she does have are quite irritating; tail-chasing, eating her own sh!t, hugely excited when visitors arrive, jumping up and utimately peeing on the floor.

Not certain what would be deemed a positive reinforcement game? Thanks for the long post, i'm not an a$$hole, just think (from time to time) she displays traits that would suggest she's mentally defficient.....ya know.....in the old brain department!!

lucky111

Hey Gnolan, my rottweiler is a complete airhead, pees whenever people are around him, palys with his own poo:mad: and is sooooooooooo hyper it's wicked.
I know his a pup, [ massive pup ] but i just know he's gone be like this.
As i said to OH, WE ALWAYS SEEM TO GET AIRHEAD DOGS
But wouldn't change 'em for the world;)

View Profile

My dog did that for a time when he was younger.:D

A quick spray of deodorant on his tail would put an end to it. Guess he dosen't care for lynx much either!

gnolan

View Profile wrote: »

My dog did that for a time when he was younger.:D

A quick spray of deodorant on his tail would put an end to it. Guess he dosen't care for lynx much either!

Seems like it might be worth a go. And if not the deodorant would be a top-notch accellerant, from what i read in 'Pet Weekly', dogs hate fire in their mouths as much as humans!

kazza23

Quickest way to sort all the problems you have mentioned is to enrol your dog in training classes. German shepherds are very intelligent dogs and so require lots of mental stimulation - a walk or 2 a day just won't cut it. Get her into training - you won't regret it, and you'll have a well behaved, happy and contented dog on your hands instead.

gnolan

lucky111 wrote: »

Hey Gnolan, my rottweiler is a complete airhead, pees whenever people are around him, palys with his own poo:mad: and is sooooooooooo hyper it's wicked.
I know his a pup, [ massive pup ] but i just know he's gone be like this.
As i said to OH, WE ALWAYS SEEM TO GET AIRHEAD DOGS
But wouldn't change 'em for the world;)

I'd change her, only the bad bits though

gnolan

kazza23 wrote: »

Quickest way to sort all the problems you have mentioned is to enrol your dog in training classes. German shepherds are very intelligent dogs and so require lots of mental stimulation - a walk or 2 a day just won't cut it. Get her into training - you won't regret it, and you'll have a well behaved, happy and contented dog on your hands instead.

Think i'll have to give it a go alright, if even for the interaction with other dogs and people

Sigma Force

Do take her to training classes, she is a working breed and you suggested she could be bored..this could be the case and also anxious and it's now become a habit, addictive to her even. It's not a healthy sign in a dog in fact it should be taken seriously.

beth-lou

Sounds like your poor dog is bored off her head. She needs stimulation and maybe more excercise. Some young dogs do get hyper from time to time, just as we all did when we were kids. The dog is not a moron, but you might be treating her like one and the lack of interaction and stimulus has her chasing her tail as something to do. Get some kong toys and put treats in them to keep her occupied for a while. Try to distract her by playing with her when she shows signs she's about to chase the tail. Play fetch with her, rub her, get her to sit, stay etc. She simply needs interaction, stimulation and distraction.

Noopti

gnolan wrote: »

When she chases her tail she's told 'No', the only really negative word she hears from me. When i do this she stops....momentarily, then continues. I'm certain its not a way of trying to please me, she does it when there is no one else in the room, i've come downstairs to her spinning in circles. Last week i told her to stop, she stopped, went into the other room where i could hear her doing it again.

She is a German Shepherd, like i said about a year old. She is not trained, does not give much trouble, but those problems she does have are quite irritating; tail-chasing, eating her own sh!t, hugely excited when visitors arrive, jumping up and utimately peeing on the floor.

Not certain what would be deemed a positive reinforcement game? Thanks for the long post, i'm not an a$$hole, just think (from time to time) she displays traits that would suggest she's mentally defficient.....ya know.....in the old brain department!!

Tail chasing can be signs of a few things. Anxiety being one, skin irriation being one, anal gland problems being another. So with regards this issue, maybe bring her to the vet.

The other issues are down to you. You say yourself she is not trained. Dogs learn what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't from their owners. So the fact that she does a lot of these things is more a reflection on you then her. So try thinking of that before jumping to conclusions regarding her mental capacity.

gnolan

beth-lou wrote: »

Sounds like your poor dog is bored off her head. She needs stimulation and maybe more excercise. Some young dogs do get hyper from time to time, just as we all did when we were kids. The dog is not a moron, but you might be treating her like one and the lack of interaction and stimulus has her chasing her tail as something to do. Get some kong toys and put treats in them to keep her occupied for a while. Try to distract her by playing with her when she shows signs she's about to chase the tail. Play fetch with her, rub her, get her to sit, stay etc. She simply needs interaction, stimulation and distraction.

Everyone in the house does all these things with her, she has a Kong, and a slice of bread is put in it to keep her occupied. The Kong is the only thing that has survived her overwhelming desire for destruction. She tears her bedclothes to shreds, she had a toy, like a thick rope with two knots in either end; that lasted two weeks, she went through a phase of tearing off the wallpaper at night. As far as fetch goes, you really only get one chance to throw the ball, then she won't give it back. She prefers being chased rather than chasing after the ball.

~Thalia~

gnolan wrote: »

Think i'll have to give it a go alright, if even for the interaction with other dogs and people

Why did you get a Shepherd? Does she get walks? Sounds to me like she is bored stupid.

Walk the dog, train her properly, you are the moron if you don't, not her.

Dried pineapple in her food will solve the poo eating problem although you would already know that if you had gotten off your arse and did some research on it instead of calling her a f*cking moron because she does it.

gnolan

Noopti wrote: »

Tail chasing can be signs of a few things. Anxiety being one, skin irriation being one, anal gland problems being another. So with regards this issue, maybe bring her to the vet.

The other issues are down to you. You say yourself she is not trained. Dogs learn what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't from their owners. So the fact that she does a lot of these things is more a reflection on you then her. So try thinking of that before jumping to conclusions regarding her mental capacity.

She has an appointment coming up with the vet so thats no problem, and training is definitely going to happen, just wish i had done it when she was younger.

beth-lou

The problem with German shepards is that they do tend to become neurotic without the right stimulation. Training will do her a lot of good. They are also the type of dog that respond well to leadership when given, so the training classes will actually benefit her enormously because you or who ever is going to be her main handler will be trained also. Get her into training as soonas you can, and I bet you'll see a big difference. She is suffering from boredom it sounds.

gnolan

~Thalia~ wrote: »

Why did you get a Shepherd? Does she get walks? Sounds to me like she is bored stupid.

Walk the dog, train her properly, you are the moron if you don't, not her.

Dried pineapple in her food will solve the poo eating problem although you would already know that if you had gotten off your arse and did some research on it instead of calling her a f*cking moron because she does it.

Easily offended? She is walked regularly, i have tried dried pineapple in her food, and courgette, neither of which she will eat. To be fair i was kinda taking the pi$$ when calling her a f ucking moron, i think its not too hard to gather that from the tone of the posts, but maybe next time i'll include a or a just to remove any ambivalence

peasant

some reading material:

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/tailchase.html

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/tail-chasing-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.mypetspages.com/petinfo/behavior/compulsivebehavior.php

gnolan

beth-lou wrote: »

The problem with German shepards is that they do tend to become neurotic without the right stimulation. Training will do her a lot of good. They are also the type of dog that respond well to leadership when given, so the training classes will actually benefit her enormously because you or who ever is going to be her main handler will be trained also. Get her into training as soonas you can, and I bet you'll see a big difference. She is suffering from boredom it sounds.

As far as boredom goes, i'm fairly certain that that is what it is, i have read that it can be a sign of anxiety, but she does this when under no apparent stress. She does yawn when being given out too (being told 'bold' or something similar) for running out of the garden through the hedge.

Any ideas of a good trainer in South Dublin, or good classes? Don't know if one on one would be better than a class. I think probably the class for the dog and human interaction i mentioned earlier.

kazza23

gnolan wrote: »

Any ideas of a good trainer in South Dublin, or good classes? Don't know if one on one would be better than a class. I think probably the class for the dog and human interaction i mentioned earlier.

Dog Training Ireland run classes - they're not on the south side but definitely worth going to. Or PM me if you want the name and number of my trainer. She comes to my house once and week to work with me and my 2 and she's brilliant! I do think classes would be more suited to you though for the socialisation aspect.

~Thalia~

gnolan wrote: »

Easily offended? She is walked regularly, i have tried dried pineapple in her food, and courgette, neither of which she will eat. To be fair i was kinda taking the pi$$ when calling her a f ucking moron, i think its not too hard to gather that from the tone of the posts, but maybe next time i'll include a or a just to remove any ambivalence

Try pineapple juice, might be worth a shot. Didn't mean to be offensive, some baxtard nearly crashe into my car this morning so I'm like a bag

ANyways, I have a GSD too and the only thing that tures her out totally is playing with other doggies. Do you have any friends with dogs that you could arrange to have her play with once or twice a week. That, together with long long walks so keep her occupied and solve the boredom problem.

Post a pic of her when you can, I can't get enough of sheps!

gnolan

peasant wrote: »

some reading material:

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/tailchase.html

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/tail-chasing-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.mypetspages.com/petinfo/behavior/compulsivebehavior.php

Thats some interesting information, particularly the 'Attention seeking' aspect. I have seen this trait in her from other incidences. At night time she is allowed up on the couch, the place where she seems happiest. I think this is from being put on my knee while on the couch when she was a pup. But anyway, she is allowed on the couch, and once you stop rubbing her she will rise to a seated position and begin pawing at your hand/arm for you to continue stroking her; so i continue rubbing her for 10-15 minutes until she settles and rests

gnolan

kazza23 wrote: »

Dog Training Ireland run classes - they're not on the south side but definitely worth going to. Or PM me if you want the name and number of my trainer. She comes to my house once and week to work with me and my 2 and she's brilliant! I do think classes would be more suited to you though for the socialisation aspect.

Thanks, i'll check out Dog Training Ireland. I appreciate the offer, but like you say i think classes will be the best. Have had a lady come up to the house, mayeb 6 months ago. The dog listened to the her but no one else, treacherous b!tch!!

gnolan

~Thalia~ wrote: »

Try pineapple juice, might be worth a shot. Didn't mean to be offensive, some baxtard nearly crashe into my car this morning so I'm like a bag

ANyways, I have a GSD too and the only thing that tures her out totally is playing with other doggies. Do you have any friends with dogs that you could arrange to have her play with once or twice a week. That, together with long long walks so keep her occupied and solve the boredom problem.

Post a pic of her when you can, I can't get enough of sheps!

Actually no, not many dog-loving/owning friends, but perhaps the classes will do the trick.

Couldn't resist the second picture

~Thalia~

gnolan wrote: »

Actually no, not many dog-loving/owning friends, but perhaps the classes will do the trick.

Couldn't resist the second picture

She is BEAUTIFUL

Little A

Are they really her ears ????

gnolan

Little A wrote: »

Are they really her ears ????

I wish! Well...maybe not. No, the image is distorted, the only one i have of her when she's grown up. I am assuming your talking about the second pic, if not....yes, those are her real ears!

Ruby Soho

"She does yawn when being given out too (being told 'bold' or something similar) for running out of the garden through the hedge"

OP, yawning can be a sign of stress in dogs, as is drooling and nose licking, so yes, she is stressed at being scolded, she's not yawning to show her indifference to being disciplined!

gnolan

Ruby Soho wrote: »

"She does yawn when being given out too (being told 'bold' or something similar) for running out of the garden through the hedge"

OP, yawning can be a sign of stress in dogs, as is drooling and nose licking, so yes, she is stressed at being scolded, she's not yawning to show her indifference to being disciplined!

Yeah, thats what i was getting at, she's not chasing her tail cos she's anxious, when she is anxious she yawns, like when i give out to her.