Ep 085 Chasing Tail: Has Your Dog Spun Out of Control?

A dog chasing its tail is fun to watch, yet this behavior could reveal a deeper problem.

Today, discover how you might be reinforcing a compulsive behavior that eventually needs to be addressed.

In this episode, you will learn some of the underlying reasons your dog will chase his tail, and some ways to dissuade the behavior.

Dogs can develop compulsive behaviors such as licking, chewing and or scratching.
The cause of compulsive disorders is not yet fully understood.
However, there are factors to be aware of if your dog shows signs of compulsively chasing his tail.
Highly-anxious dogs have a tendency to do things like chasing their tails to reduce stress and anxiety.
They get distracted in the behavior so as to avoid the situation that is causing the anxiety.
Ep 074 and Ep 077 – Bennie talks about two common types of anxiety your dog could be experiencing; reasons for the compulsive disorders.
Remember – dogs are not analytical!
Stress and anxiety are the most common reasons your dog will chase its tail.
There are other reasons but they are more subtle and tail chasing may not be as compulsive.
They chase their tales because it is a way to distract them from doing something else.
It is a form of stress relief if you are putting your dog through a stressful situation.
If you see your dog doing this, you should stop doing what you are doing.
Bennie says the most common time this happens is during workout situations:
- Your dog may scratch, bite the leash, and nip at your ankles, or even stop and bark.
This could also just be a reinforced behavior – you see your dog doing it and you give attention to the behavior – this is how your dog learns.

Learn how to work through any behavior your dog may be doing as a distraction (distracting from distraction).

First, determine if the behavior is a compulsive disorder or a distraction that your dog is doing during a stressful event like a workout or socializing.
If your dog does this more than once or twice a day with regularity, you may want to consult a behaviorist.
The best way to correct this behavior is to ignore it, and eventually it will go away.
- Giving your dog attention for the behavior such as laughing, commenting or even physically stopping your dog from chasing its tail is giving attention while your dog is doing the behavior.
If chasing his tail has become a habit, you must work on distracting your dog by using a treat or a high-valued toy.
Leave the leash on your dog so you can use it instead of touching your dog when stopping the behavior.
If you do use the leash, make sure you walk your dog away from the spot you stopped before giving any attention.
Once your dog is away from the spot and the behavior has stopped, do something different.
- If the situation was stressful, do something to take their mind off the stress.
- If the social situation was stressful and caused because of other dogs, spend some one on one time together.

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