Why does a dog chase its tail?

Have you ever noticed that your dog is chasing his tail? It makes some owners laugh, some touches, and some scares. Why does a dog chase its tail and is such behavior so harmless?

4 reasons why a dog chases its tail

1. Way to have fun. If a pet leads a boring, monotonous life, he can have fun chasing his own tail. If this is the reason, consider giving your four-legged friend more variety. After all, boredom can cause distress (bad stress) and ultimately result in physiological and / or behavioral problems.
2. A way to get attention. If you usually ignore your pet but react to tail chasing, your dog will quickly learn that this is a great way to get your attention. The way out in this case is to ignore attempts to catch the tail, but pay attention to the pet when he is behaving well. Do not skimp on praise and affection!
3. Feeling of discomfort. Dogs often try to chew and lick those places that hurt. And if the dog tries to catch his own tail, you should make sure that the pet does not have an injury, dermatitis or allergies. Also parasites. In addition, the reasons for trying to catch the tail may be neurological problems or inflammation of the anal glands. You should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible and follow his recommendations.
4. Obsessive motor stereotypy. This is a rather difficult condition. If you notice that a dog is chasing its tail for a long time and hard, while it is difficult to distract it, it is probably due to stereotypy. In this case, you can not do without the advice of a specialist.

As you can see, do not ignore the fact that the dog is chasing its tail. And the sooner you help your four-legged friend, the happier your life together will be.