Chasing tail

[lakeshorebunnies]

We have a dog that is about a year-and-a-half old she has always chased her tail. When she was a puppy we tried to stop it by putting it on a command we have now decided that that is not working and anytime she does it we immediately tell her to sit or lie down when she starts chasing her tail she is so into it sometimes the only way to break her is to catch her and physically touch her and tell her to sit or lie down she does know basic command and seems to do this when she is bored or a good example is we tried Barn hunt and she is off leash the moment she goes in there she starts we tried turning our back on her and she did hunt for a few minutes

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello, and welcome to the forums,

Tail-chasing can start as a game in early puppy hood and sometimes persists and puts roots.

While putting the behavior on command appears to make sense as we expect the dog to perform the behavior only when cued, the problem is that it is very difficult to have a behavior such as tail chasing placed 100 percent under stimulus control so that it happens only and exclusively when we tell the dog to perform the behavior. Unless we are with the dog 24/7, it will likely happen at one time or another that the dog will eventually perform the tail-chasing behavior in absence of the command at some point or another and this creates trouble, possibly even making the behavior stronger.

 

On of top of this, consider that tail chasing is often a strongly self-reinforcing behavior. It may be used as a displacement behavior, as a way to express frustration, anxiety, boredom or solitude. This self-reinforcement therefore maintains the behavior preventing it from extinguishing as one would hope.

 

Your case warrants further investigation.

 

What breed is your dog? Some dog breeds are more prone to this.

 

Has your dog undergone a full medical examination based on the tail-chasing behavior? Sometimes tail chasing stems from medical issues like anal gland problems, spinal pain and even neurological issues. It would be important to rule all the possibilities out as there's no point working on a behavior if it is medically-induced.

 

Does the behavior happen as well when you are not present? It may be insightful to record her behavior when you are not around. Some dogs do this for attention.

 

In general, compulsive behaviors are suspected when a dog cannot be called out of the behavior, when the behavior occurs out of context (with no distinctive trigger) and increased stimulation and exercise makes no difference.

 

I am a bit concerned about the fact that you need to physically intervene to stop her and that barn hunting didn't seen to help distract her too much considering that this activity is carried out in quite a distracting environment, especially if you own a breed naturally inclined to hunt down vermin.

She may perhaps benefit though from some gradual introductions to barn hunts to make her more interested in the activity as perhaps the first day she didn't have much opportunity to acclimate to a new place and understand the extra reinforcing traits of the "game." I am glad to hear though that she did engage for a few minutes in the hunt.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Adrienne Farricelli