Golden Retrievers are the definition of man’s best friend, and they can be quite entertaining for their humans to watch. There’s nothing more amusing than your dog chasing its own tail. You may be wondering what the reasoning for tail chasing.
So why does a golden retriever dog chase its tail? Your golden retriever chases its tail for a couple of reasons, mainly playfulness and boredom but some other reason could be fleas, allergies, or anxiety.
It’s normal for a dog to chase their tails occasionally, but if it starts to interrupt its daily functioning, you need to get to the bottom of the issue. Typically, dogs chase their tails because they’re bored, seeking attention, have fleas, playful, anxious, or could be suffering from certain ailments.
Read on to find out why your dog is so obsessed with their tail.
Table of Contents
Playfulness
Puppies are known for their playfulness and love to discover new things; well, chasing their tails might be one of those discoveries. A puppy may probably see their tail as a toy they can play with. I thought my golden would grow out of this as he got older but not the case at almost two he still chasing his tail having fun!
Boredom
When dogs lack enough mental or physical stimulation, they get bored and chase their tails to entertain themselves and release excess energy. The remedy for this is increasing the daily activity of the dog by taking walks and playing games like fetch.
If my golden hasn’t had his hour of exercise just yet, he will entertain himself and burn some energy by chasing his tail. If your pup is doing this, it may be time just to take them out on a walk or off-leash so they can have some free run time and burn up some pent-up energy. When we hit the door heading to the back yard, we will see the zoomies hit, and he takes off running and getting some well needed run time. It also quite entertaining when the zoomies hit.
Attention Seeking
Just like children, dogs want to be noticed and can chase their tails to get your attention. For dogs, getting any reaction from you is better than having no reaction.
You can solve this by setting time aside to play with your dog. Also, do not laugh or show any reaction when your dog starts chasing its tail if you are trying to teach you golden not to chase their tail. They will learn that you give them attention when they chase their tail.
This is true for my golden. He chases his tail when he is looking for someone to play with him. If no one is available for a play session, he can count on his tail being there. This usually works to get his human to toss his a toy and have some playtime with him.
Fleas or worms
Dogs can chase and bite their tail if they’re infested with fleas or having fleabite allergy. You can check for fleas under the coat or bald patches that result from excessive licking. Speak to your vet about the right medication or shampoos to use to help get rid of the fleas.
Tapeworm infestation can also make dogs chase their tails. These parasites migrate out the rectum and a solution for this problem is to deworm your dog.
Allergies
One thing to keep in mind is that golden retrievers are prone to skin allergies. If your golden retriever has started suddenly chasing or biting at their tail it could be that they are suffering from skin allergies. Check the base of their tail and see if there is any skin break down. One other thing to note is this tail-chasing may look different from your dog getting excited and chasing their tail. It may look more like biting their tail and they also exhibit excessive scratching in other areas.
Anxiety
Dogs can chase their tails when they feel anxious. If you suspect that your dog is using tail chasing as a coping mechanism, you need to consult a canine behaviorist to advise you on how to help your dog. There are several causes of anxiety in dogs including:
- Separation anxiety
- Fear of loud noises
- Fear of new experiences like new walk routes or strangers
- Fear of small living spaces
- Previous trauma
- Disorientation due to aging
- Lack of enough socializing opportunities
Tail Injuries
At times, tail injuries can occur when a sharp object nicks the tail, or it gets caught in a closing door. If the injury is serious, you can take the dog to the vet for medication.
If you realize that your dog is getting injured on several occasions, you need to talk to a vet and canine behaviorist to find ways to avert the behavior.
What to consider
If you are concerned about your dog chasing its tail, be considerate of your dog’s age. This is a common way puppies play and discover their tail. It’s also important to consider how often and when your dog is chasing their tail.
If your dog is older and suddenly has started to chase and bite at its tail well, that could be cause for concern. Since the behavior has suddenly started. Also, a cause for concern would be if your dog is excessively chasing or biting at their tail. This could warrant a visit to your vet.
It’s also important to note when it started, especially if this is new behavior for your dog.
This is important in case your dog is suffering from allergies. It could be related to a dog shampoo you have used or certain food you have given you dog. This could even be related to your dog going outside and possibly getting bit by fleas and having a flea allergy. So it’s important to notice when your dog started behavior and think about what they could have been exposed to.
The takeaway
Man’s best friend can provide all sorts of fun and laughter. However, nothing is more amusing than when your dog starts to move in circles trying to catch its tail. While it may seem harmless and provide great entertainment for you and your dog when it chases its tail, it’s essential to monitor this behavior. Realizing if there is a problem early will help treat the underlying condition before the problem becomes a habit or a bigger issue.