Dogs express countless things with their whole body. You will have seen that they communicate very well when they want to "say" something: they wag their tails, their ears, they change their posture and much more to make us understand what they want. But it is true that sometimes there are gestures or behaviors that are difficult for us to understand at first glance.
As an example of what we are discussing, you may have seen your dog looking very interested at his tail, then suddenly he chases it and starts nibbling it non-stop. Have you ever wondered why he does it? What do you communicate with that behavior?
On our site we want to help you better understand your faithful friend and offer possible solutions to his he alth and behavior problems through our articles. For this reason, we recommend that you do not stay with the question of Why does my dog bite his tail? and that you continue reading this article where you will find the reasons reasons why your dog may behave like this.
Physical he alth problems that lead a dog to bite his tail
When we see our dog chewing its tail, the first thing we have to see is if it is illnesses or physical problems. To find out why my dog bites his tail, you should rule out some of these he alth problems:
- External parasites: It is possible that our dog has fleas or ticks in that area of the tail and is trying to get rid of them and the itching caused by bites. Make sure to deworm your dog externally and internally with the periodicity indicated in each case to avoid skin problems and other diseases.
- Wounds: Especially when our friend is a great explorer, it is possible that he returns from the walk with some skin wounds. Try to check the skin and fur of the whole body after each walk, so you will make sure that he does not have injuries and if he does, you can heal them. Obviously if he has a wound on his tail, he will turn around until he reaches the area of it due to the itching and will try to lick and nibble, it is something normal, but we must prevent it from becoming infected and help him.
- Anal Glands: When the anal glands do not empty as often as they should, a variety of problems can occur, from inflammation to cysts and other diseases. This will cause great discomfort and pain to your dog in the area of the anus and the base of the tail. For this reason, it will not hesitate to try to scratch itself to relieve itself and you will see it nibbling its tail. What you should do is take him to the vet to have the glands examined and emptied or cured depending on the severity of the problem.
- Skin problems: You may bite your tail and other parts of your body due to some skin diseases such as fungus, scabies or allergies. Again, the best thing you can do is check the skin in the areas where you see that it bites and scratches and discuss it with your trusted veterinarian to find the problem and be able to solve it soon.
- Herniated discs and other spinal problems: Dogs can also suffer from problems along the spine such as osteoarthritis, which can occur in all the joints of the dog's body, including the spine, and herniated discs. We must bear in mind that the dog that suffers from any of these problems will notice some pain or tingling in the affected area. If, for example, the problem is developing in his tail, at the base of it or his lower back, we will surely observe how he turns to look at that part and nibbles on it to see what is happening to him.
These are the main physical he alth problems that can result from tail biting in dogs. We recommend that in case of any symptoms or discomfort that your faithful companion presents, you go to your veterinarian so that he can perform an examination and the tests that are necessary to find a treatment appropriate.
A game
It could be that the fact that your dog is chasing and nipping the tail is a "simple" gameBut this will only be the case if you have never seen him do it before or if he has done it a few times very far in his life and without any change in his characterAlso, before thinking that it is entertainment, you should make sure that the problems mentioned in the previous section are not really the cause of the tail being bitten.
You may have simply been very bored for hours and finally opted for this "game". Actually this is not the most common since once it starts like this, if the cause is not observed and corrected as soon as possible, it will soon become a problem of serious conduct, which we will discuss later in this article. For this reason, if you see your dog doing this, which is like a first step towards a behavioral and mental he alth problem, don't scold him, but do To begin with, you should invite him to do other activities and try not to get bored or spend a lot of time alone.
A behavioral and mental he alth problem
More often than not, a dog bites its tail due to a behavioral and mental he alth problem. What starts as a "simple game" will soon become a serious problem that is difficult to correct if not caught in time.
A dog will start chasing its tail until it grabs it and bites it, even in serious situations it can get injured and mutilate itself, due to a case of lack of socialization, boredom, confinement and abandonment by whoever is in charge of it. Above all, it is something typical in dogs that spend their lives locked up or tied up in the same place. Ultimately, over time, they must redirect energy and distract themselves however they can, and this is one of the most common ways they do it. This is one of the most common reasons why a dog bites its tail.
This type of repetitive behavior used as an escape route is known as stereotypy and can be suffered by all kinds of animals that are are locked up or confined, whether in zoos, animal shelters that are overflowing with cases, or in private homes. But, it is possible that this problem of biting its tail happens to your dog and you think that you do not have it in such bad conditions as those we have expressed so far. Of course, a dog can suffer from stereotypy without being in such extreme conditions. But if so, you should rethink what you are not doing correctly with his mental he alth, since it is likely that he is lacking exercise, routine, socializing with other dogs and animals, among other aspects, and that he is highly stressed.
If you notice that your dog compulsively bites his tail and you have ruled out physical he alth problems, you should go to a ethologist specialistto help you improve your partner's quality of life and solve the problem. Remember that, like everything that has to do with he alth, the sooner the problem is diagnosed and solved, the better the recovery prognosis.
