What Causes a Dog to Chase Its Own Tail?

Dogs' behavior can be perplexing at times. One of the most confusing behaviors is tail chasing. While there is no one agreed upon explanation, there are several reasons that could explain why dogs chase their tails.

  1. Boredom

    • Some dogs use their tails as a way to entertain themselves when toys are not enough. This simple idea helps to explain tail chasing when dogs appear to be bored. They might spontaneously chase their tails for no apparent reason other than to inject a little fun into their day.

    Glands

    • Every dog has a pair of glands at either side of the anus. A healthy dog will express these glands regularly on its own, usually every time it defecates. Sometimes a dog will not be able to express its anal glands and will then exhibit a number of behaviors to indicate its discomfort. One of these is tail chasing. The dog is attempting to "get to" its anal glands to relieve the tension it feels.

    Attention

    • Dogs are heavily reliant on love and attention from their owners. You'd be surprised at how far some dogs will go to get attention from you, or how strange their behavior can sometimes be. It's a strange thing to see a dog chasing its own tail as if it has never seen it before. Some say that dogs chase their tails because their behavior is driven by the reactions they get. If you give your dog attention when it chases its tail, it will be driven to do it.

    High Cholesterol

    • In 2009, a study found that tail chasing could indicate high cholesterol in dogs. In this study, 15 dogs that compulsively chased their tails and 15 dogs that rarely did were given a blood test. The test revealed that the dogs with tail-chasing behavior had much higher LDL and HDL cholesterol levels. One explanation is that high cholesterol affects how hormones like serotonin flow in the brain. This could affect a dog's behavior.