Why does my dog chase his tail?
This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!
3 Answers
Behavioral problems. Dogs can develop compulsive disorders. They will also chew or lick themselves a lot. Anxiety also plays a big role.
A quick and more expensive answer would be to tell you to consult a animal behaviorist or trainer.
But, for the sake of the Q&A, assuming the behavior is not problematic, it is very common for dogs to chase their tails.
Playful dogs may find this as a fun activity to deal with over-excitement (think, self-regulation), or simply a fun activity to do now and then. An anxious dog may be chasing their tail due to generalized anxiety, fearfulness, or uncertainty. It can be a good thing to engage your dog while they are chasing and to bring them back to a human interactive game (fetch, find-the-treat, etc) if you are seeking to strengthen your bond with your dog.
Could be a behavior they picked up when they were young, and they just never got around to taking a bite out of their tail to learn that it is actually attached to their bodies. That, or it's a behavioral issue learned from being indoors too long at a time, almost driving them mad.