Tail Chasing

[benson mum]

hiya, im not sure if this is in the right place or not ?

Benson has suddenly started to chase his tail..... its not the cute puppy chasing is very vicious and he is pulling loads of fur out of his tail... tonight he even managed to sit on his tail and just chewed the end of it... we have tried distraction but he seems to go straight back to chasing/chewing his tail.
Im worried he will hurt himself or make himself sore.
Any advice would be great
xxx

[Caryll]

When Dempsey started this we just kept on & on "Leave it", "Leave it" all the time. It took ages for him to stop, but he did eventually. You have to stop it because it becomes an OCD and then the dog can't stop. In the end we kept spraying his tail with Bitter Apple so at least he wouldn't bite it!

[kita]

I would get him checked by the vet.

It is unusual for any 'behaviour' to start suddenly - unless caused by a medical condition.

He could be in pain somewhere - could he have caught his tail in a door or something?

Have you checked it over for anything stuck in it?

Sometimes they pull hair out if they are feeling irritated by a pain in that area. They don't usually pull the hair out if they are just chasing their tail for fun.

It could also be his anal glands are compacted and may need emptying.

Sue

[LOVEGSD]

I would suggest getting him checked out by the vet first, he may have an allergy or something and then once this has been ruled out I would agree with the leave it command.....x

[zetstaff]

Tilly has anal gland irritation + she chases her tail, anal glands may need to be checked

[benson mum]

thanks guys for your advice im prob going to go with anal glands as he hasnt had them emptied for a while and he had a little upset tummy over weekend.
Will get him to vet for check
Thanks again
xxx