Tail chasing

A four-year-old male German Shepherd chasing its tail

Tail chasing is a behaviour exhibited in dogs that is characterized by spinning in tight circles in either direction, and can be slow and focused on the tail or fast and unfocused.[1] It is a compulsion similar to those seen in humans suffering from OCD[2][3] and it can be quite disruptive to the lives of the dogs themselves, as well as their owners.[4][5] Some causes have been suggested, including genetic factors,[6] and environmental factors that vary depending on the individual dog.[7][2] Furthermore, treatment options include drugs that decrease the frequency of tail chasing by targeting the underlying mechanisms, and behavioural changes regulated by the dog's owners.[4][5][8]

  1. ^ Moon-Fanelli, Alice A.; Dodman, Nicholas H.; Famula, Thomas R.; Cottam, Nicole (2011-04-01). "Characteristics of compulsive tail chasing and associated risk factors in Bull Terriers". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 238 (7): 883–889. doi:10.2460/javma.238.7.883. PMID 21453176. The present study provides detailed phenotypic and developmental information about tail chasing in dogs and illustrates some intriguing parallels with human obsessive-compulsive disorder and possibly autism.
  2. ^ a b Tiira, Katriina; Hakosalo, Osmo; Kareinen, Lauri; Thomas, Anne; Hielm-Björkman, Anna; Escriou, Catherine; Arnold, Paul; Lohi, Hannes (2012-07-26). "Environmental Effects on Compulsive Tail Chasing in Dogs". PLOS ONE. 7 (7): e41684. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041684. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3406045. PMID 22844513.
  3. ^ Frank I. Tarazi; John A. Schetz (2007). Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-59259-856-4. Other OCD-like behaviors that have been reported in canines are circling, tail-chasing...
  4. ^ a b Bain, Melissa J.; Fan, Christina M. (2012-03-01). "Animal Behavior Case of the Month". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 240 (6): 673–675. doi:10.2460/javma.240.6.673. PMID 22380802.
  5. ^ a b Denenberg, Sagi (2015-04-15). "Animal Behavior Case of the Month". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 246 (9): 967–969. doi:10.2460/javma.246.9.967. PMID 25875666 – via cabi.org. {{cite journal}}: External link in |via= (help)
  6. ^ Dodman, N H; Karlsson, E K; Moon-Fanelli, A; Galdzicka, M; Perloski, M; Shuster, L; Lindblad-Toh, K; Ginns, E I (January 2010). "A canine chromosome 7 locus confers compulsive disorder susceptibility". Molecular Psychiatry. 15 (1): 8–10. doi:10.1038/mp.2009.111. ISSN 1476-5578. PMID 20029408.
  7. ^ Goto, Akiko; Arata, Sayaka; Kiyokawa, Yasushi; Takeuchi, Yukari; Mori, Yuji (2012). "Risk factors for canine tail chasing behaviour in Japan". The Veterinary Journal. 192 (3): 445–448. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.09.004. PMID 21993593.
  8. ^ Mosallanejad, Bahman; Najafzadeh Varzi, Hossein; Avizeh, Reza; Pourmahdi, Mahdi; Khalili, Fatemeh (2015). "Comparative evaluation between hypericin (hypiran) and fluoxetine in treatment of companion dogs with tail chasing". Veterinary Research Forum. 6 (2): 167–172. ISSN 2008-8140. PMC 4522532. PMID 26261714.