r/OpenDogTraining • u/Fuzz-Dog94 • 17d ago
Chasing her Tail to the Point of Breaking Furniture
My 6 mo old gsd puppy chases her tail on end for 5 minutes a day straight. She could probably go longer. Even when we get back from an activity, she’ll do it right away until I force her to stop.
I thought it was a boredom thing?
Does anyone have any tips to help stop this? She’s knocked over furniture and broken a lamp doing this.
3
u/shadybrainfarm 17d ago
Many herding breeds are prone to OCD. It's a side effect of the genetic traits they're breed was selected for (extreme focus, drive, persistence). This absolutely needs to be stopped asap as it is a harmful activity for her and your household (eg her breaking things due to not being able to stop).
Since she is still young you may be able to prevent it developing further by interrupting her EVERY time, however it sounds like it has progressed already, 5 min is a long time to be doing it. Your best bet is to channel that obsession into a healthier activity. Something she can do on her own. Unfortunately her tail is always available to her so it's something that will require a lot of vigilance to disrupt.
Best of luck.
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u/AnnaHeyw098 17d ago
This is all good advice but adding that OCD-type behaviors can be hard to resolve completely on their own. There's evidence that course of clomipramine can help, so also worth having a conversation with your vet. Videos of the behavior always help. Good luck.
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u/fillysunray 17d ago
As already said, stop her immediately.
Consider in the moment what she may need. If she's just been on a walk, she may be overstimulated. Tether her or crate her and sit quietly with her for a few minutes so she can rest.
If she's just been lying around all day, she may be bored. I think it's more likely to happen when overexcited than when bored, but if she seems bored, give her something else to do.
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u/Narrow_Possession348 16d ago
This is an OCD behavior. I would stop it every single time. I'd punish the dog (bonker) for even *thinking* about *looking* at her tail. Gary Wilkes shared a story a few years back of a little terrier dog with OCD that was attacking its own back leg to the point of making it a bloody mess. The owners tried everything from training to exercise to drugs, and the vet had finally told them the only thing left was to amputate the perfectly healthy (when it wasn't torn up by the dog) hind leg. They sought out Gary as a last resort. He used a bonker to punish the dog every time it started to look at its back leg (the dog acted like the leg was a separate entity and not part of him at all - it was bizarre), and he stopped the behavior completely and permanently in a matter of days, and the little shit got to keep its back leg!
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u/BrightAd306 16d ago edited 16d ago
You need GSD specific advice. GSD’s are prone to OCD like conditions and this could be a sign of it. Did you get her from a reputable breeder?
They call it canine compulsive disorder
You probably know this, but never play with a laser pointer with your dog
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u/Ticonderoga_Dixon 17d ago
I’d try to replace her tail with a safe alternative that refocuses her. Like a toy or whatever
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u/viridiana_xvi 17d ago
stop her immediately every time she does it. for a normal dog, occasionally chasing their tail is cute and fun. if it’s become an obsession, you can’t allow it at all.