Tail Biting

by woothenoo on Sat May 14, 2011 10:02 pm

Jess is growing into a charming wee heart breaker........... We cant complain about anything, but I'm very worried about her occasional attacks on her tail? She goes into a frenzy and starts barking in a high pitched manner. When I say no, she totally ignores me and carries on. Its worrying me no end............ Shes also started eating grass? Anybody got any ideas what we're doing wrong???

by **gem** on Sat May 14, 2011 10:21 pm

Nothing staffords are fruitcakes seriously shes just playing and the grass eating natures way of soaking up excess acid in the stomach and also she is wanting to give you a little job, a grassy bum sick

by **staffy-lover89** on Sat May 14, 2011 10:35 pm

My Vinnie chases his tail at times, his just amusing himself he'll stop after a few twirls lol and hes a b**ger for eating grass!! no matter how much i tell him no he still does it, so its just having to help him when he gets a grassy bum!! lmao, good job i love him!

by **Caryll** on Sun May 15, 2011 12:35 am

If it's obsessive, it could turn out to be a problem. If it's only occasionally & for short periods I wouldn't worry too much.

Same with the grass, a little is fine, but don't forget that dogs can't digest grass & if it stays inside the stomach it can cause bloat.

by shane dee on Sun May 15, 2011 1:14 am

if she keeps chasing her tail, its a sign of a crazy dog and it can be a problem ifs its not stopped early

by **janey** on Sun May 15, 2011 11:54 am

gem wrote:Nothing staffords are fruitcakes seriously shes just playing and the grass eating natures way of soaking up excess acid in the stomach and also she is wanting to give you a little job, a grassy bum

the joys of a grassy bum!!! Laughing

by **Dogalogs88** on Sun May 15, 2011 4:29 pm

shane dee wrote:if she keeps chasing her tail, its a sign of a crazy dog and it can be a problem ifs its not stopped early

Crazy as in Laughing

or crazy as in "mentally challenged"...? Not sure what you mean...??

She's is only 10 weeks old, I'm sure she'll find something else to amuse her very soon and totally forget about her own tail. As for the grass, it's grosse when it comes back up again, especially if they feel the need to try and eat it again, eeeewwhh!!! sick

by shane dee on Sun May 15, 2011 4:36 pm

yeah mentally challenged is right. tail chasing is a sure sign of that.

by **janey** on Sun May 15, 2011 4:37 pm

Caryll wrote:If it's obsessive, it could turn out to be a problem. If it's only occasionally & for short periods I wouldn't worry too much.

by **Caryll** on Sun May 15, 2011 5:11 pm

shane dee wrote:yeah mentally challenged is right. tail chasing is a sure sign of that.

Not necessarily. Sometimes, especially with very young pups, they chase their tails 'because they're there!'
You only need to be concerned if it's very frequent, or goes on for longer than a few seconds at a time.

by **lynne** on Sun May 15, 2011 7:22 pm

billy did this all the time when he was a pup, i put a post on here about it cause I was worried, but he has grown out of it now, he does not know it is even there now.

Smile

by woothenoo on Sun May 15, 2011 9:06 pm

Many thanks for all the replies. ...........

by shane dee on Sun May 15, 2011 9:09 pm

yes i agree with caryll there. but if its still going on into adult hood its a sign of a mental condition

by **blaze** on Mon May 16, 2011 8:59 pm

My Ty has little episodes of tail chasing and he's coming up 2, i can assure u he is NOT mental, now if my Kaos was doing it then i would completley agree Laughing

only joking baby boy x mummy loves u really x

by **Caryll** on Mon May 16, 2011 10:27 pm

shane dee wrote: but if its still going on into adult hood its a sign of a mental condition

Only if it's obsessive.

by **Dogalogs88** on Tue May 17, 2011 2:22 am

Could we term it neurological disorder rather than "mental condition" as that sounds dreadful.

BTW Wendy, your puppy has the most disarming look, gorgeous Love Struck

by woothenoo on Tue May 17, 2011 9:49 am

Dogalogs88 wrote:Could we term it neurological disorder rather than "mental condition" as that sounds dreadful.

BTW Wendy, your puppy has the most disarming look, gorgeous

Must admit the term mental condition really upset me, especially used so many times. Since posting my question I have told her off every time she even looks at her tail, so I think it is indeed just a puppy thing". She is totally gorgeous and so loving, and the thought that she would grow up mental was quite heartbreaking. This is the first time I have had a pup, and we had months of discussion regarding the breed we would get, so I educated myself and made the effort to meet the mum and bond before Jess was even born - the very name of Staffy scared me to death!! All I can say is that Jess is amazing, she has given us so much in the last few months and if anything bad was to happen to her we would be devastated.............. I am totally in love with her and I'm sure she loves us both and is pleased she came here to be a part of our family.............. As I write, she's sleeping content by my side, her wee head on my lap, pure angel xx

by **Dogalogs88** on Tue May 17, 2011 10:39 am

Wendy I'm in the process of uploading a video of what my nutter does and if someone suggests she has a mental condition after watching it, I will not be happy at all. You sound as if you've done enough homework into the breed and I Agree

they are the most loyal and loving dog I have ever come across. Bless your little Jess angel

by woothenoo on Tue May 17, 2011 11:06 am

Dogalogs88 wrote:Wendy I'm in the process of uploading a video of what my nutter does and if someone suggests she has a mental condition after watching it, I will not be happy at all. You sound as if you've done enough homework into the breed and they are the most loyal and loving dog I have ever come across. Bless your little Jess

Thank you, will indeed look forward to seeing the video. Jess is a nutter too - but not a mental one, just a wee pup getting used to life and exploring everything thats new around her. xx

by **bigwazza** on Tue May 17, 2011 11:18 am

memphis chased his tail for a month or so when we first ot him he was used to havin siblins to play with he had to entertain himself lol
but after gettin his jabs he was oin out and to much on his mind to bother with his tail ha ha and it just fizzled out
i think its far to soon for people to be sayin its a problem fair anough in later life if still doin it get it cheacked but dont be worrying at the moment enjoy Big Grin

by **Caryll** on Tue May 17, 2011 11:54 am

woothenoo wrote:
Dogalogs88 wrote:Could we term it neurological disorder rather than "mental condition" as that sounds dreadful.

BTW Wendy, your puppy has the most disarming look, gorgeous

Must admit the term mental condition really upset me, especially used so many times. a xx

I'm really sorry that you were upset by the use of that term - you're right, it was insensitive. But i really don't think there's anything wrong with your pup - pups chase their tails because it's a bit of puppyish fun! Then they grow up & most either stop completely or just do it occasionally in a fit of youthful play!

It only becomes a 'problem' if it becomes obsessive, ie every hour of the day or night.

We stopped Dempsey doing it because we were aware of the tendency in EBTs for obbsessive compulsive disorder. He still chased his tail, but we only allowed a few 'turns' before we stopped him. He grew out of it very quickly, although he'll still sometimes 'spin' a bit! Big Grin

by woothenoo on Tue May 17, 2011 12:36 pm

Thanks Caryll........... I dont think anyone meant any harm and maybe I was over sensitive, but the thought of my wee angel having any kind of problems, especially of the neurological kind, really upset me no end....... I cant imagine life without her now and the idea of her suffering, or not realising her full potential makes me sad..........

by Nosipho on Tue May 17, 2011 1:43 pm

Puppies play, chasing her tail is playing, dont worry shes not going to start hearing voices or anything similar!

What has been referred to is compulsive tail chasing, look at the following links

http://www.btneuro.org/?page_id=33
http://www.btneuro.org/?page_id=35

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/tailchase.html

by shane dee on Tue May 17, 2011 11:56 pm

sorry Wendy for been insensitive or if i offended you, but tail chasing if its compulsive is a sign of a neurological health problem, but im sure jess will be grand if you nip it in the bud at an early age.

by woothenoo on Wed May 18, 2011 10:01 am

Over the last two days have told Jess off every time she has even looked at her tail, and she seems to be taking on board that she cant do it. Hopefully thats an end to that little episode...............

by **Caryll** on Wed May 18, 2011 10:14 am

Take care not to overdo it. It is a natural thing for a pup to do - just not to excess!

by **janey** on Wed May 18, 2011 10:15 am

My first was like a whirlwind when she chased her tail Laughing

by Nosipho on Wed May 18, 2011 11:28 am

Its only when the tail chasing becomes obsessive to the point that the dog collapses of exhaustion, or when its gets stressed/over stimulated and automatically starts tail chasing. Puppy play is not the same! I mean look at the bull terriers in the examples above. One of them spent 3 hours at a time tail chasing and exausted itself so much it died, im pretty sure your pooch isnt displaying any of these symptoms is she? Shes just playing and being a puppy

by **Caryll** on Wed May 18, 2011 11:38 am

Nosipho wrote: Shes just playing and being a puppy

That's it, exactly!

by Nosipho on Wed May 18, 2011 5:27 pm

Aww and please tell me you've got some more photos of Jess. When I see her my heart melts! I think its those eyes!

by woothenoo on Wed May 18, 2011 7:00 pm

Nosipho wrote:Aww and please tell me you've got some more photos of Jess. When I see her my heart melts! I think its those eyes!

[img]

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Jess at work with mum and dad, covered in plaster after helping to put it on the wall, then at home, chilling after a very hard day xx

by **janey** on Wed May 18, 2011 7:11 pm

I love the white socks! She is stunning

by **Caryll** on Wed May 18, 2011 10:36 pm

So gorgeous! I love those eyes, and the first pic is a cracker!

by **Dogalogs88** on Thu May 19, 2011 2:53 am

Nosipho wrote: When I see her my heart melts! I think its those eyes!

I thought so too, after looking at Jess' photos I'm convinced. She is gorgeous Love Struck

by **lynne** on Thu May 19, 2011 8:26 am

lovely

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