How to Train Your Dog to Stop Chasing His Tail

So, your pup seems to be unable to stop himself from chasing his tail. It seems like every time you turn around, your pup is spinning in circles biting at his tail and simply saying "Stop it!" is having absolutely no effect. He could be chasing his tail out of boredom or simply because he is overcome with excitement. There are even a few medical conditions that can cause him to chase his tail, such as dry skin, a flea infestation, or an injury that itches as it heals.

Depending on the training method you choose, you need to catch the behavior as soon as it starts, or you may be too late for him to correct his behavior. The good news is that with a little practice, your pup can be taught that chasing his tail is not an acceptable behavior. 

The first thing you need to do is STOP laughing when you see your pup chasing his tail. What might seem silly to you is serious business to your dog, and if you keep laughing at him, you are simply reinforcing this behavior. This can actually lead to a type of obsessive-compulsive behavior that can be triggered by anxiety or stress.

Many dogs will simply grow out of this behavior, but others will need training to teach them how to stop chasing their tails. Not only can it be bad for your pup, but with all that spinning around, something is sure to get broken. Add to this that obsessive tail chasing can lead to other types of OCD behavior. With this in mind, the sooner you can start working on this training, the better it will be for your pup and the rest of your household. 

Before you worry about training your pup to stop chasing his tail, he needs to have mastered the basic commands. This will make it much easier for you to work on training him to leave his tail alone. The hardest part of all for most dog owners is losing the fun they had watching their up spin in crazy circles.  For this, you won't need much in the way of supplies, but you will need a few things like:

• Treats
  
• Toys
  
• Time
  
• Patience
  

Face it, training your pup to stop spinning in circles chasing his tail is not the easiest thing in the world. It will take plenty of time and patience if you want this training to succeed.