Chasing the tail.

[Cairn6]

Shadow my 8 month old Sheltie is still chasing his tail. Do you think it's a sign of a not so bright dog? :lol: I mean I love him dearly and not everyone can be really bright but don't you think after trying to get a hold of your tail almost everday for 8 months you would figure out there is no way your going to catch it. Another question about him he weighs 40lbs. Now how big can a Sheltie actually get. The shelter told me he wouldn't get any bigger then 25lbs. :lol: I don't care what size he or what he is I am just curious since I am not a sheltie/collie expert. But then I did some research and found out they are all different sizes because they bred collies with the shelties over the years. But I was wondering how big is he too big to be a sheltie and might be a small collie. I have asked other boards and people say there is no way he could be a collie based on his size but he is even bigger then he was when I asked before. Here's a recent picture. No one believes me when I tell them he's not a collie.

[TDG]

your boy is very, very pretty! he looks a lot like a mixed breed i saw at dog camp this year, but it was also a rescue dog with an unknown background.

according to the sheltie breed standard, a sheltie should stand between 13 and 16 inches high, measured from the shoulder blades. i think a dog can hardly fall within those measurements and weigh 40 lbs at 8 months. :)

the head doesn't look like collie at all. at least not like the "modern" collie - but more like the farm collies of old times.

i'd be more inclined to believe australian shepherd or border collie is involved, along with possibly sheltie and maybe one or more other breeds.

[DogPaddle]

My Zaphod still chases his tail and he is around 2. I think he does it when he is feeling goofy, he acts goofy for us alot. He catches it occasionally. Is your dog itchy in other areas?

[Seijun]

Tail-chasing doesn't mean a dog is unintelligent :D When dogs get excited and don't feel they have anywhere for the energy to go at the moment, they will sometimes release that energy by tail-chasing. It's a type of play. At least, that's how I have always obseved it as.

~Seij

[Guest Anonymous]

lol Zoey chases her tail.... AND SHE DOESNT HAVE ONE! lmao she will sit there and run around in a circle grabbing her "nub" lol

[StarFox]

Hmm Cairn does your dog chase his tail to the point that he ignores commands and only focuses on chasing his tail? Does it seem like an obsessive thing or is he just playing?

[Seijun]

Does it count if your dog ignores commands even when it's not chasing its tail??

~Seij

[Cairn6]

Thank you guys. That is very interesting TDG I guess I will never know what that crazy guy really is but it's just fun to guess.

No Dog Paddle he is not itchy anywhere else and he is a big goofball too so I guess he is just being goofy. :lol:

DAL :lol: That probably drives her even more crazy not being able to get to the nub sometimes if Shadow bends just right he can reach the end of his tail.

No Starfox he is not that intense about it. He listens if he is doing that.
What he does is he is going along and kind of notices it out of the corner of his eye and then tries to get a hold of it and he will stop if you call to him. He is so full of energy I can walk him until the cows come home and it doesn't do much good. He tries to run like crazy in the backyard but right now it's a muddy mess and since winter has come here he hasn't been able to run it off. Just the other day on Thanksgiving he managed to run out there and just the wrong time and came pouncing in covered in mud! But next weekend a new dog park that is much bigger is supposed to open so maybe we will go there and get all that energy out. I'll take him and Toto and they can go crazy. Poor Toto has small legs and tries to hard to keep up and Shadow will come over and stand over him. It drives Toto crazy and he will bite Shadows legs to get him to go away. :lol:

[imported_Kat]

I would have to say that he is no way a full bred sheltie. He looks like a sheltie x Border collie or Rough collie. However breed doesn't matter :wink: For the tail chsing its fine if he is just chasing as a game, but if he is actualy biting at his tail then it may be an idea to get his anal glands checked out in case they are full and need emptied.

[Cairn6]

Thanks Kat my sister is our official anal glad emptier so he is okay in that department.

[imported_Kat]

lol and what a lovely official title she has for a lovely job :wink: :P

[mouseatthebusstop]

IT'S THE BEST PART OF OWNING A PUPPY WATCHING THEM PLAY TIGGY PLAYS WITH HER TAIL, SHE WILL KILL A BISCUIT BEFORE SHE EATS IT TOO

[courtnek]

my lab mixstill chases her tail, and she's 7. Something about it just sets her off.She can actually catch it and will stand there and hold onto it, but as soon as I grab a camera she lets go and sits down!!

[Cairn6]

This is funny because everyone acts like it's so common but none of my other dogs have done this for more then once or twice as pups. My border terrier we got as a 3 year old and never did that. My cairn is the smartest dog I have ever had so I guess that is why I figured since he never did it at all maybe it was an intelligence issue. Now I see that Toto just finds different ways to be silly.