The Tail-Chaser

Isn’t it sweet when puppies chase their own tails? Little chicklet teeth gnashing while their tiny, goofy, flexible bodies spin in circles as they try to catch the baby corn stump attached to their behinds? I used to love watching it.

Now, not so much. Mylo is almost 5. He still chases his tail. Over the years it has become more of a battle to the death between his front end and his back end. We will be in the yard, playing ball with the boys and all of a sudden Mylo will stop. His disposition becomes wild, like he is on the hunt. He eyes his tail, watching the long white fur flow in the breeze, as if it were taunting him. Then he launches himself into a spinning mass of doom. He whips around in a lopsided circle until he has his own tail—apparently he does not realize that it is attached to him—in his mouth and he starts to growl ferociously. Moving his jaws up and down until he has a good hold on it. After this comes what we call “donutting”. This is when Mylo gets so into the capture of his own tail that he rolls sideways into a ball. Not laying down, but actually balancing on his thigh with his front legs in the air as if they are trying to catch the clouds overhead. Then the “pinchy-biting” starts. This is when Mylo pinches things between his front teeth with extreme force. His nose curls up like he smells something terrible and he attacks his tail with vigor. The only end to this stage is when he loses balance and topples over.

When he chases his tail in the house, it is even more disturbing. For some reason, he likes to do it between objects. Like walls in the hallway. This means that every time he spins, you can hear his head hit the wall. Two thumps for every spin. The only way to get him to stop is by opening the cheese drawer in the fridge (our dogs have figured out what is in the cheese drawer), or by grabbing hold of him.

He was so obsessed with his tail at one point that it was almost bald. Thankfully it has grown back in since then. We got some odd looks for awhile there. He has never actually damaged himself by drawing blood or anything of the sort, so don’t worry about that. I just don’t understand why he still does it. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that my husband and I are children at heart. Meaning, one of our summer nights will include a camp out in the living room watching movies. Maybe Mylo is taking after us by trying to prolong his puppyhood. Who knows. We are thinking about getting him a helmet for in the house so that he stops banging his head on the walls. Or maybe we should just give in and line our walls with padding. 😉

Mylo chasing his tail in an open space for once.

Tags: Animal Humor, animals, baby corn, dog be, Dogs, Golden Retriever, Mylo, pet owners, Pet Parents, Pets, Tail chasing, Tails

• June 11, 2012
• Dogs, Golden Retriever, Humor, Mylo
• 32 Comments