BehavioRx Case of the Month
for August 1997

SELF-MUTILATION
The Tale of No (apparent) Tail

The client called about his 2 year old neutered male German Shepherd Dog and the problem of tail-chasing and self-mutilation. The problem started when the dog was about 6 months of age. The dog, "Tom," was said to be in robust health, and had no other behavior problems. However, he could not be left alone free in the house due to destructive chewing. Therefore, Tom spent 8-9 hours, five days a week, in a large travel crate. He was generally un-crated during weekends, and played with the two sons, ages 7 and 9 and the father or mother. Games played were fetching a ball and tug-o-war with an old towel. Tom was fed once a day in the evening. He had gone through basic companion animal obedience training program between 6 and 8 months of age. He graduated, but the owners had to use a spike prong collar on him from the 3rd to the 5th week due to severe leash straining at class and during walks in the neighborhood.

Tail chasing usually took place during the evening on week days and during or shortly after playtimes on weekends. Tom's chasing sessions ended when he caught his tail, after which he would lie down and start chewing on it with considerable force.

Correction measures: The owners had tried were scolding, spanking Tom on the rump and, finally, putting him in his crate, at which time he would generally chew his tail. An Elizabethan collar was used, but Tom had to be left out of his crate while wearing it. The destructive chewing of furniture was intolerable to the family, so he went into his "box," where he chewed on his tail.

Two tranquilizers and one anxiolytic had no appreciable positive effect on the problem and the parents did not want to continue their use. They decided that amputation of the tail was their only remaining alternative... unless we had some remedial measures.

Tom was described as a good-natured, friendly and affectionate pet. In fact, he spent most of the evenings seeking attention or, if it was not forthcoming, chasing and/or chewing on his tail.

Diagnosis: This is a almost a classic tail-chasing/mutilation dilemma. Recent research on canine spinal injuries by Anders Hallgren in Sweden opened a new avenue of diagnostics for self/mutilation. This has led many veterinarians to consider spinal x-ray as part of their diagnostic procedure. Fortunately for Tom, his doctor was open to suggestion and several problem areas were revealed, one of which had a direct sensory relationship to his tail. While we couldn't be positive, it was quite possible that Tom may have been feeling numbness or pins-and-needles in his tail. Added to this, other areas of frustration in the environment were certainly causative factors:

1. Once-a-day feeding left Tom with an empty stomach between 15-17 hours a day, increasing his activity level.
2. Tom's constant attention-seeking behavior was generally rewarded, leading to over-missing the owners when left at home alone. Hence, frustration and anxiety when left alone, leading to destructive chewing. His ability to control the owners, leading to his assumption of the family leadership (not dominance), was also a factor in frustration.
3. Tom's close, forced confinement during weekdays increased stress in his daily life, leading to an elevated activity level when the family came home.
4. Tug-o-war had taught Tom to use his mouth on fabric relative to his owners. Fabric in the house (couches, chairs, clothing had been Tom's target-material) was symbolic of the owners when they left him.

Remedial Program:

1. Tom's daily food ration was slip in half and he was fed morning and early evening, leaving him empty-tummied only for an hour or two so in the late afternoon and between about 3-7am, during his sleep-cycle. He seemed much more calm.
2. He was put on the learn-to-earn, "No Free Lunch" program, as appears in the BehavioRx System remedial program for "Chewing" and "Self-Mutilation." This helps put the owners in a position of leadership with Tom. He responded well. He attention-seeking diminished after two days and he started lying on the floor, quite relaxed during the evening after his play sessions.
3. Tom's crate door was left open during the weekdays, alleviating stress. Furniture was treated as advised in the BehavioRx "Chewing" program instructions. Tom only chewed one pillow, and that during an evening when the owners went out to a cinema.
4. Play was limited to fetching a ball. Tug-o-war was stopped. Tom stopped playing keep-away with the ball when the owners stopped chasing him to take it back, which had been a favorite way for Tom to practice leadership with the family.
5. Tom's veterinarian arranged for several spinal adjustments. The effect was dramatic. He stopped chewing his tail after the first treatment, allowing the open wound to heal in a few weeks. However, he did continue to use tail chasing to gain attention for about two weeks. The owners were advised to call him to them when he appeared to them to get restless (always a clue that he was going to chase it.) They then put him through several Sits followed by Downs, followed by Sits, until he relaxed... the "Canine Calisthenics" program.

The tail-chasing/self-mutilation and chewing problems were resolved after the first five weeks of Tom's program.

Previous Cases

July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996

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