Obsessively,
compulsively chasing tail is an irritating habit that dog owners have to put up
with. It seems that dogs share with us humans the problems of Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder (OCD). So the question is: are dogs a good model for this
type of human behavior? The response to medication, such as serotonin reuptake
inhibitors, apparently suggests that they may be.
In
last weeks Public Library of Science, Tiira et al chose 368 dogs from 4 breeds
that seem to have a greater propensity for seeing tail and thinking “must catch
it” (1). German Shepherd and 3 types of Bull Terrier were the breed candidates.
They utilized character and environmental factors to compare inveterate tail chasers
with non-tail chasers.
Personality-wise,
shyer dogs were more likely to be tail chasers, as were those living alone or
in a house with no children. So, boredom early on may have triggered the onset.
Vitamin B6 and C are good supplements to give your dog as these resulted in a
lowered incidence of tail chasing. Genetic analysis didn’t pick up anything
significant, so we can’t blame their moms and dads.
However,
there was a correlation from being taken away from their mom too early. So does
that mean that OCD in humans can be encouraged by early return to work using
poor quality childcare? Neutering didn’t have much effect although there was a
small effect for females who were heavily into OCD, but that isn’t an option
for people. Vitamin supplements would be though and lots of fun stimulation
might both work their magic.
You’ve
got to catch them early though – its too late for some of today’s politicos who
seem determined to chase their tails (or someone else’s if it becomes on
offer and vitamin supplements won’t help).
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0041684
