If you discover yourself flick your pen incessantly during a farsighted meeting , it ’s possible that you ’re either really bored or really anxious . grant toReader ’s Digest , pawl often give chase their rump for similar reason ( though that demeanour is probably a snatch cute than your penitentiary - clicking habit ) .

When adogis stressed ( look at you , thunderstormsandfireworks ) or simply needs to keep itself entertain while you ’re busy , it might start chamfer its tail end as a ego - console tactic .

“ We call thesedisplacement conduct , similar to a homo twiddle their hair or tap their understructure , ” Russell Hartstein , a certify dog behaviour adviser and the founder ofFun Paw Care , tellsReader ’s Digest .

He’s got skin (and hair) in the game.

If that adorable arse - chasing never fails to elicit lots of laugh and headway pats from the humans in the room , your dog might hear to utilize the activity as a way to get positive attention , too . Usually , puppies are more predisposed to dashing in circles , and they step by step give up the behavior as they get old ( though for reasons unbeknownst to expert , German shepherdsand terrier are often active can - chasers , even in sure-enough age ) .

The behavior is n’t something to concern about in world-wide , but you should take notice if it ’s befall on a day-after-day basis . As Cesar ’s Wayexplains , this could mean that your dog has acquire a compulsive disorder to cope with things like separation anxiety or retiring psychic trauma . Or , if the habit arises suddenly and your dog seems to be biting or chewing on its hind end , it could be a sign that worms , flea , or another aesculapian outcome is plague your pooch . In either case , you should schedule a trip to the vet .

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