Why Do Dogs Chase Their Tails?

Have you ever seen a dog spinning round and round, chasing its tail? This behavior is especially common in puppies. Puppies like to chase their tails for several reasons.

• They have lots of energy! You might jump around or spin in circles when you are excited. Dogs chase their tails!
• They want attention from their owners.
• They want to play! What, isn’t a tail a toy?
• They are figuring out how their bodies work. Puppies use their mouths to explore the world, kind of like human babies.

Chasing their tails might be a fun game for dogs, but they do not use the same creativity when they play that humans do. Because you were made in the image of our creative God, you can be creative in ways that animals cannot. You can invent new games and use your imagination while playing. Maybe you can even come up with a new game to play with your dog—a game that’s a little more exciting than tail tag!

Playful Creatures

God gave creatures like dogs the ability to play as a way to explore the world and get out their energy. Here are some other animals that like to play.

• Cats like to wrestle and chase each other. They also enjoy climbing trees and pouncing on small moving objects, such as toys!
• Kangaroos and wallabies play fight when they are young.
• Some crocodiles will give smaller crocs piggyback rides!
• Octopuses like to shoot water and move toys around.
• Rats are extremely playful. They even “laugh” when they are tickled!
• Otters love to slide into water, do fancy tricks while swimming, and “juggle” rocks!
• Rabbits chase each other, run in circles, or throw things for fun. An excited rabbit might even jump and do a flip in the air!

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world that you want us to answer? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. Watch for our answer here on the blog or in Kids Answers magazine. We’d love to hear from you!