You might have seen your dog chasing flies around your garden. If you wonder why do dogs chase flies, we are here to clear your doubts. Read on to find out the answer.
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Among all pets, people find dogs the most attractive, because they are loyal, friendly, and love imitating their pet parents. If you have a pup in your house, you have to take care of it just like your own child. The habits of dogs are very similar to humans.
As humans, we often feel annoyed when flies move around us. Your furry friend is no different from you. They also despise flies when these tiny creatures buzz in their ears, irritating them by sitting on their skin. Other reasons could be instinctive behavior, prey drive, and in some cases, a fear of flies.
So, without any further delay, let’s dive deep and find out the possible reasons behind this behavior and also how you can keep these tiny creatures away from your dogs.
Why Does My Dog Chase Flies?
There can be many reasons: it may be an instinctive trait or a phobia. Here are a few possible reasons:
Considering Them as Prey
Mother nature has given the dogs natural prey drive. They chase almost anything that moves. Your dog might be chasing the flies for the same reason it is chasing any other moving, living being.
Flies often get away when a dog tries to snap them with its paws due to the unpredictable flying pattern. This annoys the dogs more because the praying instinct that we have talked about earlier leads to the desire to hunt them more and more.
Getting Annoyed by Flies
There are primarily two types of flies- the house fly and the bush fly. Bush flies are the ones that irritate animals more. These flies sit mostly on the hairless areas on the dog’s body like the nose, eyes, and bum.
Studies show that the bum is the most common area where the flies sit because of the dirtiness and smell of poop. Flies sit there for only one reason, and that is for laying eggs, as previously mentioned.
When flies sit on the body, dogs get irritated, and unlike humans, they can’t use their hands to keep the fly away, so they depend on their mouth and paws to catch the flies and run behind them.
Maybe a Natural Instinct
Just like the instinct to prey, there is another one: to avoid anything that flies. Although not all flying creatures are harmful to your dog, most of them are.
Dogs already know instinctively that flies can cause many problems in their body like most bugs and insects. That is why they keep chasing flies repeatedly.
Phobia of Flies
Any living animal can go through traumas. Your dog might have faced a problem as a puppy due to a fly that it cannot forget even after growing up. So if you are wondering: why is my dog scared of flies?, this is the probable reason.
Because of this, your pet might be behaving unnaturally whenever a fly comes around it. This is known as fly phobia. In this case, to calm your pet down, the only way is to get the fly out of the house or kill it.
How Can You Keep Flies Away From Your Dog?
Now, that you know the reason behind this problem, it is time to look at the possible ways in which you can keep flies away from your pet or stop your dog from doing any such thing.
Distract Your Pet
The best way to stop this behavior is to divert your pet’s attention. Keep it involved in some other activity. Whenever you see your dog is attempting to chase a fly, call them by the name or invite the dog to eat the food. It will distract the animal, and they will forget about the fly and start doing what you will ask them to do.
Keep Your Dog Busy
You can also try to stimulate your dog both mentally and physically. When your dog remains busy throughout the day, he will avoid doing these silly things. Take them with you for long walks regularly. It will keep your pet occupied.
Keep Your Dogs Clean
As we all know, cleanliness is next to godliness. We humans take baths almost every day, but it is impossible to wash your furry friend regularly. Instead of that, you should find out time at least once a month to wash him properly.
Cleaning the furs of your pet will lead to the removal of microbes like bacteria and viruses which were manifesting on your pet’s body. Regular cleaning also ensures that dust and dirt do not settle on the furs, which can attract flies to lay eggs.
Stop Flies From Entering Your House
There are several ways to keep flies away from your home, which will make both you and your pet comfortable. Fly Traps can be used to catch the flies that will try to enter your house.
Apart from that, fly repellents are also there, which releases mist, and that mist keeps flies away. Install one near your dog house to keep your furry friend safe from these annoying insects.
One other thing that you can do in case your dog has a mental condition called fly phobia, is to do your best to keep the flies away from your pet.
Probably the best possible way to handle this is to keep the dog inside away from insects and pests. Try to desensitize your pet friend and slowly create a positive attitude towards flies.
A Few Final Words
As we have reached the end of this article, we hope that you have got the answer, why does my dog chase flies?
Depending on the cause, the behavior of the dog will change. If it is traumatized, then your pet will behave like a maniac, and it has also been seen that they like to mess around and play with the flies.
It can be said that chasing flies might be a dog’s habit or an indication of some severe health issues. If you find it problematic, it is best to consult a veterinary clinic.
We thank you for reading the article and hope that it was able to address your concerns about your dog chasing flies. If there are questions that we left unanswered, please let us know and we will add them to our writeup.
You may also want to visit some of our other articles about common things that may be dangerous for your pup such as scrunchies and rawhide chew toys. Do read them to keep your dog safe!