Hi everyone, I hope I’m posting this in the right place… My dog (3 years old) has this obsessive habit of licking himself or the floor, and it’s impossible to stop him. He’ll find a random spot on his body and just lick and lick until he gets a wound, and then he’ll keep going.
We’ve been to the vet so many times, and the vet says his skin is fine, no allergies or anything. But if we put a cone on him, he just starts licking the cone. We don’t want him wearing a cone all day, so he only has it on at night, but we spend most of the day telling him to stop, which drives us all nuts. He even knows he shouldn’t be doing it because if he catches us looking, he’ll pause, but the moment he thinks we’re not watching, he starts right back up.
Does anyone have experience with this kind of behavior? If it’s something compulsive, I don’t know if we’ll ever break it, but I’d really appreciate any advice or similar experiences.
I can imagine how frustrating this must be for you. I’ve got a few ideas that might help.
First, just telling him “no” likely won’t be enough to stop the behavior if it’s really compulsive. It could have started as a reaction to something in his environment, like stress or anxiety, or maybe even boredom. Some dogs pick up habits like that and stick to them. There could also be other medical reasons, like nerve issues or something with his endocrine system. I’d consider a second opinion if your vet didn’t explore other possibilities.
In terms of behavior, you could try to identify any stressors that could be setting him off. Loud noises or something else in his surroundings might be bothering him. In some cases, low-dose medication like Prozac can help dogs with compulsive behavior, just to help them get a break from the cycle while you work on retraining.
If there’s nothing obvious stressing him out, maybe giving him a task to focus on, like fetch or hiding treats for him to find, could help him redirect his energy. Hope you find something that works. Good luck.
@Ginger
Great advice. For our dog, we found that giving him a bone he could lick helped redirect his habit. He’d spend time licking that instead of his paws. Every dog is different, but it might be worth a try for you too.
@Ginger
Thanks so much. I think I’ll get a second opinion. My vet just said, “it’s an obsessive behavior,” and that was that. Our home is usually quiet and chill, except for the vacuum, which he hates. I’ll try these ideas and see if they help.
lorita said:
How much exercise and mental stimulation does he get each day? This might just be a case of boredom that’s gotten out of hand.
I walk him for an hour in the morning and evening. Since I work from home, he’s with me all day, and we play a lot. Sometimes he’s happily chewing on a toy, then he’ll suddenly switch to licking himself, so I have to get his attention back to the toy.
Try interrupting him and redirecting his attention. When you catch him licking, give him something appropriate to lick, like a Kong filled with treats or a ‘lick mat’. He may just need an outlet for this behavior. Also, it might help to track when he starts licking the most. You could see if increasing his activity or using more mental stimulation makes a difference.
@Channel
I’ve never heard of a lick mat. He’s a big dog (Anatolian shepherd), and he usually destroys most toys fast, even the “indestructible” ones. Giant rope toys and Kongs are the only things that last. If you have more toy suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
This could be a case of canine compulsive disorder. A veterinary behaviorist might be able to help since this can be tough to change without professional help.
My dog used to do this too, licking his front legs raw. He’s a rescue, and I think he started doing it out of boredom or stress. We put bandages on his legs to let them heal, gave him a rubber chew toy he liked, and redirected him with belly rubs whenever we saw him licking. Eventually, he got out of the habit at home, but it still happens sometimes at boarding.
You mentioned it’s not allergies and that he’s seen the vet a lot, but maybe you could try a few more things. Have a stool sample checked to rule out internal parasites, and use something like Frontline to prevent external parasites. If none of that helps, consider testing for allergies or any internal problems.
I’d also recommend trying a mild pain reliever or starting on something like Apoquel if the licking doesn’t stop. It might be worth seeing a specialist vet if you don’t notice any changes soon.
My dog does this too. It started when she was about four. She even limped occasionally, so the vet thought it was arthritis. I tried joint supplements, and the limping stopped, but the licking still comes and goes. She’ll be fine for a while, then suddenly start licking her front legs raw. We’ve tried different foods and more exercise, but nothing seems to stop it entirely.