If your dog licks excessively, you can easily stop this behavior once you understand the root cause of his excessive licking.
In order to get to the bottom of this mysterious and compulsive dog behavior, you will want to look at two root causes of excessive licking
Medical- A dog that is excessively licking may be doing this because of a medical condition such as a skin allergy, dry skin, irritation to the pads on his paws as a result of contact with ice, snow or the salt on a road.
He may be having an allergic reaction to cleaning fluids, a sensitivity to certain soaps or be in discomfort due to a more serious condition such as canine arthritis, common in senior dogs.
It’s a good idea to take a visit with your dog to the veterinarian to rule out any medical reason for his excessive licking. If there is a medical condition, your vet will likely prescribe a simple remedy that will provide relief to your dog and stop your dog’s excessive licking.
Behavioral- Non-medical causes for excessive licking in dogs are most likely behaviorally based. Many dog trainers feel that the cause is anxiety. Your dog may lick excessively so that someone will notice him, as a show of affection, or to give you a message.
That message in dog language can mean a number of things, such as , I want to go for a walk, I love you, I wanna play, I want food, I feel anxious, or I miss you and want you to come back. This last one manifests itself as separation anxiety when you are not at home.
2 Ways to Stop Your Dog’s Excessive Licking Today
Once you identify the specific root cause of your dog’s excessive anxiety you can take steps to stop it. Let’s use separation anxiety as an example. If you conclude that your dog licks excessively when you leave the house, you can easily correct this behavior.
Start leaving the house for short intervals without making a fuss when you leave. No announcements or goodbyes. Just leave and come back without fanfare in 5 minutes. Then repeat the process and extends it to 10 minutes.
Do it again, this time for 20 minutes, then again for an hour. Before long you will be able to leave the house and return a few hours to several hours later without your dog reacting by excessive licking.
Another simple technique you can use to stop your dog’s excessive licking is to divert his attention. When he starts to lick his paws, your face, the floor or anything at all, catch his attention and throw a ball for him to fetch. He’ll soon forget about licking because he’s having more fun playing ball !.