Constant Licking in Dogs, what to do? If a dog licks some parts of his body, it is quite normal, we should not worry, it is a behavior that is well within their nature. If the dog licks constantly, it could create bit of a problem and could be due to stress and other behavioral problems. We find out why the dog licks and see what to do if the dog is licking constantly!
Why do dogs lick?
For dogs, stress often manifests itself in what many call a state of “infantile regression” that is, the dog licks himself and remembers when he was a puppy and his mother licked him to clean him and stimulate his development. In spite of what some may think, cleaning is very important to a dog, all mammals are concerned about cleanliness!
Among the animals, licking their bodies, has not only aims to cure their health, but also helps to consolidate the ties. For example, the term Allogrooming refers to a mutual cleaning between two animals in order to establish a covenant relationship (widespread among primates). On the other hand, autogrooming is used to describe when an animal cleans his body of ectoparasites and facilitate the cleaning of the coat. Finally Somestesia means is to explore your own body to stimulate and familiarize oneself with ones own body.
Constant Licking in Dogs, what to do?
If a dog licks constantly, most likely in a state of anxiety or distress, just like us when we bite our nails or fiddle with a lock of our hair. With Somestesia most of the time you will see your friend devoting great attention to the genital area, typical of the dog that licks his butt ! Again it is a form of infantile regression; in fact in the first weeks of the puppies life mother dogs do this thankless job in order to help the puppies defecate.
An excess of allogrooming is common in dogs that lick their paws constantly, and this behavior is often found in active dogs (such as border collies) who don’t get enough physical activity (and it can actually injure their feet!) For this reason some dog breeds are not recommended for the lazy! Both of these compulsive behaviors Dog (somestesia and excessive allogrooming), can take on an almost manic form, the dog may in fact pulling our their fur and unwittingly facilitating the development of certain diseases of the dog’s skin.
So what to do if the dog licks himself constantly? First of all we should make sure that our friend gets sufficient physical activity or whether or not the dog is upset and requiring more attention. In either case an extra day at the park will certainly be to his liking! If the dog is stressed, its possible that you are asking too much of him (even not realizing it!) If your friend is following a course of training, probably a good idea to take a break for a few day If your dog is anxious, you should read our advice about separation anxiety in dogs- it could be that separation anxiety is what’s troubling your dog!
