[Mom2BabyNatalie]

Originally Posted by LoveMyWalter

I'm new here, and my Yorkie, Walter, is turning 6 later this month. I love him to bits, but the licking is out of control. He's ALWAYS been a big fan of licking...his paws, mostly; but he'll also lick everything else (me, the furniture, the carpet, etc.) He's been to the vet, who said he's healthy and fine, except that his paws are red and irritated from constantly being wet; short of putting an e-collar on him, is there anything I can do? I tried the bitter stuff, but he didn't care. It's more a habit than anything else. Any assistance is very appreciated!

I don't think I can help you with the "how to stop him" part.... short of putting little mittens on his paws where he's licking... or by using a soft muzzle.... but there are many wise Yorkie lovers here who will likely have a hundred different tricks for you to try!!

I can offer you some information on what can happen when they DO lick like that..... lick granulomas are quite common in dogs who are incessantly licking (initially usually due to behavioral problems, skin irritation or even a neurological disorder affecting the nerves... then later can become sheer habit or a source of "comfort" when nervous or even bored) and can be pretty nasty things to "cure"... (in fact, none of the known treatments have been successful in all cases... so it's often a tough road of "trial and error")

Generally, large breed male dogs are the most common to encounter lick granuloma problems, but it can occur in any breed.

Here is an informative web page you can look over...

http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/lick-gran.html