Our first yorkie would lick incessantly. We were never able to completely control it. He would listen to us for a while if he told him "No!", but that only works for so long. Soon he'd be back at it. After a bath, after the Gym (his favorite - yes, it was gross, but that's the way it was), at night when the humans are too sleepy to stop it...
I have heard about the allergy theory or the salt theory (which I find more plausible), but unless you want to bathe in bitter apple, get used to it and do the best you can.
