Compulsive licking??? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

deonk1 · 02-20-2012, 08:01 AM

I don't understand. Harley is a compulsive licker and I don't know how to stop it. I don't mind personal kisses or the occasional lick, but he is the worst with our bed, pillows, and blankets. He just will lick and lick the blankets or pillows until they are wet, and stinky.

I work from home and love having him in the bedroom with me while I work, but he just licks so much stuff that I can't stand it. he'll also lick my clothes too.

I have no idea how to stop him. oh and I thought about bitter apple, but we tried that when he was a puppy he liked it.. plus I don't wanna spread bitter apple on my blankets.

In 6 months we'll be moving to a new place and for the first time I'm going to let him sleep with me in bed (our bedroom isn't safe to be unsupervised in) and I want to stop this licking before then. Thoughts?

chachi · 02-20-2012, 08:05 AM

I think they do this from nervousness or boredom. I would try some extra play time before bed

gracielove · 02-20-2012, 08:15 AM

I just watched a Dog Whisperer episode about a little rescue Yorkie that was a constant licker. Of course Cesar had the answer right away. They learn the behavior from the mom. Many puppies are left to them selves and do develop habits. The trick is to distract your dog. After one or two social kisses you just give a firm no and turn the attention to something else. If your dog has been doing this for a while it may take a few times to get the brain to move ahead to something else. The brain gets stuck on a particular behavior and it needs to be stopped and moved in another direction.

deonk1 · 02-20-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gracielove

I just watched a Dog Whisperer episode about a little rescue Yorkie that was a constant licker. Of course Cesar had the answer right away. They learn the behavior from the mom. Many puppies are left to them selves and do develop habits. The trick is to distract your dog. After one or two social kisses you just give a firm no and turn the attention to something else. If your dog has been doing this for a while it may take a few times to get the brain to move ahead to something else. The brain gets stuck on a particular behavior and it needs to be stopped and moved in another direction.

So was this dog licking people or other things? my issue is with the bed licking not people licking. He does stop people licking when told, but the bed is what's annoying me.

gracielove · 02-20-2012, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deonk1

So was this dog licking people or other things? my issue is with the bed licking not people licking. He does stop people licking when told, but the bed is what's annoying me.

Yes, it was mostly about licking people but any behavior that seems obsessive is something that has to be dealt with in the same manner. Tell him no and direct the attention to something else.

candybaby · 02-20-2012, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gracielove

Yes, it was mostly about licking people but any behavior that seems obsessive is something that has to be dealt with in the same manner. Tell him no and direct the attention to something else.

southernbelle04 · 02-20-2012, 09:45 AM

KS is a little licker too, but mainly with her Daddy. I think if I put her up on the bed and let her give him puppy kisses as long as she wanted, we'd never get out of bed. My husband is a good sport about it. But after a while, we divert her attention elsewhere or tell her 'enough.'

llapan · 02-20-2012, 08:30 PM

If you do a search on the internet, you'll see that obsessive licking is pretty common for both dogs and cats. There are a variety of reasons ranging from allergies, obsessive compulsive disorder, self soothing, etc.--LOTS of reasons. With respect to my Yorkie, Miss Kitty, my vet thought allergies might be the culprit and suggested daily doses of baby Benadryl to see if that would curb her excessive, almost constant licking--of not only her own body, but also clothes, bedding (leaving huge wet areas on the comforter in the course of one of her nightly "lick fests'"), the floor, leather chairs--basically everything and anything (although her front legs were definitely her favorite place to obsessively lick). Before I started Miss Kitty on the Benadryl, I could temporarily get her to stop her constant and unnerving licking by saying "no licking" (it only took a little while for her to understand that command, as it was my most frequent one for a long time !)--or by distracting her with a toy. BUT, as soon as she felt that I was no longer paying attention, she would go right back to licking--or, after I would ask her to stop, she would move away from me, to get far enough away (on my couch or bed) to where I couldn't see or hear her licking--so that she could resume her licking in peace.

Within a couple of weeks of giving my dog twice daily doses of Benydryl--she stopped licking completely. An amazing transformation!! I eventually thought she was "cured" and stopped giving the Benadryl. Besides baby Benadryl, my vet also suggested I try medicated shampoo and conditioner. The medicated shampoo and conditioner had no effect at all, because I kept using that after stopping the daily Benadryl, yet the licking started back up in pretty short order. Once I resumed the Benadryl dosing--same thing happened as before: within a couple of weeks, Miss Kitty's licking ground to a halt again. And to cement my conclusion that it WAS the Benadryl that stopped the obsessive licking--a year or so ago, I ran out of Benadryl, and kept forgetting to buy it. Before long, the hard core licking started back up. (Miss Kitty still licks some, but only about 5% of what she would do unmedicated.) Using trial and error, I have also noticed she does better (less licking) if I dose her twice a day. I'm not sure if that's because my doses were too small when I tried the once a day schedule (I didnt give her any more per dose) OR if the dose size was okay but the effects of the Benadryl simply wear off in 12 hours, no matter what the dose. And for people who say I shouldn't keep Miss Kitty on Benadryl full time--the alternative was going to eventually be that she licked her poor little paws to bloody stumps. So, i choose Benadryl, at least for now. Concerning dose amounts-it would vary, depending on size of your dog. Mine is 2 yrs. old and weighs about 3.5 lbs. Her dose is pretty tiny. Your vet could tell you the proper dosing. Hope this helps.

KendraE · 02-20-2012, 08:49 PM

Llapan... That is very interesting!! Op, I feel your pain as I too have a compulsive licker!! In fact, I once too posted a thread about it and received some very intereting responses... Never heard if it being a possible allergy though!! Mack does not lick himself... He loves to lick furniture... In fact just today, he left a HUGE wet spot in the middle of the couch! When we catch him in the act, a simple no will make him stop... I've just come to accept that licking is a part of who he is!! Good luck!

gracielove · 02-21-2012, 05:52 AM

Do your pets have things like bully sticks to chew. Some dogs do have a nervous energy that can be helped with chewing.

KendraE · 02-21-2012, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gracielove

Do your pets have things like bully sticks to chew. Some dogs do have a nervous energy that can be helped with chewing.

I know we have toys and bully sticks available at all times... But the licking continues!!

normarae63 · 02-21-2012, 06:23 AM

OP be sure to come back & let us know if you figure this out as it may help others later who read this.

Cha Cha · 02-21-2012, 06:35 AM

My Moka is a compulsive licker. We will just call her name, or say "stop licking" firmly, and that will distract her. sometimes I have to say it a couple of times, but she knows what I mean and she will stop. In the mornings while I am getting ready for work she will lay stretched out flat and lick/suck the carpet floor, sofa pillows, blankets, etc. She was a little older when she started this behavior but I can see it being related to allergies since we are suspicious of other food allergies and now that I think about it, the food allergies and the licking started about the same time.

I will have to ask my vet about the benedryl at at our checkup. Very interesting.

Funny side note, Moka will even suck a tiny string of her mustash hairs. She pushes her head up against the side of the sofa to get them to where she can grab them into her mouth, then suck on them like a child that sucks on their hair..

R_Z · 02-21-2012, 07:57 AM

Bailey loves to get on my lap and lick my hand. If I'm not working and we're just sitting in the evening watching tv, it's fine for a bit. I have taught him over time that when I say: "stop licking", he quits. I had to be repetitive, but I do believe he gets it.

gracielove · 02-21-2012, 08:54 AM

Is there allergy testing for dogs? Maybe finding the source of the allergy would mean you could stop medicating you pet.

02-20-2012, 08:01 AM	#1
deonk1 YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada Posts: 1,795	Compulsive licking??? I don't understand. Harley is a compulsive licker and I don't know how to stop it. I don't mind personal kisses or the occasional lick, but he is the worst with our bed, pillows, and blankets. He just will lick and lick the blankets or pillows until they are wet, and stinky. I work from home and love having him in the bedroom with me while I work, but he just licks so much stuff that I can't stand it. he'll also lick my clothes too. I have no idea how to stop him. oh and I thought about bitter apple, but we tried that when he was a puppy he liked it.. plus I don't wanna spread bitter apple on my blankets. In 6 months we'll be moving to a new place and for the first time I'm going to let him sleep with me in bed (our bedroom isn't safe to be unsupervised in) and I want to stop this licking before then. Thoughts? __________________ Kendra Harley, you were the light in my life, rest peacefully my love!

02-20-2012, 08:05 AM	#2
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	I think they do this from nervousness or boredom. I would try some extra play time before bed __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

02-20-2012, 09:45 AM	#7
southernbelle04 Katie Scarlett's Mommy Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Sweet Home Alabama Posts: 7,554 Blog Entries: 1	KS is a little licker too, but mainly with her Daddy. I think if I put her up on the bed and let her give him puppy kisses as long as she wanted, we'd never get out of bed. My husband is a good sport about it. But after a while, we divert her attention elsewhere or tell her 'enough.' __________________ Aymee & Katie Scarlett

02-20-2012, 08:30 PM	#8
llapan Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cleburne, TX Posts: 23	Baby Benadryl helped my puppy stop her compulsive licking If you do a search on the internet, you'll see that obsessive licking is pretty common for both dogs and cats. There are a variety of reasons ranging from allergies, obsessive compulsive disorder, self soothing, etc.--LOTS of reasons. With respect to my Yorkie, Miss Kitty, my vet thought allergies might be the culprit and suggested daily doses of baby Benadryl to see if that would curb her excessive, almost constant licking--of not only her own body, but also clothes, bedding (leaving huge wet areas on the comforter in the course of one of her nightly "lick fests'"), the floor, leather chairs--basically everything and anything (although her front legs were definitely her favorite place to obsessively lick). Before I started Miss Kitty on the Benadryl, I could temporarily get her to stop her constant and unnerving licking by saying "no licking" (it only took a little while for her to understand that command, as it was my most frequent one for a long time !)--or by distracting her with a toy. BUT, as soon as she felt that I was no longer paying attention, she would go right back to licking--or, after I would ask her to stop, she would move away from me, to get far enough away (on my couch or bed) to where I couldn't see or hear her licking--so that she could resume her licking in peace. Within a couple of weeks of giving my dog twice daily doses of Benydryl--she stopped licking completely. An amazing transformation!! I eventually thought she was "cured" and stopped giving the Benadryl. Besides baby Benadryl, my vet also suggested I try medicated shampoo and conditioner. The medicated shampoo and conditioner had no effect at all, because I kept using that after stopping the daily Benadryl, yet the licking started back up in pretty short order. Once I resumed the Benadryl dosing--same thing happened as before: within a couple of weeks, Miss Kitty's licking ground to a halt again. And to cement my conclusion that it WAS the Benadryl that stopped the obsessive licking--a year or so ago, I ran out of Benadryl, and kept forgetting to buy it. Before long, the hard core licking started back up. (Miss Kitty still licks some, but only about 5% of what she would do unmedicated.) Using trial and error, I have also noticed she does better (less licking) if I dose her twice a day. I'm not sure if that's because my doses were too small when I tried the once a day schedule (I didnt give her any more per dose) OR if the dose size was okay but the effects of the Benadryl simply wear off in 12 hours, no matter what the dose. And for people who say I shouldn't keep Miss Kitty on Benadryl full time--the alternative was going to eventually be that she licked her poor little paws to bloody stumps. So, i choose Benadryl, at least for now. Concerning dose amounts-it would vary, depending on size of your dog. Mine is 2 yrs. old and weighs about 3.5 lbs. Her dose is pretty tiny. Your vet could tell you the proper dosing. Hope this helps. __________________ L.LaPan ( Mommy to my three Yorkies, Miss Kitty, BabyCakes, and PaddyCakes, and my Corgi, Buffy)

02-20-2012, 08:49 PM	#9
KendraE Hook Em! Bevo & Mack Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 3,752	Llapan... That is very interesting!! Op, I feel your pain as I too have a compulsive licker!! In fact, I once too posted a thread about it and received some very intereting responses... Never heard if it being a possible allergy though!! Mack does not lick himself... He loves to lick furniture... In fact just today, he left a HUGE wet spot in the middle of the couch! When we catch him in the act, a simple no will make him stop... I've just come to accept that licking is a part of who he is!! Good luck! __________________ Kendra Bevo and Mack & grandpups Bryleigh and Jaxon

02-20-2012, 08:15 AM	#3
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	I just watched a Dog Whisperer episode about a little rescue Yorkie that was a constant licker. Of course Cesar had the answer right away. They learn the behavior from the mom. Many puppies are left to them selves and do develop habits. The trick is to distract your dog. After one or two social kisses you just give a firm no and turn the attention to something else. If your dog has been doing this for a while it may take a few times to get the brain to move ahead to something else. The brain gets stuck on a particular behavior and it needs to be stopped and moved in another direction.

02-21-2012, 05:52 AM	#10
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	Do your pets have things like bully sticks to chew. Some dogs do have a nervous energy that can be helped with chewing.

02-21-2012, 06:23 AM	#12
normarae63 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Ocala Florida Posts: 4,130 Blog Entries: 1	OP be sure to come back & let us know if you figure this out as it may help others later who read this. __________________ Sherry Owned by Tuffy & Bella Visit my SHOP: SherrysPetStuff or on Etsy. Fun on Facebook

02-21-2012, 06:35 AM	#13
Cha Cha Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Where the deer and the antelope play Posts: 7,069	My Moka is a compulsive licker. We will just call her name, or say "stop licking" firmly, and that will distract her. sometimes I have to say it a couple of times, but she knows what I mean and she will stop. In the mornings while I am getting ready for work she will lay stretched out flat and lick/suck the carpet floor, sofa pillows, blankets, etc. She was a little older when she started this behavior but I can see it being related to allergies since we are suspicious of other food allergies and now that I think about it, the food allergies and the licking started about the same time. I will have to ask my vet about the benedryl at at our checkup. Very interesting. Funny side note, Moka will even suck a tiny string of her mustash hairs. She pushes her head up against the side of the sofa to get them to where she can grab them into her mouth, then suck on them like a child that sucks on their hair.. __________________ Shelly and the girls Moka Mylee Last edited by Cha Cha; 02-21-2012 at 06:39 AM.

02-21-2012, 07:57 AM	#14
R_Z Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Memphis, TN USA Posts: 1,078	Bailey loves to get on my lap and lick my hand. If I'm not working and we're just sitting in the evening watching tv, it's fine for a bit. I have taught him over time that when I say: "stop licking", he quits. I had to be repetitive, but I do believe he gets it.

02-21-2012, 08:54 AM	#15
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	Is there allergy testing for dogs? Maybe finding the source of the allergy would mean you could stop medicating you pet.