May be licking the couch and carpet is part of your dog’s charm but sometimes this odd behavior becomes a matter of concern.
You can easily spot the difference between normal licking and licking that indicates health issues. For that to happen, read the guide below that contains all you need to know.
Normally the dog explores the natural world with a sense of smell and taste. In fact, some dogs see the outer world as we see the ice cream. In case your dog licks couch and bed regularly you should figure out why. Obsessive or compulsive licking indicates a problem. Keeping a tab on sudden behavior change and keeping it under observation will enable you to tackle any problem from a behavior perspective.
Points to Take into Your Consideration
What is the Underlying Cause of Dog’s Licking Behaviour?
There could be several logical reasons behind the dog’s licking behavior. Unlike dogs, humans have hundreds of moving body parts. Whenever we are overloaded with energy and feeling nervous we tend to bite our nails, tap our foot and drum our fingers. It relieves our stress. Most often we engage ourselves in stupid thought. Dogs are not blessed with such physical anatomy and mental capacity to do most of the things as we do. Their activities revolve within certain aspects. So sometimes they lick a lot. But, what this licking signifies? what triggers them to lick? It can be because your dog is hungry, happy, sick, sad or nervous.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Licking Disorder
It is quite difficult to identify that your dog is suffering from obsessive-compulsive licking behavior. There could be a perfectly good reason for licking. For example, while having your meal there might be something left on the couch or carpet. Also, If you use body lotion or other skincare products with a yummy smell that lingers after you get up off the bed or couch. In case your dogs licking behavior all of the sudden change and they start licking whatever comes their way. Then, it’s time to call a vet. A sudden increase in excessive licking behavior could be a sign of a medical problem. Dog’s obsessive-compulsive licking disorder might be triggered by internal discomfort.
- Abnormal Licking
Developing an addiction is quite common among human beings. We tend to develop an addiction if we get pleasure while doing it. We don’t want that pleasure go away even if we know it is harmful and we repeat it very often. For example, smoking. The same principle applies to dog licking behavior. Frequent self-licking could be a sign of abnormal licking. It can harm your lovely furry friend. Abnormal licking may lead to some severe diseases like lick granuloma. It is observed that lick granuloma is active among dogs that are left alone for a long period. It leads to psychological disturbance, anxiety, and compulsiveness.
- Affection for the Person or Animal they are Licking
Unlike a dog, human beings are blessed to show their love by offering kisses and gentle touch. We have a relatively short and inflexible tongue which is not well adaptable for licking. Dogs have a thin and long tongue. Dog’s lick the owner’s skin because they like the taste of salty skin or out of affection. This is one of the ways through which dogs show their love and submissive gesture. You might have noticed that right after the birth of new puppies her mother used to lick their babies. This is how a mother communicates and stimulates them to start breathing. Also, licking clean the newly born babies. So, it’s very important for the survival of puppies. It’s a sign of affection.
- Licking calm Down Dog and Relax their Mind
Compared to human beings, dogs have better knowledge about what is happening inside their bodies and how to act on it. Every dog is special and has an individual way to calm down. Dogs use their body language to communicate how they are feeling. For example, tail wagging conveys that they are happy, excited and friendly. Do you want to know what is biological reaction that takes place inside the dog’s body when they lick? While licking the dog’s body releases pleasurable endorphins hormone that gives dogs a feeling of comfort. Endorphins calm down their minds and trigger them to lick more.
- Like the taste
Just like we can’t able to control our emotions whenever our eyes fall on mouth-watering food. Even, we tend to eat more food when we get something that suits our taste and flavor. The same emotional law is applied to all dogs. There could be a possibility that your dog is hungry. At this moment if they find something yummy then they start licking it. It is quite difficult for them to figure out what is eatable and what is not. Because they used to identify an object by its smell and taste. They have a mentality if something smells good then definitely it will taste good as well.
- Boredom or Anxiousness
Dogs always want to engage themselves in an activity. Most pet parents left their dog home alone when they go out for work. Loneliness disturbs their emotional balance and they could not able to make use of that time fruitfully. Here, it is a high probability that your dog may pick up a habit of unnecessary licking of couch or carpet. Definitely, they will do something to get rid of boredom. To counter their boredom and to handle it efficiently you should always go out with your dog. Get yourself engage in some activity with your lovely dog either in the morning and evening. This will lift your mood as well.
Conclusion
Sometimes dogs kept under captive develop a licking stereotype during which they lick surfaces(walls, bars, gates, etc.) repeatedly for no apparent reason. So, it is advised not to leave your dog all alone for a long time.
Source
https://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/why-do-dogs-lick-everything