Why do dogs lick suede

Note: If your dog is showing signs of compulsive licking, you should get a vet checkup and talk to a canine behaviorist. If your dog is excessively licking the couch, this could be a sign of an underlying health condition. Are they lethargic, defensive, or panting excessively?

Any changes to his normal behavior could indicate a health issue. Getting a vet check-up to rule out this possibility is recommended. Some health problems associated with excessive licking are outlined below, but this list is by no means exhaustive:. When did the licking start? Does it usually happen at certain times of day? How long does your dog lick the sofa? Is it easy to redirect the behavior or is your dog persistent?

And are you noticing any other unusual behavior or symptoms? It may even be worth videoing the licking for your vet to see. Additional Resources AKC. Clubs Offering: Training Classes. Back To Why does my dog By Jan Reisen Sep 21, 3 Minutes. Sep 21, 3 Minutes. Furniture Licking and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder In some dogs, excessive furniture licking is genuinely obsessive-compulsive behavior. Assume the simplest explanation, boredom, and offer him alternative stimulation, like a toy or game. Watch for stressors in his environment, like visitors, a new baby , loud noises outside, or the doorbell ringing.

Consider medical issues, like gastrointestinal problems or dementia. Consult your veterinarian. Very quickly, the dog realizes they get a flood of good feelings during stress when they start licking.

There are two steps to treating compulsive behaviors. You should always start with a veterinary visit. Another benefit to a medical visit is you can possibly get your dog started on medications that help with anxiety and compulsion. This can be done with or without a trainer; how bad the licking is will dictate whether you need a trainer or can do it on your own.

Redirecting their anxiety to something more productive and normal like exercise is an ideal treatment. Couch licking seems benign to start with, but eventually, your dog might start licking things that create other problems. A lot of compulsive dogs end up licking themselves until they develop bald patches, hot spots, and skin infections. When your dog starts exhibiting compulsive licking behavior, nip it in the bud as quickly as possible to keep your dog from developing a lot of hard-to-break habits.

This will often be considered a compulsion and measures can be taken to relieve or train them out of it. Sometimes there is no anxiety or compulsive cause behind the issue, and it is simply down to a bad habit. Maybe they licked the couch once, enjoyed the sensation and now continue to do it.

This can be a sign of growing anxiety, similar to and can even lead to compulsive behaviors, so it is best to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. While simply training them to understand that licking the couch is not allowed can lead to them not having anything to relieve that stress on, it is best to also give them something else such as a new toy to occupy themselves licking or biting instead.

Also, check for reasons why they have begun to have excess worry, including changes to their environment or other things that may be causing them more anxiety. While there is a school of thought that aggression towards your dog lets them see you as the master in order to behave, fear and physical punishment are actually far more likely to cause your dog stress and anxiety than actually training them.

This can often do the opposite of what you intend, with their behavior getting worse because of their confusion or unhappiness. Instead, positive reinforcement training is a far better and more effective solution to training your dog out of negative behavior.

Positive reinforcement training is achieved by rewarding your dog for good behavior, rather than punishing them for bad ones.

Using a clicker and treats allow them to learn that bad behavior does not get them rewarded, either through treats or praise, while good behavior does. This can be used for many different issues, including chasing, barking, picking things up, stealing food, going to the toilet inside and even stopping them from licking your couch.

Over time, the rewarded behavior will become second nature to them, and their unrewarded bad behavior will be unlearned and fade into the background. The spray you can buy is a bitter lemon spray.

It is supposed to taste super nasty to dogs, so might be worth giving a shot. I found a product on Amazon that has reasonably good reviews. I referred to this earlier, and sometimes it can be the simplest thing that works; more exercise. A bored dog or one with excess energy will act out to give itself more mental stimulation. This can manifest itself by couch licking, so get them out of the house and running around more than normal. However, I have read multiple online journals written by vets to try to better understand why dogs like to lick couches and have put some readable notes together below.

As mentioned above, there are multiple reasons your dog is licking something; however, if you have noticed that they are licking far more than what is normal for them then it is important that you know exactly why it is so you can help them.