Excessive licking,

[*jean*]

Cora does this.. I know it can be caused by stress. She has been to the vet to rule out medical issues and had skin scrapings done etc. shes clear of any skin infection. She has done this for years.
 anyway she will lick at furniture ie whatever she is lying on, she might lick her front paws,  they are perfectly fine , no loss of fur or redness between toes.. shes not doing it enough to self harm) . now she has taken to licking Rolo. He is very patient and puts up with it for ages before he shifts. She licks his face mainly , now all my dogs greet each other and do a spot of face grooming for each other and I think of it as part of the bonding process between dogs. Its usually about the eye area not the mouth. however Cora gives Rolo a whole head wash including teeth. A bit excessive. She favours Rolo the most out of all my dogs ans he is the most patient with her.
 I know its a way of Cora dealing with her stress levels so to try and stop her licking may cause her more anxiety..She isn't as bad as when she first arrived and I thought it might just dwindle away altogether  to normal licking.
I was thinking about getting some emergency essence for her to add a few drops to her water. For all that she has come on so well here she is wary of Liath who has had a couple of gos at her recently, no harm done  physically but she minds her Ps and Qs around lee now and doesn't push it  as she was doing.  Pepper she treats  with good manners and Pepper iis fine with her altho distant.
 As I type Rolo was sleeping at my feet and Cora has got up from where she was lying and is now cleaning his muzzle. . hes woken up and moved position tho not off my foot, and shes gone off into another room! And his lordship has gone back to sleep! And shes back for another clean of him.. and so it goes on!

[mcphee]

Sometimes Rufus licks and licks his paws for ages for no apparent reason. He used to lick the base of my divan too. Someone told me that it could be his anal glands, and the licking takes their mind off the discomfort. However, I have no idea why he has these phases. I wouldn't have said he was stressed. Perhaps it is just habit with Cora?

[JennyBee]

Reuben was the same when he was here, his main targets seemed to be the sofa and his front paws . He does it at his own home too, he drinks a lot and I was wondering if it was something to do with that .

[joanne_v]

Krumbles a big licker, front paws and whatever he is lying on so usually bed or sofa! Leaves big wet patches  Certainly far from stressed ( I hope) so I've always just thought its just a part of him.

[maggieann]

Our dog was taken over over from Ireland to sell in Scotland when he was 6 months old - we got him the week after he arrived in Scotland and he was very nervous - he licked and drooled excessively. I gave him Jan de Vries Animal Emergency Essence for dogs and got him a DAP collar, I believe they helped - but it was also a lot to do with him eventually trusting us - as he was so nervous, it took him about 8 months to settle.   

[*jean*]

Krumbles a big licker, front paws and whatever he is lying on so usually bed or sofa! Leaves big wet patches   Certainly far from stressed ( I hope) so I've always just thought its just a part of him.

thats what Im thinking about Cora... could it just be shes a licky wee monster?? she was severely stressed and shut down when she came but now shes so gobby and cockerlike..    In that I mean playful and a bit of a nonsense at times!!   I find it hard to see what more I could do if it was indeed caused by stress. I never leave her alone with liath say in a crate, as liath would have a pop so in the car she travels with rolo in his crate! liath travels with pepper, Cora loves the car loves her walks.
 She still can be a bit weird about meeting strangers on walks twice now shes randomly  barked at strangers coming towards us and as they pass gone to chase them off.   she has jumped up on the back of a mans legs ( not in a I want a pat or treat way) as if to see him off.  the only connection between both was both were men both in camouflage, both carrying stuff which distorted their shape, ( one was a gun, one forestry stuff)was worried this might escalate so on next walk had cheese and when we next met someone she took a barking fit at I called her back and made her sit, rewarded with the cheese. she totally ignored the man then. she is ruled by her stomach. handy for training. think when the weather is more clement am going to sit on a bench in a busy area and get her used to folk passing by. maybe invest in tube of primula as  distraction. have got strangers to throw treats at her to get her used to the idea that strangers are nice things, not to be barked at and chased away. She is a work in progress!

[Top Barks]

I have two big lickers here, I sometimes think they do it for something to do.
The behaviour becomes self rewarding so they repeat it.