Dog licking constantly - Answered by Dr. Van Lienden
 

My 4 year old yorkie will not stop licking: licking his chops and other things ie the furniture, my husbands arms & hand. He has always done this a little, but lately it is constant--everytime I look at him he is licking something. He seems healthy otherwise--please advise

Well, any time there's a change in behaviour like this, it's wise to consider a vet check up, to rule out neurological issues, Cushings disease, etc.

Is he a bit nervous, or prone to stress? I have a Rottie who is...she will lick her feet, chops, furniture etc when she is stressed. If there's nothing medically wrong, consider the stress (or boredom) angle, and go from there.

Carina--I had thought of an endocrine disorder--only because he is only 4 lbs with quite a healthy appetite--too healthy for his size and I know endocrine disorders can be prevalent in small dogs. He is actually very calm in comparision to my other yorkie. No change in behavior, but you may be on to something about boredom. The weather here in NJ has been ungodly cold and we have not been taking our regular 45 minute daily walk, which he loves, so maybe he's getting barn sour. And today we are getting around 2 feet of snow, so I know we will not resume our walks just yet. I do agree, I'm going to take him to the Vet on Monday. Thank you for your response. I'm glad to be a new member on this board.

[QUOTE=mjeag]My 4 year old yorkie will not stop licking: licking his chops and other things ie the furniture, my husbands arms & hand. He has always done this a little, but lately it is constant--everytime I look at him he is licking something. He seems healthy otherwise--please advise[/QUOTE]

A friend of mine has a tiny Yorkie female named "Lexi". I have been around bunches of Yorkies and most all tend to lick...I tease the owners saying they have tongues too big for their mouths so they spool them up on a reel in the back of their throats...(ya..right), I am alway's met with a blank stare. Sooo anyways..Lexi was always lick,lick,lick,lick and she began to lick air, lick air...GEESH! Of course, to my friend, nothing could ever be wrong with her baby. She finally took her to the vet. At 18 months Lexi desperately needed a dental cleaning and 2 very rotten, very loose teeth were removed. Her licking stopped completely, except for kisses. Yorkies are the top dog I have seen with dental problems. Poodles come in second.
Just my .02 cents worth.

[QUOTE=mjeag]so maybe he's getting barn sour. And today we are getting around 2 feet of snow, so I know we will not resume our walks just yet. [/QUOTE]

LOL, I love the expression "barn sour." :) And I can imagine it would be tough for a 4lb dog to manage 2+ feet of snow! (My dogs adore that, but they have much higher ground clearance.)
I hadn't thought of the dental angle though, that sounds like a consideration too.

Never heard of "barn sour" before.

Btw, (not intending a thread hijack here)...how does one keep from losing a 4lb. dog in the snow? I have often wondered.....*never had that problem.....yet*

[QUOTE=Karin]Never heard of "barn sour" before.

Btw, (not intending a thread hijack here)...how does one keep from losing a 4lb. dog in the snow? I have often wondered.....*never had that problem.....yet*[/QUOTE]

Stilts? :D

Red pom-pom on the top of his knit cap! :D

Many canines will lick for a multitude of reasons: obsessive/compulsion disorder, anxiety, boredom, investigatory behavior, positive feed-back (via pleasurable stimulation of the vomer organ), greeting behavior and establishment of social pecking order.

I don't have an answer for your particular situation because I don't have enough detail of your home/pet situation. I would consult with a veterinarian who has a strong animal behavior background to determine the "why" of this licking demonstration.

Suffice to say this should not be a problem by itself, only if dangerous substances exist in the home environment that may cause trouble if ingested.

Dr. Van Lienden

Dr. Raymond Van Lienden DVM
The Animal Clinic of Clifton
12702 Chapel Road, Clifton
Virginia, U.S.A. 20124
703-802-0490

Most small dogs
 

I've noticed that most (majority) of 'owner-dependent' small dogs are LICKERS, esp. when sitting or laying next to their 'master'...they lick lick lick lick, its disgusting! Jane Fonda had some little white fluffy sitting by her side when being interviewed tonite on the TCM channel. That dog licked her free hand NON-STOP FOR 26min. It was disgustingly distracting. WHY DIDN"T SHE STOP HIM OR CORRECT THIS BEHAVIOR? she wouldn't even TAKE HER HAND AWAY. My Aunt used to be the same way, letting continue this disgusting habit, instead of making the dog stop it~!

Aunt Sylvia's dog had good teeth, no anal gland issues, no other 'medical' problems. He was JUST IRRITATING. Then another dog she had always did that yrs. later, then i've seen this on TV with the bulldog owned by Ice-T, his wife, CoCo lets the dog put his testicles on her face, constantly is running her nails thru his thighs, rubbing, etc. and he is by her side for what? all the time...duh. lol

My Yorkie licks everthing
 

I have had 2 yorkies and they both licked things. I have talked to many people with yorkies and ALL have said its a yorkie thing. Try getting a kong and give it to them when they start to lick. Try puting some peanutbutter in it and freeze it. Your yorkie will be too busy to lick anything else.

^^licking is usually a medical thing, so I wouldn't want to use distraction as a way to hide the symptoms.