Q: My family has a white toy poodle who is about 4 years old. She stays inside and is the love of the family. She doesn't want for attention. She gets it at every turn. She is a wonderful pet, great with kids, company, etc. She sometimes barks at first at a stranger, but is ready to jump in their lap if she is allowed. She's not hyper like many poodles, and has a great personality.
Our only problem is that she's always licking. She'll hop into a chair, and sit and lick a spot until it's completely wet. This goes for the bedding, the carpet, your arm, pants leg, and once she returns from the outdoors, she will wash her feet, licking forever. Once you raise your voice and tell her to knock it off, she'll do so. But she'll often lay her chin down on the area that she was licking. It's really getting to us because she's always doing this. She even wakes us up from our sleep if she's on the bed and starts licking during the night.
It seems that she never is happy with how clean she is. She goes to the groomer and is bathed regularly. What up with her? More importantly, what can or should we do?
A: I have a dog like this, too. Some dogs are just by nature very "oral." What I do with my dog is provide her with chew toys, and keep redirecting her to her toys instead of herself, or other inappropriate objects. Because of the night licking, I've found it essential to keep a few toys ON the bed!
You might find it helps to get her involved with retrieving games. Dogs who fetch will often add the habit of carrying something around in the mouth to entertain or control themselves.
I like having the dog lick my feet when I'm sitting at the computer! And it seems that her licking my ears helps my "allergy ears." My husband rather enjoys having his face licked. I think this is motherly stuff. It seems the female dogs are a little more likely to do it than the males. When enough is enough, we gently restrain the dog's head back from us with a hand, and say "That's enough licking." This way we don't have to raise our voices to get her to stop. Then immediately direct the dog to her own toy.
For toys, notice what textures she is drawn to in other things and seek those for her toys. Have a few toys in reach from anyplace around the house you might be relaxing with her. Be consistent about quickly (but kindly) redirecting her to a toy whenever she is licking herself or furnishings. When she's licking a person, you might permit it up to the point that the person wants her to stop. Then immediately redirect her to her own toy.
One note on licking of her feet and her privates. Licking the feet sometimes indicates allergies, and on a female dog, the same can be true of licking the other area (perhaps because of squatting in the grass outside to urinate). Keep an eye on that, and get the vet's help to treat it when needed.
It happens that my very oral female has an allergy problem around the genital area, and hers responds wonderfully to simply a daily swabbing with apple cider vinegar on a pad of folded tissues. Don't try that without your vet's approval, though. Vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, and impacted or infected anal glands could all cause this licking, too, and all would need prompt medical treatment. Do include some chew toys. This size dog often has dental problems, and the mouthiness can be a blessing in improving her prognosis on that. Try "Gumabone" products, the ones with little knobs. They are impregnated with flavor throughout. If she will chew these regularly, she may keep her teeth a lot longer, and in better condition. This is the good side to having a mouthy dog!