Dog licking too much

[PotterWatch]

I know that dogs will lick themselves to clean up to a certain extent but one of my dogs licks too much. The second he lays down when he gets inside, he starts licking. He licks he paws, his stomach, his sides, etc. It's like he's a cat! He even acts like he's hacking up something a couple times a day and I wouldn't be surprised if it is due to hair in his throat. What could be causing this behavior? He has always been a big licker but acting so often like there is something in his throat has just been for the last few weeks. He gets flea treatment once a month and shows no evidence of fleas.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Lots of licking can be neurotic behavior, as well as excessive drinking. Is it a working dog, or hyper breed that lacks exercise? There can be numerous causes for this behavior, & without knowing your dog,......

 

[PotterWatch]

He is a working dog in that he is one of my mushers. He runs with me 5-10 miles a day usually several times a week. He is a young dog so he has lots of energy but he isn't hyper. It has been too hot here to run for the past couple weeks other than a day or two here and there. Maybe he is just missing the typical running we do, but he licks a lot even during the height of our mushing season when we run every day. He isn't causing any damage such as I have seen some dogs who lick neurotically do but when he is inside where he does the licking, I am always around to get him to stop. It doesn't seem like obsessive behavior at this point but I could certainly be wrong.

 

[KellyHM]

He may have environmental or contact allergies, especiallyt if he focuses more on the areas that come in contact with grass, plants, etc.

 

[arabianequine]

We have some small house dogs that lick and love to be licked so just maybe they like it and he has no one that will lick him don't know.

 

[PotterWatch]

Quote:
Maybe. I used to have a cat that would lay on me when I went to bed and then knead and suck on the blanket. It seemed to be her way of settling in and calming down for the night. Maybe that's kind of what it is for him. He doesn't do it when he is outside or even in his crate when he is put away for the night. It is pretty much just whenever he lays down on the dog couch (yes, they have their own couch that is an old, broken one we used to use), or when I let him get up next to me on the couch or bed. I suppose I could take him to the vet to find out if the hacking is due to hair or maybe some other cause, if they could even tell...

 

[SG_Chicken]

what breed of dog is he???? when has he had a bath? if its recently it could be that his skin is to dry if not for a while he could be needing one. If he has allergies get some acidophilous capsules and empty it on to his food.

 

[Akane]

Spitz breeds commonly are compared to cats. As soon as our akita and shiba get in from a hike whether it was muddy or just wet they clean themselves from one end to the other. I'm told malamutes and huskies often do the same.

 

[hunterjumper999]

check his teeth! my older lab had that problem and low and behold she has a cavity in a moler and it was packed with hair and fod.. they removed the tooth and no more licking

 

[sourland]

Since he is a sled dog, I am guessing that he may have a medium to long coat. If so I am guessing that he is ingesting hairs, and they are catching in his throat. Check his stool. If it contains a lot of hair, I would tend to think that is what is causing the hacking.