6 Reasons Why Your Dog Won’t Stop Licking His Paws

It can be fun at some time to observe your dog while he do his doggy business and lick his paws. But most of the time it can be frustrating to see your dog lick his paws, especially if he does it obsessively and he loses interest in anything around him and even in you who wants to play around with him.

There are different reasons why your dog do this and it is your responsibility as his owner and family member to figure out and help him out in his paw-licking problem of his. If ever this behavior of his will continue on for a long period of time with abnormal behavioral changes and is accompanied by other things like swelling, bleeding, limping, or even bad dog odor, the best and most efficient way to deal with this is to go see a vet and let him check your dog with the proper tools and medications.

Even though it is normal for dogs to lick their paws from time to time as it is part of their grooming habit, it is still a good way to check your dog why he is excessively licking his paws for there might be a problem behind that non-stop licking. That behavior might become very addicting to the dog and will cause more problems in the future such as stains in the fur of their feet, or even cause inflammation or swelling wound that can be hard to treat if he continues.

1. Pain

One of the main cause why your dog is excessively licking his paw is pain. He may be licking only one paw that is causing him pain. This pain in his paw can be caused by something like a thorn, an insect bite, some sharp debris in his paw or even wounds. Anything that can puncture his paw will cause him pain and his excessive licking is his way of comforting himself.

If there is no wound or anything stuck in his paw but you see him limping and licking his paw, the the cause might be invisible to the eye. He might be experiencing something like a muscle sprain or a fracture or he might be involved in a small accident that you didn’t know about and he injured his paw.

2. Allergies or Infections

Non-stop licking can sometimes be associated with allergies and infections. The causes might be the food they eat, or the chemicals around your house or backyard in which your dog plays around, or even the weeds that grows in your yard and many more.

Having your dog step on to any of these chemicals might cause allergies, especially if the dog’s paws are wet and left behind. So it is better to clean up their paws after letting them play around the yard or even after a walk to prevent irritations from forming up in their paws.

The cause of the itchiness in their paws can be frustrating and it may take a lot of investigations for you to figure out why your dog is itching in his paws and he keeps on licking it. It may be his food or something else.

3. Bored

One of the reasons why your dog is excessively licking his paws is just because of pure boredom. With the relaxed environment we are in right now, it might cause boredom to big dogs especially before our modern period dogs are used for hunting and as guard dogs. If they are left around the house or the yard then they might just start licking their paws because they are just bored.

Dogs that are very active and playful are prone to this. So the best thing you can do for your dog is to give him time to play or give him someone to play with. Let your dog socialize with other dogs so that he won’t get bored. Don’t confine him inside a dog cage or in the yard for it will cause more problems aside from excessive licking if you do that.

4. Anxiety

Another reason why they lick their paws non-stop is because they are anxious. Your dog might have separation anxiety and his way to relieve himself is by licking his paws. This behavior can be related to nail-biting for us humans. Sometimes dogs also lick their paws before going to sleep. It is their way of relaxing before sleeping. Just be sure to check your dog’s paw regularly if this behavior repeats for a long period of time.

5. Fleas or Ticks

One of the worst things to find in your dog’s fur or even in between his paws are fleas or ticks. They can cause itchiness to their skin and also their paws thus your dog will lick his paw until he is satisfied.

6. Dry Skin

Licking his paws might be caused by dry skin. It may be because of the weather or because of his breed. Most of the time, the cause of dry skin is the weather. If you live in a very cold or dry place then your dog might be prone to the dry skin. Though sometimes the cause of dry skin for dogs is the use of soaps that are not good for them when giving them a bath.

Do you know other reasons why your dog won’t stop licking his paws? Let us know in the comments section!

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