Why does my little boy, Bear, constantly lick things??



Mister Bear
Barked: Tue Aug 30, '11 7:57am PST 
Bear is 3 years old and his favorite past time is licking! He licks constantly -- sheets, pillow cases, blankets, the couch, the floor, his feet even the air! Last night he was up almost all night licking the blanket he sleeps on on my bed. I wouldn't mind really, except that he makes this "slurping" noise. It's funny, but literally - I got no sleep last night. He was up almost all night licking the blanket, then his feet, then he jumped down and licked my wooden floor. I'm so curious as to why. It really is starting to worry me. confused

Luuuciii, you- have some- 'splainin to do
Barked: Thu Sep 8, '11 8:51am PST 
I can't give you an answer other than to say that both mine do it also. One more than the other. Some of it seems to be habit - one has a flea allergy, the other has hip/knee issues from previously being overweight. When one flares up they lick too much, and when it goes away they just keep licking, but seem to substitute it with other things. I have big wet spots on my bed pretty frequently. It took me awhile to figure out why, I used to think she drooled in her sleep, lol. Both will randomly wake up and stick their nose in the air, and lick at nothing for as much as 10 minutes. Many times they'll be licking nothing then realize I'm there and decide I am better to lick than the air. I am able to somewhat break the habit when they're licking themselves - paws or otherwise - by gently saying "stop lickin'". I'll pull either one in my lap and rest my arm between their head and the rest of them and scratch or pet them in their favorite spot to get them to lay down and distract them, it seems to break the cycle, as long as I am persistent with it. They don't stop licking but it does seem to cut down on it. There's been a few times I've thought it was thirst. Both mine are really picky with their water. It has to be fresh, and by that I mean they have to watch me dump out the "old" water and pour in fresh water... even if I did it an hour ago, lol. If it isn't fresh, they wont drink it. I have noticed the licking pick up then sometimes (if I've tried to wait them out, which never works).

Anyway... I can't tell you why, but I can tell you it's not totally uncommon smile

Edited by author Thu Sep 8, '11 8:56am PST