How do I keep my dog from constantly licking his paws?

Dear Rebecca Ann,

Please help! My dog will not stop chewing and licking his paws. They are so red and irritated. He is driving me crazy with all of his licking noises! Why in the world would he be doing this?

Greg P.

Austin, TX

Hi Greg,

Dogs need activities to stimulate them and relieve boredom. They need to be stimulated as we have taken so much away from them. Dogs in the wild will spend hours hunting, then they will kill their prey, spend hours skinning and eating the flesh all in the name of dinner! This activity could take up to 8 hours of the day.

Today dinner is served and eaten in 30 seconds!! What does the dog do for the other 7 hours, 59 minutes and 30 seconds?

Wouldn't it be great if you could spend all day at home with your dog? Unfortunately very few of us are lucky enough to have such a life of leisure! After all, someone has to earn the money to put food in the bowl, blankets in the basket, and chew toys under the Christmas tree!

Dogs today are left for long periods of time with nothing to do whilst the owners go out. BOREDOM STRIKES!

The dog gets bored and then starts to become destructive or, in your case, self mutilating. Give your dog something to do. Provide things he can do while you are away. Provide a Kong chew toy stuffed with peanut butter or cheese, rawhide chews, pig ears, etc.

These items do not have to cost a ton of money and can provide hours of entertainment. Some dogs do not like being left alone; try and make the time alone as entertaining as possible. Leave a light on if darkness will fall while you are gone. Leave the T.V or the radio on so the dog can hear talking and noise. Leave an old item of your clothing for the dog to lie on. Give your dog lots of love and go for a nice walk when you return. These are only a few suggestions to try.

To get your dog to stop chewing at his paws, I highly recommend taking a look at Planet Urine's Chew-No-More! Spray! Chew-No-More is clear, non-sticky, and easy to apply spray will stop animals from chewing and gnawing on any number of problem areas. It can be used on any washable surface, indoors and outdoors. Non-staining formula. Chew No-More is WATER BASED unlike other alcohol based products that can cause stinging, so it can be applied to wounds or bandages.

If you have any more questions about your dog,
please feel free to contact me!

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