I Bought My Dog a New Bed and Now He Can’t Stop Licking
Question:
I have an 8 year old beagle, we bought him a new comfy bed and now he lays in it and licks the entire bed every night, we also have a throw blanket we leave on the floor for him and he started licking it too.
Lazarus
ANSWER:
Hi Lazarus,
How odd although I am finding out not that uncommon. Did you happen to notice anything else that coincided with the new bed such as a change in food or an increase in thirst?
My first instinct is to have him checked over my your vet, especially his mouth and teeth. Infections, gingivitis, and growths can all lead to lick behavior in dogs but normally it is not reserved to just one or two items.
If he comes back with a clean bill of health, you may have to look at other options. Have you tried washing the bed since you bought it? It may be something it is treated with that would make it taste good. Remove the bed for a night or two and replace it with a different blanket. Does he still ‘wash’ his bed?
To stop the licking, pick up a bottle of Bitter Apple from your local hardware or pet store and liberally spray the bed. Most dogs do not like the taste and are discouraged from inappropriate licking or chewing.
Does anyone else have any suggestions on why the dog is licking the bed?
Let us know what the vet says and if he offers any other suggestions.
Ann
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My dog will lick her bed if there’s something either tasty or stinky on it. Why she would lick something tasty is obvious. The stinky thing, however, not as obvious. She wants the bed to have a neutral smell, I think. This is a little gross, but the #1 thing she will lick off of her bed is any scent coming from her anal gland. Every once in a while she will be startled in her sleep and squirt a tiny bit from her anal gland. It’s so little that I didn’t even know what was happening until I found her licking the bed in the middle of the night, went over and gave it a sniff and the smell was unmistakable.
Now when this happens I put a blanket over her bed for the remainder of the night and then either wash the bed cover or just leave the whole bed out in the sun to get rid of the smell. Both of these things have made the licking stop.
i also have a dog who loves to lick anything.. her blanket, the coach, the carpet and even my face.. now, feel i need your advice…LoL..
use bottle of Bitter Apple from your local hardware or pet store and liberally spray the bed. Most dogs do not like the taste and are discouraged from inappropriate licking or chewing..or trained your dog not to linked to your bed.