We have two toy poodles. One likes to lick the furniture. The other is constantly licking his legs and paws. Does anyone know why they do this? Feels like we're constantly scolding them, especially the one who licks himself. We tried some nasty smelling spray to get him to stop, but it only works for about five minutes. Any suggestions?

Have you had the one licking itself checked by a vet for any skin conditions? You may want to have both checked, just to make sure that they don't have any underlying conditions. Also, you could try ignoring the behavior. It might be difficult, but a lot of times, you inadvertantly encourage the behavior by acknowledging it. I had a toy poodle who pretended to be afraid of car rides until we stopped petting him when he whined. It was really amazing how fast he changed once we stopped paying attention to his whining.

The vet always tells us they're healthy and fine. It seems like a nervous habit to me, like a person biting their fingernails. Every time I tell them not to lick, I get a dirty look! Thanks for the advice.

Many years ago, we had cheap dog food, and our dogs acted the same way. When my Mom finally bought something better it eventually stopped. Just FYI

Originally Posted by dogsRpeople2

The other is constantly licking his legs and paws.

There are few reasons your poddle are constantly licking his legs and paws.
1)Allergies ( due to food, environmental or skin)
2)Fleas
3)Dry skin on their paws

You can read the full explanation or article here.

Danielle Chua
| Dog Care School

Love and Understand your dog!