The good news is that if your dog is licking the carpet out of boredom, the problem is relatively easy to fix! Simply take your dog for more walks in interesting places, interact and play with them more, and even purchase mentally stimulating toys to keep their mind working. If your dog is compulsively doing any of these, exercise and interaction are the first potential cure. Boredom can lead to a host of bad behaviors, including excessive barking, digging, chewing, aggression, and of course, licking. While some breeds may require upward of 2 hours a day to burn off their abundant energy, even the most docile dogs need at least 30-60 minutes a day of intensive exercise. No matter the breed of dog you own, they will need regular, daily exercise to stay happy and healthy. Image Credit: Vincent Scherer, Shutterstock While this does not conclusively prove that gastrointestinal issues are the cause of ELS, this research shows that there is a good chance that your dog’s excessive licking may likely have a gastrointestinal cause, and this should be the first thing to investigate with your vet. After being treated for stomach issues, 10 of the dogs showed a significant reduction in ELS, and nine were eventually completely cured. 1 The results were troubling: 14 of the 19 dogs with ELS had some form of gastrointestinal disease. In a study done at the University of Montreal Veterinary Teaching Hospital, researchers studied 29 dogs, 10 of which were healthy as normal, and the other 19 had ELS. This excessive licking can also cause problems such as intestinal blockages and dental issues. Of course, your dog licking things (or themselves) here and there is perfectly normal behavior, but it’s when the behavior becomes repetitive and compulsive that there is usually an underlying problem. Dogs with this condition will excessively lick not only carpets but all manner of other surfaces too, including furniture, walls, and shoes. Why Does My Dog Lick The Carpet? Excessive Licking Syndrome (ELS)įirst, you should know that this condition of excessive licking is fairly common, so vets have coined a name for this compulsive behavior: excessive licking syndrome (ELS). In this article, we’ll take a look at the most common reason that your dog is licking the carpet and what you can do about it. While dogs are known to lick almost everything, if your dog has suddenly begun licking your carpet excessively out of nowhere, this may be something that you should look into. Strange behavior can sometimes be a cause for concern, though, and may point to serious underlying issues. Their sense of taste is only around 20% as good as ours, however. From chasing their own tails, barking at thin air, rolling in things that should not be rolled in, and licking almost everything, these strange behaviors are usually just a part of their unique charm.Īfter all, dogs have a sense of smell 10,000-100,000 times better than our own, depending on the breed, so they can detect smells that we cannot possibly perceive. Dogs have a different way of interacting with the world, and this can lead to strange behavior, to say the least.
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