Why does dog constantly lick feet

Why Does Dog Constantly Lick Feet. If your dog constantly goes after your feet with their tongue its because they love the sweaty salty taste of your. Owners may note that their dog licks in between the toes sometimes leading to staining of the fur due to enzymes in the saliva they may lick and chew at their hind end and their inner thighs. Dogs can lick feet as a way to get attention. In a best-case scenario this is something like a small stone or pebble that had become lodged within Fidos foot or maybe even a small splinter.

By displaying this act of domesticity and submission the dog may ensure its place in the family by accepting the social order of the home. There are six major causes of why your dog may obsessively lick. Dogs lick their paws to relieve the discomfort caused by their immune system overreacting to allergens. Dogs can lick feet as a way to get attention. Dogs who lick their paws and legs may be attempting to relieve the awful itch of skin allergies or bacterial or fungal infections or the joint pain from arthritis which can settle in the carpus wrist stifle knee elbows hips and lower back. The allergies will cause itchiness and the dog may chew lick and bite the itchy areas.

Sometimes excessive licking may cause moisture to become trapped between the dogs toes creating an ideal setting for an opportunistic infection.

Some dogs may be more attracted to feet because they smell. When allergens come into contact with the abnormal epidermis of a dogs paw they cause inflammation itch and pain. Allergies are the number one cause of excessive licking in dogs. If you always look at or talk to your dog when he licks your feet you are reinforcing this particular behavior. Licking after eliminating is normal. But sometimes licking is a symptom of a more serious problem.