# Licking



## danteisme (Jun 2, 2013)

NOt sure if anyone else has this issue, since i adopted my golden she is quite a licker. for example, if you are petting her and you stop petting to go about your business, she aggressively searches out your hands and licks them like they have bbq sauce on them. as soon as you resume petting, she stops licking. or if she gets excited its the same thing, she really seeks out the person's hand and starts really aggressively licking them.

and at night when its time to lay down for bed, its almost like she does it out of boredom. i'll be trying to fall asleep and i just hear her lips smacking every few minutes. almost like she is just re-wetting her lips. 

is this a common thing? i dont remember when i was kid our golden ever really doing it. it never really bothered me until my golden was making it almost impossible to have a conversation with my mother because she was so aggressively searching out for her hands and licking them. 

i can usually get her to stop it, but at some point she is right back at it again.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Tayla loves to lick hands, arms, feet, legs, knees and well everything. Better than her biting as a puppy, but we are working on that too.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

If it is really obsessive/excessive, I wonder if it might be anxiety related.


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## danteisme (Jun 2, 2013)

i wonder. i mean, she doesnt do it all the time but she will get these "fits" where she gets all excited and the licking commences.

the wetting of the lips when she lays down for bed though, that one i really dont know. she's always done the hand licking since we adopted her, the lip wetting at bed time is new as of a couple of weeks ago.


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## HubbleTanner (Jul 11, 2013)

My 2 year old boy golden licks a lot and I'm also wondering if it's anxiety related because he was taken from his mother early. He licks his forearms and paws so much they get infected. He also licks my hands and feet constantly. If you find out anything please share, and if I find out I will let you know! 


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## Kayla&Shadow (Aug 20, 2013)

My golden does this too. He is constantly trying to lick hands, feet, or whatever and if he's not doing that he's licking at his paws or even trying to chew on the paws.

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## danteisme (Jun 2, 2013)

my dog still licks my hands if you stop petting her. she has really stopped wetting her lips all night, or i'm sleeping through it one of the two. sorry but i haven't found a way to get her to stop yet.


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## Deblog (Sep 27, 2010)

HubbleTanner said:


> My 2 year old boy golden licks a lot and I'm also wondering if it's anxiety related because he was taken from his mother early. He licks his forearms and paws so much they get infected. He also licks my hands and feet constantly. If you find out anything please share, and if I find out I will let you know!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


My previous Golden licked her paws and legs a lot- she had severe grass allergies and always got infected paws. they needed to give her steroid injections prior to grass season to control the itching and prevent the infection.


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## vleffingwell (Jan 12, 2011)

It is normal behavior. We taught them no lick but they always find a way to get away with it! My Abby loves to lick in the morning no matter how many times I tap her nose and say no lick, it is her favorite activity.... ew! My dear departed Annie never was a licker so any time she actually did it was quite special!
Sometimes however they do it as a nervous habit or due to pain. Dory will play tug then lay down and lick her paws - because of her arthritis. 
She also does the lip smacking when she is laying down and I pet her. Sometimes I wake up due to her licking her paws and I tell her 'quit' and she stops.
I would guess since you have a puppy that it is a submissive move and she probably more than likely loves you and is showing affection!


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## myoshi (Dec 21, 2013)

*Licking paws.*

Definitely is a common issue. My Golden was doing all of the above mostly both paws. We tried bitter sprays, creams and steroids. He would always return to the spot eventually and start again. What finally worked? 
THE DREDDED CONE, a large one so he couldn't reach whatever part was the problem, in this case his paws. It took about a month or so but that did it. I think it had just become a habit. Felt sorry for him though with that cone on ALL the time. Well that's what worked for us. Good luck.


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## KathyL (Jul 6, 2011)

Harley was a rescue and when I first got him he licked his inner thigh/groin area so much it would become inflamed. At first it was thought to be allergy related but then one of the vets at the clinic said he thought a little allergy, a little neurotic behavior. Antihistamines even in large dosage did not help so I also did the cone for an extended period thinking if it was habit he would unlearn the habit. It actually worked. He did not lick me or other people. I also had another golden who would lick his forearms and they would be wet but never to the point of inflamed. This was boredom. If your golden is young, he might just need a lot more exercise.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

our golden licks but mostly when asked for kisses. The flat coat is an obsessive licker. I believe it has to do with both genetics and anxiety (she had a rough first 4 years). As I type this though she is licking Rose. I say No Lick she goes to the next person who also says No lick until she finds someone (normally Rose) who will put up with it. 
Since July we ave gotten it a little under control but I doubt it will ever go away.


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