# Excessive licking at night



## MrsTaylor (Nov 23, 2015)

So our lovely girl whose 2 and a half has a habit of excessive licking at night

shes home during the day (with a lunchtime visit everyday from me or my dad) - one day a week she goes to day care and weekends we're home with her.

Her bedtime routine goes like this - 

We leave the door open from living room to our bedroom as she ends the night in sleeping on her bed in our room but she generally starts down in the living room, when she settles down to sleep in our room its guaranteed that she will start licking her forearms/paws and its loud and irritating as a doggy parent trying to sleep

this happens every night pretty much (daycare evenings she generally sleeps through sound)

My hubby is concerned as all the online forums/guides say its linked to stress or illness etc, however I think its boredom. she always does it when shes woke from a nap or sleep during the night and if we tell her to settle down etc she generally does

it can happen 2 or 3 times during the night if she wakes up.

I have checked her skin and everything is well from the vets point of view. maybe shes not exercised enough. she gets walked everyday but in general shes a lazy girl

I read somewhere that chamomile is good for settling them. I do use a doTerra Balance blend on her paws once a week before she travels to daycare as she hates the car

anyone got any advice or have had similar happen with their babies?

thanks in advance


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

If you feel that the licking is caused by boredom (boredom is stressful for a dog too) there are a few things you could try. Dogs need 'mental' exercise, as well as opportunity to exercise physically. One way to give opportunity for mental exercise is to allow the dog to use their nose when out on walks, opportunities to sniff, explore a bit follow the nose, 'read the news', that kind of thing or putting their meals (or part of it) into a Kong or food dispensing toy and let them work for it. Another way it to spend some time rehearsing and rewarding known skills, or teaching new behaviors or tricks- touch (their nose to the palm of your hand) weave between your legs, go to a mat (and remain there until released) 'Find it' (searching out a favorite toy or treat,) or teaching 'thinking' games such as: 101 Things to Do with a Box | Karen Pryor Clicker Training, 10 -20 minutes spent using their 'brain', is both mentally and physically tiring for them. Consider experimenting with ways to encourage her to play, fun for both of you, perhaps a 'flirt pole', tug, or a game of fetch?


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Good advice given already. For the next couple years, your dog needs to be more of a priority/full time project as though she were a small child. I know coming home from work and having responsibilties is exhausting, but she needs to be moved up the list - spend less time during the evening in front of the t.v., reading and on the internet and more time engaging her, training tricks and getting her out to new places (not the same walk around the block each night). I am a mom to 3 kids and my husband travels, I totally understand the struggles of finding anytime for yourself but Goldens need more interaction than most families realize. 

I hope you will consider making some purposeful changes in your girl's lifestyle and how you manage her. I suspect she needs BOTH physical and mental stimulation. It is not your fault that you have to work for a living and she needs to adjust to your schedule. However, you need to think about what her day is really like. 8 hours of sleeping at night, followed by an hour awake in the morning for breakfast and then 9 hours of sleeping during the day. A bright, energetic sporting dog needs more activity if she is expected to sleep 17 hours a day. If you're happy with your doggy day care, could you start sending her there an extra day every week? Just look at it as an investment in her mental health that you will do for the next 2 or 3 years till she's a bit older. Search out a club and start training her for obedience or agility or if you are able, field training is EXCELLENT for Goldens. There are groups of people around who do all these things if you just search them out. Adding some variety to her life in the evenings and finding a place you can take her for some hard aerobic exercise would be a huge help. Just like people are told that aerobic exercise is crucial to improving mental health, the same is true for our dogs. She needs more than just leash walking at her age, 20 minutes of hard work that leaves her tired and panting on a daily basis would be a huge help. Do you have contacts for "puppy play dates"? Scheduling a session with a friend a couple times a week would be helpful. 

What do you do with her on weekends? If you are a busy person, she probably is sleeping more than your realize on weekends while you're off running errands etc. With cooler weather, try to schedule your errands so that you could take her with you rather than leave her sleeping at home. Just getting out more to different places will engage her. Take treats everywhere you go and make it a challenge to get her training obedience in public places, which is FAR more challenging for you both than just practicing in your kitchen. 

Golden Retrievers are very bright animals who were bred specifically to work hard and work with people. It's part of their DNA, it's very unfair of us (I'm not criticizing you, all pet owners have a challenge with this especially me) bring these hunting dogs into our suburban and city lives and not give them the mental and physical engagement they need, leave them alone to sleep nearly 20 hours a day and then expect that the dogs won't thrive in these situations. 

Food for thought: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810025241.htm


----------



## B and G Mom (Oct 29, 2014)

Having a dog who did this (not a golden, my GSD/Great Dane mix) for him it was boredom/habit - a "calming" behavior he'd perform to fall asleep. What worked for him was keeping him very busy before bed. We bought a soft cube puzzle toy - similar to this Hide a Squirrel toy that we also bought when Bailey came along. The action of playing with the toy and the mental stimulation knocked him out faster so he licked less and less. We would only bring it out before bed - again it was something for him to "focus on" so that the licking behavior became less important. On nights that he needed more calming we would put just a little peanut butter in a kong and give that to him right before bed - as a night night treat - this way he had an avenue for his licking. We also started the 'night night bone' tradition with him. Right before bed you get a milkbone - the anticipation of getting the treat and the focus on the puzzle becomes more important than the "ritual" of licking. 

https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Houn...qid=1480513894&sr=8-4&keywords=puzzle+dog+toy

Good luck!!!!


----------



## MrsTaylor (Nov 23, 2015)

nolefan said:


> Good advice given already. For the next couple years, your dog needs to be more of a priority/full time project as though she were a small child. I know coming home from work and having responsibilties is exhausting, but she needs to be moved up the list - spend less time during the evening in front of the t.v., reading and on the internet and more time engaging her, training tricks and getting her out to new places (not the same walk around the block each night). I am a mom to 3 kids and my husband travels, I totally understand the struggles of finding anytime for yourself but Goldens need more interaction than most families realize.
> 
> I hope you will consider making some purposeful changes in your girl's lifestyle and how you manage her. I suspect she needs BOTH physical and mental stimulation. It is not your fault that you have to work for a living and she needs to adjust to your schedule. However, you need to think about what her day is really like. 8 hours of sleeping at night, followed by an hour awake in the morning for breakfast and then 9 hours of sleeping during the day. A bright, energetic sporting dog needs more activity if she is expected to sleep 17 hours a day. If you're happy with your doggy day care, could you start sending her there an extra day every week? Just look at it as an investment in her mental health that you will do for the next 2 or 3 years till she's a bit older. Search out a club and start training her for obedience or agility or if you are able, field training is EXCELLENT for Goldens. There are groups of people around who do all these things if you just search them out. Adding some variety to her life in the evenings and finding a place you can take her for some hard aerobic exercise would be a huge help. Just like people are told that aerobic exercise is crucial to improving mental health, the same is true for our dogs. She needs more than just leash walking at her age, 20 minutes of hard work that leaves her tired and panting on a daily basis would be a huge help. Do you have contacts for "puppy play dates"? Scheduling a session with a friend a couple times a week would be helpful.
> 
> ...


Thanks everyone

I just wanted to clear up some stuff . My husband is actually completed several dog training courses with a hope to move into it full time and therefore Annie is his practice doggy lol

At the end of the work day Annie is my first priority (we have no human kids lol), I rarely watch TV until late in the evening when we all settle down. Annie sleeps during the day (we have an indoor camera) and also plays with her kong toy, I or my dad take her out at lunchj either for a walk or a play in the garden

we walk her after shes digested dinner and we do spend the evening playing with her and hubby and I try to do some training or fun games with her each night. last night when i was out at another commitment hubby did scent work outside which she enjoys!

I do actually feel she does it to settle herself back to sleep, but i've now started walking her when i come home at lunch (sometimes i dont get home for more than 30mins but I do my best)

where daycare is concerned, we've literally just upped her from once/twice a month to once a week. I am gtg a bigger car this weekend 9as hubby and I were swapping for me to drive her on daycare days as he starts work super early) and will consider taking her twice a week but at present financially once a week seems best as the daycare is 40mins from us, there is none closer and she now loves this one

I hope this doesnt come across as defensive, I'm aware my post was vague however i want to stress that we do exercise her and try to keep her mind active!

We live in the country and get good varied walks however there aren't any people around to do puppy dates. I am considering contacting her breeder (hes great) to see if maybe once or twice a week she could go over to him during the day to be walked ( he has her parents and other dogs and great fields etc (as he's only about 15 mins away)

lots to consider!


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Annie is a very lucky girl!! 
I haven't tried chamomile, which may help her to settle more/sleep better at night but have found that Rescue Remedy can help, lavender (aromatherapy) may be helpful as well. Or perhaps DAP (dog appeasing pheromones) collar/spray, may be worth a try.


----------



## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

My Lupo was a devoted licker too. Half-golden, half-Lab. Spill something yummy on the carpet? No problem, he devoted himself to cleanup in a manner I've never seen before, nor since. He loved to lick feet, hands, elbows, calves, knees... ANYTHING. It never bothered me, and yes, at night he would quite often lick and lick and lick. Never developed hot spots or anything. That'd be my only concern. The noise was soothing to me, but drove my wife crazy when we first met. She abhors being licked.

Does Annie lick any other time or other things with the same devotion? Just curious.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks for the background info - I would absolutely contact her breeder, you're SO lucky to have such a wonderful resource close by - take advantage  I would imagine it's become a habit if you feel she doesn't have allergies, but I think it is probably boredom. Hopefully adding in a few tweaks here and there will help or maybe putting a bitter spray on her fur to discourage it might break the habit. Good luck, let us know if you figure out a fix, it's always good to have info. (P.S. I would LOVE to see photos of your girl and the countryside where you live, my college roommate lives in Dublin and I was able to visit her once many years ago. I was lucky and had perfect weather and she and her husband toured me across country and it is one of my best memories. I wish so much I could visit again someday.)


----------



## MrsTaylor (Nov 23, 2015)

Wolfeye said:


> My Lupo was a devoted licker too. Half-golden, half-Lab. Spill something yummy on the carpet? No problem, he devoted himself to cleanup in a manner I've never seen before, nor since. He loved to lick feet, hands, elbows, calves, knees... ANYTHING. It never bothered me, and yes, at night he would quite often lick and lick and lick. Never developed hot spots or anything. That'd be my only concern. The noise was soothing to me, but drove my wife crazy when we first met. She abhors being licked.
> 
> Does Annie lick any other time or other things with the same devotion? Just curious.


if shes been bathed or we've been out in a downpour she'll lick herself but thats it!


----------



## MrsTaylor (Nov 23, 2015)

last night we put a little peanut butter into a new kong toy - different from the standard kong (weebl shape) its 3 'legs' joine din the centre and they have a gap in the middle right out each leg which can be filled with paste etc

I put a small amount of peanut butter in it and she lifted it from bedroom down to hall and licked it for a good hour. Then when it was empty and she was tired she went to sleep! RESULT!

so we're going to do the same tonight but this time freeze the peanut butter a while

and since you asked, I'll add some photos for you


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

MrsTaylor

I am dealing with this right now. My solution? More exercise, more toys, and self adhesive bandage over the lick area to prevent/interfere with the itch/lick/itch/lick cycle. The itch causes licking, the licking causes itch, etc.


----------

