QuestionOur Akita has 2 strange habits. One is how she rubs nose on the floor in a circle. She'll push food into a neat little pile, for instance. My husband thinks this is how she would keep puppies together. The other thing is that she is an Obsessive compulsive licker. It drives us crazy. Why and how do we make her stop? Thank you for your time!
AnswerHi Karen,
Funny you asked a question about your dogs 'nosing' habits. I actually filmed my younger female Akita last night doing just that. I thought it very amusing.
Dogs, both domesticated and wild, tend to pile food together neatly and hide it for safe keeping. I can guarantee if you lay newspaper down underneath her bowl and she started to 'nose' at it, she would try to bury it beneath the paper.
My Akita tried burying her treat under the Internet cable running along the wall.
But if she's just rubbing her nose on the floor, she could be either trying to rub a scent onto her, rub her scent onto the carpet or in some cases, itching.
Now itching is okay, unless it's continuous and she rubs sores onto her nose. This could be due to an allergic reaction, fleas or tics.
Has she always done it?
Have you recently changed dog shampoo products?
Have you recently fed her a new brand of food?
When dogs eat, the food certainly always comes in contact with their nose. Unfortunately, a lot of dog foods contain products (fillers) such as corn and maize, and some dogs can have an allergic reaction.
But to me, it sounds like nothing more than the natural doggy instinct of hiding her food for later. That is, of course, that she actually eats it.
If she doesn't, then that could mean that she dislikes the food and is also another reason for rubbing her nose all over the carpet.
As for the licking, I assume she licks you more than she licks other items?
Dogs lick their master as a sign of affection, to grab attention or sometimes to lick the salt off their skin. However, it can also be due to anxiety which is when their licking and chewing also branches out to household objects.
This can be fixed.
When she does come up to lick you, a short and quick "UH-UH!" in a harsh voice while a loud clap of your hands will be enough to startle her. As she is startled, stand up and ignore her or if you are standing, fold your arms and turn your back on her.
A few moments later, sit back down or turn around.
She will more than likely do it again, but you must repeat your actions.
Do not push her away, dogs ignore that. They tend to assume it's play.
She will learn that licking her master does, indeed, result in a negative response.
If she persists, it wouldn't hurt to dab some Tabasco on the place she licks (avoid the face). She will get a very nasty shock from that but do not worry, it's harmless.
If it does branch out to other household objects, I would presume it's anxiety or boredom.
Giving her dog toys helps to prevent them from targeting household objects.
A very effective toy are the ones that you insert food into, and the dog must find ways to get the food out. This has them going for quite some time.
I hope I've answered this question to your satisfaction and if there's anything you'd like me to go into more detail about, please, ask away!
Good luck and kindest regards,
Chantelle
