excessive licking

Question
When we put our 11 year old Cocker Spaniel(female) in bed with our son, she has been going crazy licking his face and back and very excited and crying at times.  This behavior only appears at night, and is not her normal routine at all. Could she be in heat?  There is no urinating by her at this time, and these episopes last roughly 30 minutes.

Answer
Well, goodness, this is odd.  When you ask "could she be in heat?", are you saying she's not spayed?

How long has this been happening?  It sounds very much like anxiety and if all else is well with her (appetite, energy levels, etc) I think the first thing I'd try is to change the routine.
Take her for a long walk before bedtime - let her sleep with you & see what happens - see if you can interrupt the behavior (offer a snack, a toy).  Maybe a bit of Rescue Remedy to calm her.
Also - when you put her on the bed - just try getting on the bed with son & dog just to see what happens.  There's a clue in here somewhere :) and we just have to try to find it.

And this may sound funny..but put her short leash on her and have your son just gently hold it.
Anxious dogs can chill right out once they're on leash.

I will also say sometimes dogs can just suddenly start a weird behavior and by the time you've read up, asked for advice, tried a few things and are running out of ideas - they just stop doing it. :)

But at age 11, any sudden behavioural change should be taken seriously.  When was the last time she had a full Wellness check?

But do let me know if any of the suggestions work - that will tell me more!
Delores