licking of paws

Question
Dear Kathryn,
I have a five year-old tiny toy poodle who seems to lick her paws alot. Often, she seems to lick and groom herself like a cat does and at other times it's just lots of licking. Is this common for toy poodles to do? There doesn't seem to be any noticeable skin problems on her feet. I've heard that sometimes it can be an allergy. What is considered excessive licking and how would I know if it where an allergy or not?
Thank you so much for your time and response,  Vicki

Answer
Hi Vicki,

If the skin around her paws is irritated, it may be allergies. Another thing it might be is dry skin. Make sure when you bathe her you use a dog shampoo, as people shampoo will dry their skin and hair.  You may want to try a hypo-allergenic shampoo and conditioner as well.  One of my dogs (actually, my toy poodle Patches) licks her paws and her nose all the time with no real obvious problems.  

It may just be grooming or that it feels good. Wouldn't it be nice if we KNEW what they were thinking???  

I wish I could be more definite, but I honestly can't. These are just the few things I could think it might be.

Good luck.

Kathryn