Dog pulling out cats fur

Question
My 2 yr old Retriever has started chewing on one of my cat's neck leaving large hairless areas.  The cat loves dogs and when the dog chews on him, he doesn't run away or cry out.  Just stays and lets him do it. He most obviously isn't afraid of the dog and continues to go up to him, sleeps by him.
Have you ever encountered this problem? I can't find anything online about this strange situation. Can only find dogs chewing their own fur or cats pulling out their own fur.
I am baffled. Any suggestions?
Thank you.

Answer

Hi Colleen,

You might not be able to pinpoint the reason why your dog has started this odd behavior. It may just be your dog has an obsessive licking habit, only it's the cat he's obsessing over, not himself. Many times a dog starts a licking habit because the action relieves stress, and helps him feel calmer. All the licking isn't good for your cat's skin, and if it doesn't stop, it can lead to open sores which leaves him open to skin infections.

The moment your dog starts licking,  firmly tell him "NO LICK!", you may have to physically move his head to make him stop. Redirecting his attention to a favorite toy, or giving him a pop quiz of whatever obedience commands he knows can also be helpful. Praise him the moment he stops licking, even if that's just for 5 seconds. Along with the supervision, you may want to apply something that tastes bad to the cat's neck, such as Bitter Apple Spray or Yuk-2e Anti-Lick Gel, as a deterrent, though sometimes that doesn't work on dogs who have an obsessive habit to lick. Of course, cats groom themselves, so you may want to evaluate the application of a lick deterrent to your cat's neck. It may come down to your constant supervision and corrections to break your dog of this habit.

A young Retriever should be getting at least an hour a day of exercise. If this isn't the case for your dog, try increasing the amount of daily exercise your dog gets, in the way of leashed walks or playing with other dogs at a dog park, etc..  If it's your routine to let your dog outside by himself, you should know that doesn't give your dog the amount of exercise he needs. Exercise is an excellent way of cutting down on stress or anxiety in dogs, and could really help your dog to stop this habit. If nothing seems to help, talk to your vet about giving your dog anti-anxiety medication, but medication alone won't stop this. Medication needs to be paired with training and exercise.

Best of luck,

Patti