problem with pomeranian

Question
i have a male pomeranian that has started licking his hind leg and then licks the floor. he does this constantly and has been doing it for three or four days.
do you know why he is doing this?
thanks myrna

Answer
Hi Myrna,

I will assume you have examined your dog's leg area to rule out if there is something causing the licking, such as irritated skin, a foreign matter such as a thistle or something stuck in your dog's fur. Bone or joint pain can draw the dog's attention to the wrist or ankle area and in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort the dog licks over the top of the joint. Anytime there is a "behavior" involved, it is most important to first rule out an underlying medical reason for the behavior. If you think there is a possibility of a joint problem, you should have your dog examined by your vet.  Once all medical concerns are ruled out, then the problem can be approached as a behavioral one

There might be something actually annoying your dog in the leg area, but he gets so engaged by the licking, that soon he's forgotten the cause that got him started, and is just licking for licking sake.  Dogs are like humans in the sense that they also have unhealthy quirks or habits that they start doing when they are bored.

Sometimes a dog will develop a habit out of boredom, or to get attention. To a dog, even negative attention is still attention. Just by telling your dog "don't lick" can be enough attention to cause additional licking!

You can start trying to break your dog's licking habit by increasing the number of leashed walks he gets each day. Notice I say "leashed walks". Simply letting a dog outside in a fenced yard does not offer the important mental stimulation aspects of a walk that a dog requires.  Even one extra walk, can translate into enough exercise and mental stimulation to break a habit.

Another thing you can try is to distract your dog  the moment he starts licking. Giving your dog something to else to chew on, such as a sterilized bone, or a Kong toy that's stuffed with something tasty. When he starts licking, tell him firmly "No Lick!", and hand him the irresistible chew toy. Praise him when he's happily chewing the toy, to help him understand the behavior you want to enforce.
Distraction by playing games, and pop obedience "quizzes" will  keep your dog occupied coupled with positive reinforcement will help break the cycle.

Licking habits can be hard to break, the longer this goes on, the harder it can be to stop, Once a dog develops a licking habit, it can cause hair is lost as they continuously lick the area.  From there the skin can become firm and raised, or even create open sores.  Because the skin often moist, secondary  bacterial or yeast skin infections are common in dogs with licking habits,  at that point there is a name for the condition: "Lick Granuloma".

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti