Dog that licks everything

Question
My sister-in-laws one year old female lab licks everything.  She licks me, the furniture, the air, etc.  Why does she do this, and how can I stop her from doing it.  It's very irritating.

Answer
Hi Molly,

There are a few medical problems that can cause the compulsive licking you've described. Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease), hypoadrenocorticism, liver failure, obsessive-compulsive disorders, seizures, hydrocephalus and other neurologic disease and probably a number of other conditions have occasionally been linked with this behavior.

In some dogs compulsive licking is considered to be an obsessive/compulsive behavior and may respond to medications for these disorders, such as Anafranil  or Prozac. The dog's vet would be able to help determine if these medications are appropriate. Your sister-in-law's dog should have a vet exam to rule out the possibility of a medical problem.

Dogs that are excessively bored seem to develop obsessive disorders at times. Increasing the dog's daily excursive can really help, if this is the root of the problem. If it really does seem excessive to you, the dog's vet or an animal behaviorist may be able to help design a behavioral modification program and medical therapy to help alleviate the condition, if one of the medical causes doesn't seem to fit, of course.

In the case of submissive licking it may help a great deal to give the dog an acceptable alternative behavior, such as teaching the dog a new command, like sit and stay or fetching an object,  that will substitute for the behavior. Spending a few minutes a day training the dog can help a lot. It's okay to give a treat,  if that helps to reinforce the new behavior.

You can read more about compulsive behavior in dogs here:
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/compulsive-behavior-in-dogs/page1.aspx

Best of luck,

Patti