My dog licks constantly

Question
Hi there, I have a 12 year old male Doberman. His name is Rainey. Very healthy, happy and spoiled Rotten. But he started with this licking obession about 2 years ago, he licks  everything and I mean everything but the air... Couch, bed, me, himself, it doesn't matter what it is he licks it. I'm hoping you can help me understand why he does this and how to help me stop him from licking so much.

Thank you

Answer
Dogs, like humans, suffer from obessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In dogs specifically OCD is usually characterised by excessive licking. They usually compulsivly lick themselves but the condition can manifest itself by liking other objects. Your vet should be able to treat this and identify this as the problem if it indeed is. Also another "far-fetched", but still possible reason could be that there is a scent on the objects that the dog is licking. Dogs will lick objects to get a better sense of a particular smell or odor. If this is the case get rid of the smell and the licking should stop. This is unlikely but I just wanted you to explore the possibility especially if you have other animals in the house. Knowing the age of your animal I would lean toward OCD, this is common in older dogs but can be seen in dogs of all ages. Bottom line I would suggest taking him to your vet and trying out some medicine for OCD. These drugs have few side effects, but can take up to 2 months before they begin to work. Also behavior modification drugs have to be adjusted frequently to make sure that your animal is receiving the correct dose and the correct drug for your animal. One medication that works for one behavior problem in one dog may not work for the same problem in another dog, or may require a different dosage. Behavior drugs are somewhat of a guessing game at times and often several drugs and doses have to be tried before you can get the results you want. Also a last thought, since he is getting older he could simply be experiencing decreased olfactory senstation (the ability to smell) and is licking to better smell objects. This can occur with older age and should be considered when making your decision about how to procede. Hope that this helps and feel free to ask anymore questions you may have. I am happy to help and hope that Rainey and you enjoy many more years together as man and his best friend.