Licking

Question
okay so i just got a dog and she is a 4 1/2 year old pure bred boxer, i live alone and only work 2-3 days a week, but during those days i work 16-20 hours a day.  I got her from my supervisor at work, and she is a great dog, very calm very trusting and loveable, but she seems to have a problem licking, not just me but everything, she likes the air for no reason, its like she is a snake, its constent. do you think she has been abused and that is the reason or something else. I need her to stop liking because she gets sores around here mouth from it, and what would be the best way to get her to stop, without being cruel. any advice would be extremely helpfull. Thank You

Answer
First make sure you have a clean bill of health from your veterinarian. There may be some underlying cause that you should be aware of. You will want to speak with a DVM that also has behavioral training too so they can determine why this is occurring if it isn't a physical concern.

Dogs lick for a lot of reasons: obsessive/compulsive, anxiety, boredom, investigatory behavior, positive feed-back, greeting behavior and social order. It would surprise me if your dog had suffered abuse and this was the result.

There are usually two basic reasons that dogs lick: Medical and Behavioral.

Medical - May be something like skin allergy, dry skin, skin irritations. The dog may be allergic  or sensitive to something in your house or yard. As mentioned before, a visit to the DVM should help alleviate those questions.

Behavioral - Many dog trainers feel that the cause is anxiety. It can also be a way to get people to niotice them, a sign of affection, I'm hungry, and the list goes on.

This should at least get you started.

Good Luck!

http://www.outlawchinooks.com