Dog developing a 'licking' habit?!

firesidemaid

there are lots of good websites on the internet to help you with dog training, including separation anxiety.

we have a dog of the same breed and found that it howled when we left it in the kitchen, but was ok when we left it in the lounge with the tv on.

if you are exercising enough ( 2 x at least 45 mins, including some running ) then the dog should be tired for a lot of the time inbetween. collies also need some 'mental' exercise too.

dog insurance is only a few £s a month and you cannot claim for the first 2 weeks anyway. you can also get cashback through quidco.

Lynxette

Nicifer_noonoo wrote: »

I know nothing about dogs, and this could be totally irrelevant but...

could she be thirsty? Just a thought

She has a bowl of water always available for her, but thank you for your idea!

foreign_correspondent

I would advise you to get pet insurance asap just in case this turns out to be something more problematic and costly than hormones or anxiety in the long run!! I don't ant to worry you but sometimes odd behavior like this can have a neurological cause, although it is probably just an odd habit!

However - if she is diagnosed with a condition before the insurance kicks in they will not cover that condition, please do get it soon, it will probably cost you a tenner or less a month, so not that big a difference to start it today rather than next month, and could save you a lot. Also you cannot make claims for vets fees incurred in the first 2 weeks.

Halifax worked out cheapest for me.

You say she is a rescue dog - do they have a behavoralist at the place you got her from? - where I got my dog from they offered free advice from a trained behavioralist for any problems -might be worth checking out, but I would say, first get the insurance!

ps have you tried getting her something else to chew on, a toy or a nice raw beef bone as a distraction?

pboae

quidsin wrote: »

From what you've said if she's due a season and has just started licking it may be her motherly instincts kicking in and wanting everything clean.

It can also be a sign of a phantom pregnancy, for the same reasons.

Lynxette wrote: »

We have looked into training but have very little idea where to start - It also doesn't help that my father doesn't beleive that dogs should be trained and should be allowed to 'behave naturally', and thus any outdoor training we attempt to do (Such as walking to heel or recall) isn't supported on his walks!

Ah, well you'll have your work cut out with training then, it's still do-able though. I presume training classes are out of the question?

Will your Dad tolerate you teaching her games and tricks, if you don't portray it as formal obedience training?

If you can't go to classes then I guess you need a book, Crosskeys have a few, but you can probably get them in other places too.

http://www.crosskeysbooks.com/index.php?cPath=5_155&page=1

I'm very much in favour of allowing dogs to be dogs, but collies and lurchers are working dogs, most of them need a job to do. So IMHO giving them a job *is* allowing them to behave naturally.

The basic idea of clicker training is very simple. You get a clicker (from ebay or a pet shop for a couple of quid). You train your dog to understand that when they hear the click they will get a treat. Then you use the clicker to mark target behaviour. It's just simple operant conditioning really, but the clicker is a much more precise marker than praise or a touch, so you can mark very specific behaviour, which lets you shape behaviour so much more quickly. Once they've got the hang of it, you can train alsorts of games, such as hide and seek for toys, sorting toys into boxes, and of course for basic obedience (like walking to heel )

supermezzo

Sounds very similar symtoms to ours when she was due her season.
Please get some pet insurance - it just isn't worth the risk not to and as many have said, if you go through Quidco, you can get money back too, so win win situation.
You must have very understanding neighbours if she's howling when she's left - Can I make a suggestion to help ease this?
1) Make sure you leave the radio/tv on for her and make sure that she has a 'safe' place to be whilst you're out (crate/bed/one room) rather than just the run of the house at first.A kong with her favourite treat or frozen mash and gravy is a good distraction toy which you give her as special treat when you leave her.
2) Tell her you're going out, say goodbye and then go.
3) Go out the front door, then come back in again straight away and make a huge fuss of her if shes been quiet in the 2 milliseconds you've been gone. If she hasn't, then repeat it half a dozen times over the day (hopefully being a collie she'll catch on quickly that you do actually come back) and once she is quiet when you're gone, you can start to increase the time you are away. (Our neighbours are very used to us standing on the front door step with a brew lol).
It may be that she needs absolute consistency and routine for a while from all of you to make her feel more secure.
Oh and she'll eat when shes hungry. Whatever you do, don't make a rod for your own back by enticing her to eat or keep changing her food. Give her her mealtime(s), and by all means make a big fuss about the fact that it is food time but then leave her to eat alone and if she hasn't eaten it within 20 mins, take it up again and feed her when shes next due a feed.

frugallass

I'd seriously consider giving her a better quality food too

Lynxette

frugallass wrote: »

I'd seriously consider giving her a better quality food too

Hard when money is so tight. We tried to Bakers Complete stuff were you add the water when it was on offer in Sainsburies and she c ompletely turned her nose up whenever it was offered. Thus we are reluctant to change a food that she does it, to spend more on something she doesn't eat.

Thank you to everyone for their advice!

Something that came to mind today; We live surrounded by fields, perfect for walking her but also used as argicultural farmland on a regular basis. The rapeseed has now started to come up and I noticed that she has taken to eating the flowers - Could this cause her problems or be the root of some of these problems? Or am I shooting in the dark!

PS, Am going to look into pet insurance tonight. Any recommendations?

quidsin

Lynxette wrote: »

PS, Am going to look into pet insurance tonight. Any recommendations?

We used to have our insurance with E&L, they had 3 or 4 levels of cover which was quite affordable, but do a price comparison on moneysupermarket or somewhere similar, and check the policies ( with out sounding too obvious!!! sorry)

We cancelled our policies with E&L when they took 4 months to pay out a claim, Marks & Spencers supposed to be ok I believe. I save the money now & hope I don't have to use the vets!!!

foreign_correspondent

I would advide trying Halifax for insurance and Wagg dog food - its a good price, no artificial colours etc, and my dogs have always doen very well on it. http://www.waggfoods.co.uk/ - there is a price comparison thingy on the website, it looks like it would ave you a lot of money compared to bakers. Apparently bakers is full of colourings.

Tigsteroonie

As I sit here, my dog (lab-x) is occasionally licking the arm of the sofa and/or the cushion. He has also been known to lick my bare legs (not as weird as a cat that licks my arms). I just try to distract him when he starts.