I. What are the reasons for dogs licking their paws frequently?

We all know that cats usually love to lick themselves with their tongues, that's when they are grooming their fur and cleaning their bodies. The dog is different, occasionally licking himself is nothing, but some dogs especially like to lick their paws, even hate to lick for 10 hours a day, if your dog starts to lick his paws so often you should pay attention.

1, itchy

Most of the time, itching is the main reason why dogs lick their paws, but the dog's saliva will get the paws wet, and the itching problem will be more serious, so it causes dogs to keep licking their paws, or feel itchy discomfort, forming a vicious circle.

2, pain

Dogs who lick their paws for a long time are likely to be injured by sharp objects, such as glass fragments, stones, spikes, and so on. To carefully check the dog's paws there is no wound or foreign body.
3, "dog foot odor" - fungal infection

Dogs, like humans, can also get foot fungus, if the dog after bathing, rain, and snow days after walking the dog back, did not promptly dry the dog's paws, the dog's hair mass will gather in the toe seam, coupled with bacterial reproduction, it is easy to suffer from dog foot fungus.

And when the toes feel red and itchy, the dog will keep licking, and it will deteriorate into inter-toes, or even bleeding, pus, etc.
4, bored
The dog used to live in the wild, walking and hunting for more than 10 hours a day. Now after being raised by others, gradually reduce the amount of exercise, the daily range of activities is the yard, cage, the dog's energy can not be released, it will cause frustration and depression, thus constantly licking paws.

5, anxiety

Long-term lack of attention and companionship of the owner of the dog is easy to suffer from separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc... Dogs will seek psychological comfort by constantly licking their paws to distract themselves.

6, hormonal imbalance

Once the dog hormonal imbalance, the body produces a lot of cortisol, thyroid hormone secretion is insufficient, and the dog's skin will appear red spots, dry hair, hair loss, and other symptoms. Dogs frequently lick these parts, which will cause the secondary infection.

7銆丏ry skin

Dry skin may be due to breed genetics, weather, frequent bathing, etc.

8, fleas, ticks

Fleas and ticks can cause severe discomfort and itching in dogs, causing them to lick their paws frequently. Especially for dogs with allergies, the problem is even more serious.

So how do we effectively protect the dog's paws?
1, timely observation of the frequency of dog licking paws and physical condition
If you find that your dog licks its paws more frequently than before, you should observe whether there are residual foreign objects in the paws that make it feel uncomfortable and help it take them out in time. If it begins to lick its paws frequently for a long time, and the surface can not see the reason, it is best to take it to the veterinarian for examination, it is likely to be allergic.

2, listen to the sound of the dog walking
Normal dog walking is not much sound, and nails will not touch the ground. If you hear your dog walking with the sound of nails scraping the ground, it means that your dog's nails are too long and need to be trimmed. But when cutting the nails should also be careful not to cut too much to avoid hurting the dog's skin and blood vessels. If you really can't get it right, take it to the vet to get your nails trimmed.

3銆丆heck the paws when you get back
Sometimes the dog's paws are stuck to foreign objects, nothing major discomfort, the dog can not speak and can not see. So every time you go outside to the grass, or bushes after playing, remember to check the paws have not stuck to something, or a small wound, if serious next time avoids taking the dog to those places.

4銆丮oisturize the paws
Many people do not understand why the dog's paws still need moisturizing, we humans usually wear shoes, while the dog's meat pads are in direct contact with the ground, and some dogs bleed because of dry paws. It should be noted that moisturizers for dogs can not use the human with those moisturizing water, and lotion, but to go to the pet store to buy special care products to protect the dog's paws.

5, summer dog walking to pay attention to the ground temperature
When the summer heats, the high temperature of the ground can even bake an egg, not to mention the dog's paws. Here is a way, is to reach out to feel the ground temperature, if the hand in five seconds can feel obvious discomfort, do not take the dog out, wait until the evening when the shade, and then take the dog out. Otherwise, the high temperature of the ground is likely to burn the dog's paws.

These are the top 5 tips to teach you can effectively protect your dog's paws. Do not ignore the frequent licking paw behavior of dogs, which is likely to be the disease looking for the body. After understanding these reasons why dogs lick their paws, I hope that your beloved pets will grow up healthy and happy.

II. Do dogs always like to lick their owners' feet?

Dogs sometimes do things that their owners can't understand, such as licking their feet. Some owners don't like their dogs licking their feet because it can be itchy, but more often than not, we don't know why dogs do this behavior. Dogs are more likely to use body language to communicate because they can't speak, so we don't know what it means for them to do these behaviors. If the owner can understand the meaning of some of the dog's behavior, then the owner can understand the dog better and can build a closer relationship with the dog.

When we find that the dog has such and such habits, we can try to understand the reasons for their behavior, when we find the reasons, may be able to find some solutions.

Dogs may be licking the salt off their skin
Some people think that the dog is licking the owner's feet because there is salt on the human skin, and this salt smell will stimulate the dog's nerves and make them feel very tasty. And in fact, someone went to do research in this area, showing that dogs can indeed taste the salty taste of human skin. This may be the reason why some dogs will go to lick their master's feet.

Dogs want their owners to join their activities
Dogs are pack animals, and when they live with their owners, they treat them as part of their "pack" and invite them to participate in certain activities, either by grooming each other, licking, etc., through intimate behaviors (grooming, licking, etc.), or by hunting, or playing. So when a dog is licking its owner's feet, it may be trying to encourage its owner to join them, either by inviting you to play with them, or by trying to find food or any other basic need, and it will feel happy and satisfied if you can participate in their activities.

Dogs find this a comfortable thing to do
There is another situation where a dog finds this behavior very comfortable and relaxing. If the dog doesn't trust its owner enough to feel relaxed and safe, it won't expose itself to you in this more vulnerable way. In the dog world, mutual licking is a sign of emotional communication that strengthens the relationship of family members. Both the act of licking and being licked stimulate the release of positive hormones in dogs. Some studies have shown that for many creatures, social contact (licking or grooming a companion) stimulates oxytocin (a hormone associated with bonding and emotional attachment).

So when a dog is licking its owner's feet, it may be trying to convey a loving sentiment.

Of course, some owners may be very sensitive to the licking behavior, and if you are not very comfortable with this kind of licking from your dog, then we can also think of some ways to distract him. For example, when it comes over and wants to lick you, you give it a sit command or other skill command, and then after the dog does it, give it the appropriate reward. The dog will also forget about licking his feet, and at the same time feel happy because he has something good to eat.

We can't punish the dog for not liking to be licked, it's a very natural behavior for him, we just need to guide it in other ways so that the dog's trust in the owner is not damaged by the punishment.

Does your dog like to lick your feet? How do you respond to it?