Dog behavior questions?

Question

My sisters dog always has to have something in her mouth to chew on, ever since she was a baby or she is constantly l*****g her feet.When she is outside she chews sticks. we cant seem to get her to stop l*****g her feet or to stop chewing on sticks.. she choked on one not to long ago and im worried she may get hurt worse. She is by no means deprived of toys or playtime.

She does have a skin allergy that we cant seem to pinpoint -that could be why she keeps l*****g her feet, but im not sure since her feet dont seem to be effected. Her allergy constists of small pimple like bumps, mostly on her tummy and legs.

Im not new to having pets or simple training, i just have run out of ideas with this hard headed girl lol-

she is a 4yr old boxer/pit mix

Answer 1

It sounds like she has an allergy.  Take her to the vet and get something to soothe the itching.  That will drive her crazy.  You also need to find out what she is allergic to.  It might be something as simple as her food.  Change that first to see and give it a week or two.  In the meantime, you can give her Benadryl but call the Dr. for the dosage for her size.  She's probably allergic to fleas which means you will need to get them under control.  She's probably chewing sticks to stop from chewing herself.  She's going crazy with the itchies.  I'm scratching just thinking about it.  lol

Her rash tells me that it's not a behavioral issue.  It's an allergy.

Answer 2

l*****g of feet is certainly an allergy, have you put her on antihistamies?  Dogs are like people, they can also be allergic to grass, so try tablets.  You can purchase them from the vet or can give your dog human tablets.  My GSD took 4 Polarimine a day.  

Are you aware that it takes 8 weeks on a new diet before you can confirm that it was not the previous food.  Many dog kibble is beef/chicken based, so you have to try something different.  Fish and Potato is a good one as most dogs have never had it before.  You can purchase the kibble and also suppliment with fresh food.  

Answer 3

You are probably right about the allergy.  My dog also has seasonal allergies, and my solution for him was to add vitamin C (also called Ascorbic Acid) to his meals twice a day.  Vitamin C is an antihistamine in dogs so it helps to reduce the itching that occurs from allergic reactions.  This is natural for dogs, and is sometimes all it takes because the dog (who natural produces vitamin C) is not producing enough vitamin C.  For the bumps on her stomach you can try using Calendula cream.  It can be found in most human drugstores, but my dog's vet prescribed it to us for our dog when he had an unknown bump in his ear.  It soothes the area and clears it up well if you can keep the dog from getting at the area too much.

As for the chewing, she may be chewing her feet partially due to allergies, but it could be partially due to behaviour as well since she chews everything.  This may be a way for her to get attention, or a nervous response to something.  Is there a trigger that starts her chewing on things?  It may be hard to stop the chewing behaviour all together because that is something she really enjoys doing (obviously), but you can teach her drop it, leave it, and come which will all help get her away from any potential dangers.  It sounds like you know how to train these things, and she may even already know them.  For drop it, I suggest using the 'trading' system.  You tell her to drop it and in return she gets a better treat (I use Benny Bulleys - natural, freeze dried liver that smells so dogs love it!).  Do this in a controlled environment before you start doing it outside with sticks.  When you see her grab a stick approach her calmly with a treat, say drop it, show her you have a better treat (of higher value than what she is chewing), once she drops the stick, give her the treat.  Eventually start doing this from further distances.  If she doesn't come automatically, tell her to come so that she can get the treat, but make sure you have given a reward marker after she has dropped the stick so that she knows she has done something right.  You may even try giving her something safe to chew on once she gets to you.  You could toss a ball for her, or toss her some other toy that she can safely chew on or that she enjoys playing with.

Another thing you may try to distract her from chewing inappropriate things is giving her a toy that will keep her busy.  Kongs stuffed with food are safe, and there is also an orange ball that has indents in it, then one hole where you put in kibble or other treats.  I can't remember what it is called, but the object is for the dog to push the ball around the floor so that the treats fall out.  For dogs who get very focused on one thing such as chewing or food, this may get her distracted and stuck on pushing this ball around the floor for food.  I even know a dog who will now do it without the food, just in case anything is left inside.

Another thing my dog enjoys chewing on is raw bones.  You can buy them at pet stores frozen and you can just take them out of the freezer, let the dog chew on them for a while then put them back in the freezer.  You should always supervise your dog when they are chewing a bone though, and for dogs who like to try to get the whole toy or whole bone  in their mouth at once, bones are not always a safe choice.

Good luck with your sisters dog!  I hope you find something that works for her!

Answer 4

Feet l*****g could be due to her allergy, can also be a sign of a behavioural disorder.  Dogs can get OCD like people.  Always check with a vet

Answer 5

piling on with allergies as a possible cause for the feet l*****g, I've heard of OCD in dogs but never actually experienced it. A common allergen for dogs is Gluten, many foods use it to boost the protein levels of the food, I'd try a limited ingredient diet, something chicken or lamb based, no wheat or gluten. There are several out there, I've used Bil-Jac and Natural Balance LID - both very high quality food without the grains. Corn can also be a problem in a few cases but usually it's ok.

Chewing sticks is normal, my current pup loves sticks more than her toys and shes a "professional stick relocater"

How do you know she's not allergic to her food?have you tried changing products, had any testing done?