# Dog Rubs Body Up Against Furniture and Walls and Obsessively Licks



## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

I've noticed a slight behavioral change in my dog, Vincent, over the past couple of months. He has gotten into the habit of rubbing his body up against furniture, walls, etc. This normally wouldn't bother me, but I'm starting to notice marks on the walls from his collar and he's constantly knocking plugs out of outlet. He also has a tendency to roll around on the ground, as if he is itching his back. I am assuming it's some sort of itch problem because when I itch his back now, he puts that scratch grimace on his face for pretty much everywhere I scratch on his back. I've checked his skin and it doesn't look like he has dry skin. I have not seen any fleas either when I have checked the skin. To me, it clearly has to be some kind of itch issue based on the way he's behaving, but when I inspect him it doesn't look like dry skin. Any suggestions as to what could be going on here?

I also had another question about some recent changes in behavior. Vincent has always liked to lick weird things like the carpet, walls, etc, but it feels like his licking has gotten out of control lately. If I don't interrupt him, he will lick the carpet to the point that it seems like he's dried out his tongue and starts hacking. He also likes to lick my comforter on my bed to the point that I have gross wet spots all over the place. Basically, his constant and seemingly obsessive licking just grosses me out. Part of me worries that he is developing some kind of obsessive behaviors for whatever reason. Maybe I should also note that there was a large change in the dynamic of my home recently as my girlfriend and I broke up in the middle of July. Vincent has never known a home without the two of us until now and was generally acting a bit different after she moved out. I don't know if that change could be what's causing these other weird behaviors or am I just over thinking things?

Thanks!


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Regarding the itching.. does he get very much fat in his diet? If you're not already doing it, I'd suggest adding fish oil to his daily meal. You'll likely not see any results from that for about 4-6 weeks though. For a quicker result, I recommend a product called 'Dermoscent Spot-On' that you should be able to get over the counter at a vet clinic. It's all natural oils that you put on topically.. just a little squirt between the shoulder blades once a week and you should see results in 1-3 weeks. I LOVE the stuff, makes the coat so shiny and soft.

As for the behaviour issue.. I do think a change in the household dynamic could have sparked something that is maybe manifesting into an OCD type thing. Does Vincent get enough exercise? A tired dog is a happy dog.  Mental stimulation is tiring too.. work on commands, teach him new tricks, feed his dinner out of an interactive toy. Will he stop licking if you give him something to chew on? A nice tough bully stick or himalayan chew perhaps.


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

I feed him Blue Buffalo Wilderness, typically the salmon flavor and have been doing so since I first got him about 2.5 years ago. I have resorted to adding some olive oil to his food to help the itching issue, but I'm not sure if I'm adding enough. I don't measure it out, typically just pour in what looks like at least a tablespoon. I have been doing this fairly consistently for maybe the past 2 to 3 weeks? Like I said before, I've looked at his skin and nothing looks like he has a dry skin issue. No flakes, no redness. I also went out and bought some oatmeal shampoo yesterday and plan on giving him a bath this weekend with it in hopes that it helps some. He never had issues like this until maybe 3 months ago? All the new behaviors have sort of fallen in line with the breakup and the household changes. I dunno if this matters, but I can typically go a few months without bathing him and he rarely, if ever feels gross and greasy. I don't think he produces a lot of skin oils in general, but once again, this wasn't an issue until recently.

He gets a decent amount of exercise. I religiously take him on at least two walks a day. The AM is usually 30 minutes and the PM is usually 45 minutes. On the weekends I take him to the dog park in the AM for an hour and he gets a 45 min walk in the PM. He also has a dog walker that comes twice a week to let him out while I'm at work, but I don't know how long she walks him for. I also play chase and generally play games with him in the home on a daily basis. He is a very energetic dog and it's difficult to wear him out. On a park day he can typically sleep all day once we get home, but even that has changed a bit since the breakup. In general, post breakup, he's just seemed a bit more finicky and has shown a few behavior issues outside of these.

He has bully sticks and definitely enough toys around the apartment to chew on instead of lick, but I don't feel like it's an issue of him just needing something to do with his mouth because there are definitely options available. Any suggestions for a way to train him out of the licking? For both the licking and wall/furniture rubbing I've resulted in trying to make a noise to startle him to stop the behavior...I haven't been very consistent with it though because I'm not sure if it's the right way to go about things.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Is he full of static, and trying to get rid of feeling funny? maybe rub an unscented dryer sheet over him and see if it makes a difference.


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