It’s normal for dogs to spend time grooming and licking themselves, but what isn’t normal is your dog obsessively licking their feet and toes until you want to scream.
Some dogs will lick and bite their paws so much they wear away the fur and cause bleeding, which leaves the dog open to infection and other problems, but why does he do it, and more importantly, how can you stop it?
Reasons for Excessive Paw Licking
If your dog is getting a little too enthusiastic with his paw cleaning it could be because he has an injury, skin problems such as dry, itchy skin, allergies, fleas or ticks, anxiety, or even because his nails are too long and making his toes sore when he walks.
Whatever the reason is, you need to treat the condition before your dog’s licking turns into a problem on its own. Some dogs become addicted to licking and use it to soothe themselves, and once established, the habit can be hard to break.
Foot Pain
The most obvious reason your dog may be licking his feet a lot is because he’s suffered an injury to his foot and he’s in pain, especially if he’s only licking one foot.
You may also notice that your dog is limping when he walks.
Check for foreign bodies, torn nails, overly long nails, sprains, fractures, cuts, insect or animal bites, and visit your vet if necessary.
Allergies and Health Issues
Constant foot licking is often caused by allergies, either from external sources such as something they’ve walked through, or internal, caused by their diet.
If the cause is an environmental allergen, or a yeast infection, you might notice other symptoms such as smelly, irritated ears or itchy skin in other places.
Food allergies can be challenging to pinpoint so you might need help from your vet to find the culprit and change your dog’s diet to provide relief.
Boredom and Anxiety
If you still can’t find the reason for your dog’s constant foot licking, it could be due to boredom or anxiety.
Some breeds are more predisposed to suffering from anxiety, like separation anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders, and foot licking becomes a way to self-soothe.
Dogs that are left alone for long periods of time, especially tied up or locked up in small yards, with nothing to do can find paw licking relieves the boredom.
Make sure your dog regularly spends quality time with other dogs and people, provide toys and challenging activities for him, give him plenty of exercise and space to run around, and above all, let him know how much you love him.
Sydney Animal Hospital and Specialist Vet
Sydney Vet Specialists is dedicated to providing quality 24 hour veterinary care for your pets, as well as specialist services for a wide range of conditions.
To speak to one of caring, professional team members about your dog’s excessive paw licking or other abnormal behaviour, call us on 02 9197 5800, or contact us online.
Book an appointment for your pet between Monday and Friday 8:30am-6pm or call us for emergency veterinarian services and after hours care.
Why does my dog lick my feet?
Dogs do things that we might not love, and licking our feet is one of those things. We should never forget that our dogs are designed to communicate with others without using words. Communicating with dogs is like trying to learn a foreign language, only harder… because even the familiar letters are absent. Understanding why your dog does what he does is critical in maintaining your bond and growing your friendship. It makes you a better friend.
Some people complain that their dogs love to lick their feet. Since people can have ticklish toes, it can be a more pressing issue than it might seem. We must admit that even if you are not ticklish, having your feet licked as you move about the house is less than ideal!
If your dog engages in this habit, it helps to try to know why, so you can address it with patience and kindness. There can be several reasons for the behavior and since we cannot ask the dogs, we are left trying to surmise them. Each dog can have individual variations.
Hint: It’s Not Because You Are A Salt Lick
Some people will say that your dog is trying to lick the salt from your skin and studies show that dogs can indeed taste salt. Salt flavors can stimulate nerves in dogs and they can perceive the taste of salt, so maybe this is the reason for some dogs.
When an individual dog lives in a group, there are bonds that occur. A study in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology explored the hypothesis that intimate behavior (grooming, licking, preening, etc.) motivates participants to coordinate actions directed towards a shared goal that enhances each individual’s fitness. When he licks your feet, your dog may be trying to encourage you to join them in an activity that meets both of your physiological needs. This could be playing, finding food or any other basic need you might be able to work together to meet.
It’s a Comfort Thing When Your Dog Licks Your Feet
Most of all, the behavior seems very familiar. If your dog did not feel safe and comfortable with you, he would not expose himself in this vulnerable way. In the non-verbal animal kingdom, mutual grooming is a sign of affection that strengthens family and pack bonds. It is shared between parents, offspring, and other family members. The act of licking and being licked stimulates a release of positive hormones for dogs. Studies have shown that for many species, social grooming stimulates oxytocin (a hormone associated with bonding and emotional attachment). Maybe your dog licks your feet because she wants to show you love.
Whatever the reason, if your dog is performing unwanted licking, you can always distract her from the action. Try redirecting it with an action that you desire, like sitting calmly or doing a trick. Then you can reward the desired behavior and everyone is pleased. Never punish your dog for doing something that probably seems natural to her. It will only damage her trust in you.
Our furry friends have some weird and wonderful habits, whether it’s chasing their tails, howling at sirens, rolling around the grass, or licking every inch of us. Plenty of people have pooches who like to lick, but why do dogs lick feet specifically? To us humans, it can seem gross, yet our dogs seem to love slobbering on our toes.
There are loads of theories about why dogs lick feet, and we humans might never know for sure exactly what compels our canines to slobber on our toes. You can read through the reasons why dogs lick feet and probably figure out why toes make your own pup tick.
Whatever’s behind it, licking feet is pretty normal behaviour for dogs. Licking someone’s foot is a bit far-out for most of us humans, but for our hounds, it can be an important bonding ritual, a calming exercise, and it might even be tasty. So let’s take a look at why dogs lick feet.
It’s a social exercise
There are two main social reasons to explain why dogs lick your feet. The first of these reasons is that a dog licks your feet as a way of showing you that they love you. We already know dogs lick us to show affection, and lots of us call those licks “puppy kisses”. Dogs often aim these slobbery smooches at our faces, hands, and feet. For some little dogs and puppies, your feet might be the only place they can reach! To dogs, licking and grooming family members is a way to show their love and strengthen their bonds.
The other reason why that tongue is aimed at your toes is that it’s your dog’s way of showing that they respect you. Dogs will often lick more dominant dogs to show them they are submissive and not a threat, and your pooch might be licking your feet for the same reason. By staying low to the ground and licking you, it’s like a double whammy message of “I respect you.”
They’re looking after you
A mother dog licks her puppies to keep them clean, show her love, and help encourage bodily functions like pooping. Even adult dogs will lick their wounds or each other’s injuries because their saliva can help to keep the cut clean, prevent infection, and improve healing. Plus it’s a comforting act and shows their friends some love when they’re not feeling their best.
Even amongst us humans, there’s plenty of folk medicine and legend that says having a dog lick you will cure you. For instance, the ancient Greek god of medicine had a canine companion, and his shrines had sacred dogs that would lick people and allegedly cure them.
Your pooch might be licking you if you’re unwell to try and make you feel better, and they will certainly lick your cuts to try and keep you clean. In their head, they’re helping! They’re probably also trying to comfort you too.
Maybe your feet taste and smell tasty
We all know dogs will happily roll in and eat things that are pretty disgusting, and sometimes your stinky, sweaty feet are irresistible for your furry friend. Whether it’s the salt from your sweat sticking to your toes, or you’ve accidentally stepped in some crumbs in the kitchen, your pup can taste and smell everything you’ve walked in and probably finds it all pretty tasty.
If your dog seems obsessed with licking your feet or arms when you’re sweaty, they might just enjoy the salty taste or perhaps have a mineral deficiency. However, it’s much more likely they just think it tastes good!
They’re just a bit licky
Some dogs are just much more prone to licking than others. If your dog licks your feet, it could just be that they are a licky dog, and your feet happen to be an easy-to-reach place to slobber.
They want something
It’s hard to ignore a dog licking your feet, isn’t it? So your pup might have learned that if they need something, or want to steal your attention, licking your feet is one way to do it. Most dogs will stare at you to try and communicate, and if it doesn’t work, they will add in a physical way of getting your attention whether that’s pawing at your arm, booping their nose against your leg, or even licking your hands and feet.
This reason is linked to the theory that dogs lick your feet for attention. The last time your dog licked your foot you probably flinched away and told them off, or giggled as they licked your tickly toes and gave them a fuss. Either way, you fixed your focus on your dog and they will soon realise it’s an effective way of getting your attention (they don’t care if it’s positive or negative attention!). Their goal is just to get you to focus on them, and licking seems like a great way of doing it.
Not to mention, if you are ticklish, your dog probably heard your laughter and thought you enjoyed them licking your feet because giggling is a positive reaction. Wriggling your tickly feet around probably seemed fun too, and they might have thought it was a bit of a game.
More often than not when a dog licks you, you’ll start cooing over them and give them a cuddle, since they’re apparently kissing you and showering you in puppy love. Obviously snuggling them is positive so they’ll think licking your feet means a fuss, and they’ll start to do it more often to earn a quick cuddle.
Licking for stress release
When a dog licks something their body releases endorphins, which is the hormone that relieves pain and stress. If your dog does a lot of licking, whether that’s your feet, their own feet, their toys, or even the floor, then they might be doing it as a self-soothing behaviour.
If there have been some fireworks, or you’ve been away from home for the weekend, your dog’s foot-licking might be their way of calming themselves down after a stressful period.
Lots of licking can help to reduce stress and pain, so consistent licking could be a sign your pup is agitated or uncomfortable. If the behaviour continues, or they show any signs of illness or pain, you should get your vet to examine them to make sure there is no underlying problem.
It can be a compulsive or obsessive behaviour
If your dog seems to be licking your feet at every opportunity and does it for extended periods of time, it could be a compulsive behaviour. Some dogs feel a near-obsessive need to lick and your feet may be the target or something else.
“Excessive surface licking” is one of several repetitive behaviours seen in dogs. These behaviours can be rooted in medical conditions or other behavioural disorders, so it’s always best to consult with a vet and perhaps a behaviourist to examine what’s causing your dog’s strange behaviour.
Why does my dog lick my feet when I get out the shower?
This sounds super specific, but it’s actually really common! Dogs will often lick our feet after we’ve had a bath or shower, or even after you’ve rubbed something on them like moisturiser. It’s possible that something you’ve used to wash smells and tastes interesting to your pooch, and they’re licking your feet to see what it is. (Dogs explore a lot of the world with their mouths and noses after all).
After a shower, you no doubt smell different. Your dog licking you might be to try and find your usual smell lurking under the perfume of your shower gel. Dog’s will rub themselves all over the floor after a bath to get a familiar smell on them, so maybe they think your feet are worth licking and rubbing against to get their own smell back on you to remind you of home.
Should I stop my dog licking my feet?
As weird as it can seem, licking is a very normal dog behaviour, and licking feet is equally normally no matter how gross! Most dogs seem to enjoy licking feet as well, so there’s no real need to stop it unless it is becoming a compulsive behaviour, or if it’s really annoying you.
If you want to stop your dog from licking your feet, use positive reinforcement and redirection to encourage them to do something else, like lying down, or playing with a toy. Give the new behaviour a big reward and lots of fuss and praise, so your dog learns to do this to get your attention rather than licking your feet.
You should try to redirect feet licking if it seems to be becoming a compulsive behaviour for your dog. Although if you are having trouble putting an end to their obsessive foot licking, you should get some professional help from your vet and a canine behaviourist to check there’s no underlying problem and to tackle the problem behaviour.