Do dogs lick themselves clean? Or is it just mine?

LouisLady

LouisLady

Member
May 22, 2006
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#1
My dog tends to lick himself just like a cat.

A few years ago I had a cat, and they hung out together like best buds.

She would lick his face,body,paws to get him cleaned up.

Now he does it to himself.

Is that normal?

He sometimes coughs like a cat trying to cough up a hair ball. :nuts:
 
#2
I don't know if it's normal - maybe the vet on here will pop in. I do know that my parent's dog sort of developed an allergy to his saliva... or something like that.
 
#3
My Chi does it. She is a cat in a dogs body, I swear. She will lick her paws and rub them on her head to clean herself just like a cat does. Shes a weirdo.

My Shih-Tzu mix doesnt do it though, she will clean her privates, but thats about it. And of course, as soon as she's done doing that...she HAS to lick me!
 
#4
You might want to talk to your vet about it. Sometimes when dogs regularly lick themselves (like their paws) it might be a sign of something going awry.

It could be some skin irritation or he/she might actually have something in there that they're trying to get out.
 
#5
shy*violet said:
You might want to talk to your vet about it. Sometimes when dogs regularly lick themselves (like their paws) it might be a sign of something going awry.

It could be some skin irritation or he/she might actually have something in there that they're trying to get out.
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I agree. One of my dogs used to lick her paws constantly and it turned out to be an allergy.
 
#6
Oh wow! It never came pass my mind about an allergy. i'll look into that.

I have a video of my old cat licking him clean somewhere.

Perhaps if I find it I'll post it. hehe =)
 
#7
if it is licking it is fine but if it is EXCESSIVE licking in certain areas (paws, usually) and the licking becomes CHEWING..then you really need to consult a vet. Like others said, chewing is often a sign of allergy. Some dogs are allergic to grains and also chicken.
 
#8
My black lab has terrible allergies! She licks herself all the time, and sometimes she will have patches of hair fall out! I have to fuss at her sometimes because the licking is so annoying!!
 
#9
My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL

...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like "You're licking your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your tongue?!"
 
#10
i_wona said:
My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL

...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like "You're licking your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your tongue?!"
Click to expand...

:roflmfao:
 
#11
i_wona said:
My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL

...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like "You're licking your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your tongue?!"
Click to expand...


OMG...that is hilarious!!
 
#12
QueenOfDa702 said:
My Chi does it. She is a cat in a dogs body, I swear. She will lick her paws and rub them on her head to clean herself just like a cat does. Shes a weirdo.

My Shih-Tzu mix doesnt do it though, she will clean her privates, but thats about it. And of course, as soon as she's done doing that...she HAS to lick me!
Click to expand...

My chi does exactly the same. I got him with 4 years, so I thought maybe he grew up around a cat or something...

My iggy does it too, though not as much. I actually like this 'hygenic' behaviour :amuse:
 
#13
i think it depends on the type of dog. i have a husky and i know it is in their nature to be very clean- so he licks himself clean, and i've seen him lick other dogs' faces until they are clean.... he also loves to be dried down after a walk in the rain or if he has played in the mud.
 
#15
My aunts dog (a lhasa apso) would sometimes sleep over at our house and in my room. I've seen Simba lick herself but sometimes i would wake up in the night and hear her. It would freak me out because it sounded same as my cat thowing up! Sometiems the cat would sleep in the room too so i would turn on my lamp fast but would just see Simba awake. It sounded gross because i kept thinking of the cat! Even my cousin hates when she licks herself espcially her thumb claw because she gnaws on it to sharpen it! I was shocked to see the dog lick herself though because i only though cats did it!
 
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