My dog is constantly licking, chewing, biting on herself and pulling her fur out. Any suggestions?
signed,
Baldy's Owner

Dear B's O:

The first thing to do is visit your veterinarian. This behavior might be caused by a health condition that needs medical attention. Pain and discomfort from more serious problems, as well as from minor skin conditions and flea bites, can cause a pet to chew on herself. Please do NOT try to diagnose the problem yourself. See your vet.

Usually when the ailment troubling your pet goes away, so does the self-chewing behavior. Sometimes, however, the behavior continues as a habit even though the health problem is long gone. One trick is to give your dog something especially yummy to chew on beside herself. Personally, I smear a little peanut butter inside a Kong toy, just out of reach and my dogs will spend hours trying to lick it out. If the dog is trying to get peanut butter out of a kong toy, it cannot at the same time be chewing herself bald.

Many pets have excess or nervous energy and nowhere to vent the stress, so they develop a habit or pastime of licking and chewing themselves. Other pets actually learn this behavior because their owners make such a fuss over them whenever they indulge in such activities. For example: "Oh Rover, you poor, poor thing, what's wrong with your little paws? Are they itchy or sore? Oh you poor baby." Pat, pat, stroke, stroke, etc. It doesn't take long for Rover to realize this is a quick and easy way to gain instant attention and affection.

The key to stopping this habit is 1) redirecting your dog's energy, 2) distraction and 3) not rewarding the behavior.

First, be sure to provide your dog with plenty of opportunity to run, play, exercise and train. This will vent any pent up energy and relieve stress. A well-exercised, trained and happy dog will not likely have to relieve tension or entertain herself by self mutilation.

Secondly, whenever your dog begins to lick or chew herself, try making a very short, sharp, loud sound, just enough to startle her into stopping and looking around to see what happened. Try not to let her know that you caused the noise. After she has stopped for several seconds, call her over to play a game, do some training or give her a massage or special toy. Reward her for other behavior rather than inadvertently rewarding her for chewing herself.