Dog Licking Furniture

My Havanese Bichon, male, 3 yrs old has been licking my bedspread, and chairs very heavily. I'm sure he has allergies as everybody in NJ does. Last year he licked his paws. He is not doing that this year. I give him Benadryl 2-3 times a week.

Any suggestions?

Editor Suggestions When a Dog Licks Furniture

Thank you for your question.

When a dog Licks different things, such as bedding, furniture, floors etc, it usually represents a behavioral problem. But in other cases, it can be related to any health condition, such as allergies, nutritional deficiencies (calcium, phosphorus, glucosamine etc).

In addition, in this case, it is possible that a antihistamine drug or anti allergy drug you are administering to your dog can be another reason.

Dipenhydramine (active ingredient in Benadryl) can cause hyper salivation and tachypenia (rapid breathing) which ends up causing stress and a dry mouth. This can result in behavioral problems such as a dog licking furniture.

Although allergy cannot be the exact reason for this behavior, administring Benadryl can be a reason for it. So, it is better to identify the exact allergen or cause of allergy. Benadryl or Dipenhydramine is an antihistaminic drug, which can only control symptoms of allergy but the exact cause cannot be treated by it. An allergen or the cause of a dog allergy should be removed to improve the health and behavioral status of your dog.

In addition to the specific management of a dog allergy, it is likely that this behavioral problem will persist even after controlling the exact problem. Therefore, you need to train your dog, by strict commands of "No!" and offering toys to play with. You should identify the color to which your dog is most attracted and select toys with similar colors to ease your training efforts.

In many cases of dog problems involving licking of furniture and bedding, joint supplements such as 21st Century Healthy Joints have been proven very effective. You should add some nutritional supplements containing glucosamine, magnesium and vitamin C to your dogs diet.