Help me outsmart my dog!

[Aklina]

Ok so here's the deal. I have a black lab/shepherd mix who is scared of strangers and new things. And he has what the vet called a nervous licking habit. He's had it for about a year now, since our last vacation. When we came back his paw was so swollen we thought he got something in lodged in there, because he licked the area raw. and it was red and nasty (sorry no picks). So we took him to a cheep animal hospital, not wanting to pay extra if it was something simple that we just didn't see, but they said we needed to take him to a vet for an x-ray. A couple days later we took him to the vet (it was their soonest open spot, as it was the weekend and he wasn't an energinsy.) We got to the vet and he examined the paw and looked in one of the books to explain it was a nervous licking and that Midnight did it to himself. The vet gave us some cream to put on his paw to help it heal and told up to wrap it with a sock ow something to keep Midnight from licking it. We got a gauze that taste nasty to try and detour Midnight from licking. That worked for about a week, before Midnight found if he kept licking he'd get the gauze off.

Next, I hot a cone and put it on instead of the gauze since we were only trying to stop the licking. About a week to two weeks later he found he could rub ageist stuff to pop the cone open. I got the plastic bolts and nuts so he couldn't do that anymore. it took him no more than 2 1/2 weeks before he got flexible/smart enough to find a way to bend, lift the leg and lick the spot. So I put the gauze and Yuck spray on again but he still licked, causing the gauze to clump in one spot and cutting off the blood flow. so that didn't work either.

For now it's just open, I'm letting him think he's won so he'll let his grad down again, and I have time to think up another idea. I leave for another vacation in 2 weeks, so I need to find a way to prevent him licking in that time that will be safe for him as I'm the only one who can get close to that leg to treat it. I have no dissension of staying home with him to watch him, and I can't take him with me to watch him. Any ideas? Trust me, almost every idea will be considered at this point. Oh and did I mention I have taught this dog to think, I never thought he'd use it agents me! But he was already a smart dog, a pleasure for training.

That's him, (almost) 5 year old Midnight. This was taken during the winter, it's the best one I have, the leg/paw closest to the camera is the problem paw. where the snow stuck to the leg is where the problem area is. I'll try to get better pictures soon 'cause I know it can help in assessing how to deal with the problem.

[alternateid]

I'm sure you tried already if they are available, but are there boots for dogs? I'd think you could find medical boots for dogs and that might help with his habit. Also if you can watch him closely enough perhaps you can condition him. If he tries to lick his paw make a loud disturbing noise or some negative stimuli and after a little time he will link licking and that noise together. After that he probably won't do that again.

[Aklina]

alternateid

I'm sure you tried already if they are available, but are there boots for dogs? I'd think you could find medical boots for dogs and that might help with his habit. Also if you can watch him closely enough perhaps you can condition him. If he tries to lick his paw make a loud disturbing noise or some negative stimuli and after a little time he will link licking and that noise together. After that he probably won't do that again.

In my area there's only rain boots and snow boots, and they wouldn't cover the entire area. I've also tried the 2nd one, I pocked his noes when he licked, didn't work lol but it was fun.

[Krissim Klaw]

Considering his desire to lick has not diminished at all in such a length of time, I would say it isn't about outsmarting him at this point. You need to deal with the underlying issues that is causing him to lick and that is his stress. While there are things you can do to help build his confidence I would also recontact your vet and mention the licking has not decreased. It may be he needs some anxiety medication to help take the edge off his fears so he can break out of the cycle of the habit and his body can relax enough you can begin working on dealing with the underlying stress.

[Aklina]

Krissim Klaw

Considering his desire to lick has not diminished at all in such a length of time, I would say it isn't about outsmarting him at this point. You need to deal with the underlying issues that is causing him to lick and that is his stress. While there are things you can do to help build his confidence I would also recontact your vet and mention the licking has not decreased. It may be he needs some anxiety medication to help take the edge off his fears so he can break out of the cycle of the habit and his body can relax enough you can begin working on dealing with the underlying stress.

I don't know what triggered it, because we left on vacation, and some friends he knows very well watched him and the other animals. That wasn't our first vacation since getting him, and everything was the same as always when we leave, except we had cats. But the cats weren't even with him, they were in the rest of the house. And their feeding times has always varied a little bit, so that shouldn't have been a problem. So we didn't even know what started it. And when we got home I resumed his normal exercise and stuff. But I'll contact the vet that diagnosed him, but he can't be on medicine while we're gone because the pet sitters just leave the food out as the dogs don't get close while the people are there, so the wrong dog might take it. and separating them for meal time is impossible because like I sad, I'm the only one who can get close to him...

[Krissim Klaw]

Aklina

I don't know what triggered it, because we left on vacation, and some friends he knows very well watched him and the other animals. That wasn't our first vacation since getting him, and everything was the same as always when we leave, except we had cats. But the cats weren't even with him, they were in the rest of the house. And their feeding times has always varied a little bit, so that shouldn't have been a problem. So we didn't even know what started it. And when we got home I resumed his normal exercise and stuff. But I'll contact the vet that diagnosed him, but he can't be on medicine while we're gone because the pet sitters just leave the food out as the dogs don't get close while the people are there, so the wrong dog might take it. and separating them for meal time is impossible because like I sad, I'm the only one who can get close to him...

Paw licking can also be a sign of allergies but usually they don't keep to one paw. There is a chance if you haven't been able to keep him off it enough he could have an infection going on. Once again, this is something you would need a vet to be able to see him and access. I would be really worried about leaving him unsupervised for two weeks. In his current state you are very likely to come home to a severely self injured dog.

[Aklina]

Krissim Klaw

Aklina

I don't know what triggered it, because we left on vacation, and some friends he knows very well watched him and the other animals. That wasn't our first vacation since getting him, and everything was the same as always when we leave, except we had cats. But the cats weren't even with him, they were in the rest of the house. And their feeding times has always varied a little bit, so that shouldn't have been a problem. So we didn't even know what started it. And when we got home I resumed his normal exercise and stuff. But I'll contact the vet that diagnosed him, but he can't be on medicine while we're gone because the pet sitters just leave the food out as the dogs don't get close while the people are there, so the wrong dog might take it. and separating them for meal time is impossible because like I sad, I'm the only one who can get close to him...

Paw licking can also be a sign of allergies but usually they don't keep to one paw. There is a chance if you haven't been able to keep him off it enough he could have an infection going on. Once again, this is something you would need a vet to be able to see him and access. I would be really worried about leaving him unsupervised for two weeks. In his current state you are very likely to come home to a severely self injured dog.

It's only a weekend, and even if it weren't we've only been gone for a week tops. His paw has healed, I've been putting Vitamin E, and witch hazel on to help it heal and to calm him, that has been working for the healing so far. My only problem is getting him to not lick the stuff off. I also bath him monthly with oatmeal shampoo for dogs. He still licks at is, but it's somehow manged to heal pretty nicely. I just don't want to come back and his licking being in full force again. I would wrap that leg but I'd be afraid that he'd lick/push it to clump in one spot and cut of circulation in that paw, he's done it a lot of times already with me around, and with me being gone he wouldn't let anyone near enough to cut it off. and a cone would be fine except he's fingered out a way around it, somehow, so it wouldn't do anything but get him caught on stuff.

[Aerobe]

Have you tried a cortisone shot?
The cortisone will get him to stop licking for a weeks. That may help to deter him. Or you could talk to your vet about anxiety meds and see if those help too.

My pup battles staph infections. And his current one has been bad. Over a good chunk of his body. We opted for a cortisone shot to stop him from licking/scratching the pustules so they could heal and it's been amazing. Only time he licks is to clean himself. Not one lick or scratch on the pustules in a week.

There are a few different cortisone shots.
The long lasting one will last about 8-12 weeks.
Downside to this one is it suppresses the immune system a bit. So you'll have to make sure he doesn't have an infection on his paw from all the licking.

[Aklina]

Aerobe

Have you tried a cortisone shot?
The cortisone will get him to stop licking for a weeks. That may help to deter him. Or you could talk to your vet about anxiety meds and see if those help too.

My pup battles staph infections. And his current one has been bad. Over a good chunk of his body. We opted for a cortisone shot to stop him from licking/scratching the pustules so they could heal and it's been amazing. Only time he licks is to clean himself. Not one lick or scratch on the pustules in a week.

There are a few different cortisone shots.
The long lasting one will last about 8-12 weeks.
Downside to this one is it suppresses the immune system a bit. So you'll have to make sure he doesn't have an infection on his paw from all the licking.

I don't think the shot would be a good idea then, Midnight is very sensitive and seems to get sick easily for some reason, he also seems to be prone to getting hurt. We have taken him in equivalent to once a year I've had him, just for an injury or suspected injury! His brother has never had a problem., that we needed to take him in for. But the pills might be an option for when I'm around and can separate them for eating times.