There is only one creature in the world, which cares for its master more than its own life. That is a dog. When it comes to height, dogs are one-third of the human height. But, that doesn’t stop them from protecting your house and caring for the kids. Dogs are loyal, and they try to repay the persons who help them in every possible way. A courageous and affectionate house dog loves to take part in household chores. Most dogs are gentle and playful. If you are about to welcome a dog in your house, you better be prepared to take it out for morning walks and play with it regularly.

There are thousands of purebred and hybrid dogs walking on the Earth. Most of the purebred dogs are listed on the American Kennel Club website. The designer dogs carry the traits of both their parents in their blood. More or less, dogs show some common traits like licking their paws; they feel jealous when you welcome another pet, they wait for you to come back home, etc. Do you wonder about the reasons behind dogs licking their paws so much? Keep reading to know about the probable causes and their respective treatments.

  • Pain and injuries

If it is because of any pain, your dog will lick only one particular paw all the time. Sometimes dogs suffer from broken nails, and it keeps the paw area sore for multiple weeks. Other than this, a bite of an insect can also cause pain in the paws. To comfort themselves, dogs lick their paws more often. Sometimes, prior injury also makes the area sensitive, making dogs lick that paw repeatedly.

  • Allergies

Dogs and other animals go outside barefoot. As a result, their paws are exposed to bacteria, germs, dust, etc. These can cause severe allergies resulting in itchiness. Sometimes, house dogs develop allergies from floor cleaners also. All these make the dog lick its paws over and over again. In rare cases, the cause of the allergy can be food. Please change the food brand before eliminating the chance of food allergy.

  • Boredom

Dogs often lick their paws due to boredom and frustration. Long term separation from their favorite person either drives them to go for heavy chewing or licking their paws incessantly. You can engage your dog with new toys while it is left alone. If possible, try to keep your dog close to you while you are outside

  • Dry skin

Dogs often suffer from dry skin. As we all know, dry skin gives birth to itchiness, irritation, and redness. Dog experts usually say that dry skin is a direct result of an unusual bathing habit. Use of soap and shampoo, which have improper PH levels, often cause such kind of dry skin. To relieve itself from itchiness, your innocent dog licks its paws.

  • Weather Change

If you observe carefully, you will see that your dog licks its paws more during the dry season. Winter sucks the moisture from the skin of your canine friend and results in a stiff paw. If you want to help your dog with its paw problems, please apply some dog-specific oils on its paws. Be careful; it can be a little ticklish for your dog.

  • Hormonal problems

Just like humans, with ages, dogs also go through several hormonal fluctuations throughout their life. Those who suffer from hypothyroidism often develop various skin issues. Paw problem is one of them.

  • Anxiety

Dogs also suffer from anxiety due to several minor reasons. If your dog is hypersensitive, it may lick its paw more often. Licking and self-grooming are considered as a stress-releasing activity among animals. Maybe your dog licks its paws to deal with its mental problems and keep itself clean.

These are the major reasons behind paw licking. If you try to resolve all these above issues and still see your dog biting or licking its paws, it’s time to take it to a vet. The vet will perform multiple tests on your dog and will prescribe some medications to take from time to time. You can also order a pair of dog boots if you want. This way, you can keep your dog’s paws safe from dust and other street allergies. So, in a nutshell, monitor your dog for a few days to figure out the cause of its licking paws so much. After that, try all the above steps one by one and see if that works. Otherwise, you know what to do.