When you bring a dog home, you know he likes to lick everything.
But then you see the dog licking the floor more than usual.
Now you become cautious.
Why does my dog lick the floor?
The dog can lick the floor to search for food. He can also lick to familiarize himself with the surroundings. Sometimes stress and anxiety is the reason behind licking. Neurological disorders can be a factor too. This phenomenon can also be a symptom of diseases like ulcers and ELS.
To get to the root of the problem, you must know everything about it. Stay with us and get to know the reasons and solutions for your query.
Why Does My Dog Lick the Floor?
Licking is a ubiquitous feature of dogs. Dogs might lick hands, faces, and all other things. They lick things for various causes.
Let’s see some reasons why your dog has this habit!
Reason 1: The presence of Food Particles
Dogs are fond of food. The thing they love as much as their owner is food. For this reason, dogs always search for food. And what is the best option for this other than licking?
If your floor has stains or smells of food, the dog will lick it. Even any slightest trace of liquid or solid consumable goods will attract dogs to lick it. Be aware. If your dog licks any surface, check it thoroughly for food.
Reason 2: New Environment
Dogs are cautious about their surroundings. They inspect everything to detect any suspicious threats. Dogs also familiarize themselves with the environment by taking notes in their mind.
They inspect the surroundings by licking. Thus they lick the floors. In that way, dogs can understand what is around them.
Dogs also lick air to get a complete idea. Don’t get panicked if your dog licks the floor in a new place.
Reason 3: Stress & Anxiety
One of the causes of floor licking is stress. Dogs can get stressed for several reasons.
To express this feeling, they can start to lick the floor. The expected behavior of licking gets excessive when the dog is under stress.
We can get our stress out in different ways. There are entertainment sources and sports for that. But dogs don’t have a lot of choices. That’s why they get out of their stress through weird behaviors like licking.
There are other symptoms of stress that you can look for. Loud crying, whining, and shedding fur are signs of stress in dogs.
Reason 4: Neurological Disorders
Dogs can have neurological problems just like humans. They can get disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This is also known as OCD. Does this name sound familiar?
OCD is often seen in humans. You might not know that this is not rare in dogs also. The symptoms are pretty the same as humans. Dogs start to repeat normal behaviors a lot when they have OCD.
Licking is a valuable feature of dogs. But due to OCD, the frequency of licking gets high. At that time, dogs started floors frequently and continued to do so.
Reason 5: Sickness
Last but not least, sickness can be a reason behind the licking problem of dogs. Licking is a symptom of diseases related to the gastrointestinal. Dogs often lick the floor after eating a meal when they have this problem.
A significant number of diseases fall under the gastrointestinal category. Your pet can have symptoms of canine ulcers, pancreatic infections, or liver problems. Infected teeth and intestinal parasites can also be the cause.
The licking habit that is seen due to gastrointestinal problems is known as ELS. It stands for Excessive Licking of Surfaces.
But don’t be tense due to this heavyweight name. This problem can be cured with proper treatment.
These all are potential reasons behind the floor-licking habit of dogs. Inspect propel and detect the exact cause. We have some advice to prevent your dog from licking the floor below.
How to Stop My Dog from Licking the Floor
It is not normal for a dog to constantly lick the floor. You have to take steps to stop him from doing that. Look at our advice below to prevent your dog from licking the floor.
Solution 1: Keep the Floor Clean
Keeping the floor clean is beneficial for both human and dog health. It has been observed that dogs lick floors more when the floor is dirty. If you have walking and eating habits, the floors will get messy with food.
Toddlers also spread food all over the floors. And dogs search for this food by licking. For that, you must keep the floors clean.
We have some suggestions for cleaners that you can use. Check them out now!
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These products clean the floors very well. The food marks and smells get away entirely after using them.
Solution 2: Observe the Licking Schedule
The next thing you have to do is find the licking schedule and system. Watch if they lick at a particular time or continuously. Also, check how they are licking the floor.
Usually, a dog suffering from ELS licks the floor at certain times. It would help if you found a routine in their licking. From this observation, you can find out the reason for licking.
Solution 3: Distract the Dog
Dogs have mental conditions like human babies. As we try to distract babies from any bad habits, the same can be done for dogs. You can distract him from licking the floor.
Take your dog to exercise, for instance. This will remove his boredom. You can also buy him toys. Toys will encourage him to play rather than lick the floor. When the dog licks the floor, tell him to abstain from him by giving commands.
Solution 4: Ensure Comfort for the Dog
This is an important thing you must do for your loving dog. Ensuring enough comfort is essential for the dogs. This also helps in preventing and solving many other issues for the dog.
Many times your dog sleeps on you. They do this because of their love for you. It would help if you spent time with your dog. This allows them to relax and get rid of stress. Give some treats and properly groom the dog.
Solution 5: Take the Dog to a Vet
The dog can be sick, or it can be his habit. It may be impossible for you to find the correct reason. To be sure, it is better to visit a vet. The vet can start treatment if needed.
Use these techniques to prevent your dog from licking the floor.
FAQs
Is it normal for dogs to lick the floor?
Yes, it is normal for dogs to lick the floor. Licking helps the dogs to know around them. The expected behavior of dogs dictates them to lick everything around them.
Why do older dogs lick the floor?
Older dogs lick the floor because of anxiety issues. Anxiety and stress increase with the age of dogs. To cope with this, they increase licking floors.
Why does my dog lick the floor when he is sick?
Dogs lick the floor when sick to become comfortable. According to many scientists, a dog does this to make more saliva in the mouth. This saliva helps in maintaining the acid-base balance.
