Why does my dog keep licking her paws?
Unrelenting paw licking persists even after veterinary visits, leaving owners searching for alternative solutions when standard treatments fail. This repetitive behavior disrupts daily routines and signals an underlying issue that remains unresolved despite professional care.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Taking the dog to the vet
- 2Keeping the puppy outside of striking distance
- 3Grabbing the paw gently and holding it without reaction for a few seconds
- 4Ignoring the dog completely and turning away to remove the reward of attention
- 5Rewarding alternative calm behaviors with praise and treats
- 6Using a cone
- 7Trying to tire the dog out before a nap
- 8Administering trazodone
- 9Using a variety of treats for distraction
- 10Going to the vet every morning for bandage replacement
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My golden retriever keeps licking his paws. I’ve taken him to the vet but nothing seems to work. Any recs?”source ↗
“She has a really bad habit of smacking people, whether it be their legs or their arms or whatever is closest. She’ll do this when she wants pet, when she wants you to look at her toy, or really any time that she’s happy.”source ↗
“We have our old folks over and because of their thin skin, she’s drawing blood.”source ↗
“She has broken my mother’s skin a couple times and nailed me in the eye once.”source ↗
“Absolutely losing my mind trying to keep my girl from tearing off her bandage”source ↗
“Even with trazodone, which seems to be making her more agitated than calm.”source ↗
“I'm so exhausted that I honestly wish I was dead, I need help and the vet has no answers.”source ↗