Question by Meredith24: 4 mo. old lab/collie mix constantly chewing/licking self – allergies? Bug bites? Also, chew proof dog beds?
I have a 4 month old lab/collie mix puppy. He has been licking and chewing on his skin (and paws) constantly (he has to stop in the middle of walking/playing often). I switched his food from Puppy Chow to ProPac two weeks ago (I was told that the ProPac was much better, corn is not the #1 ingredient), and also bathed him with a soothing shampoo. It has only gotten worse, if anything. We have lots of mosquitos in the area, but it seems doubtful they could penetrate his fur, or can they? Pretty sure his fleas are all gone (Frontline). Could he be allergic to the fabric softener on his dog bedding? I am at a loss, I feel bad for him! Also, he licks the area where he was neutered often. What does that mean? One more thing: he has chewed every dog bedding we put in his crate: beds, sheets, towels… Can anyone recommend a bed that is chewproof but cheaper than Orvis ToughChew? Thanks everyone!

Best answer:

Answer by Lost
i heard of this before on animal planet, it’s not fleas, or mosquitoes, it was something different, ask your vet about it.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by tarra: Rescue dog self harms?
I got a GSD at 10 months old, now 17 months. She had been abused and abandoned many times in her first 9 months of life. Never been outside on a lead, had many fears, a big one that still remains is of men. Obviously her abusers were male. I have made progress with my dog, sadly, she has anxiety separation, I have been told by others to put her downstairs to sleep instead of allowing her to sleep in my room on the floor in her bed.

I worry that doing this will reinforce to her what all others have done to her abandon her. My dog came to me with a habit of biting and scratching herself, this was triggered off by a medical cause (yeast infection, she also has an allergy to dust/mites. I regularly bath my dog in Malsaba shampoo to keep the yeast down.

My dog scratches herself and bites at her herself when she thinks no one is looking. She doesn’t do it all the time but life is stressful with her doing this. I believe that my dog harms herself when she bored, anxious or lonely.

I have to distract my dog every day from going to bite herself. I have made progress, however she waits until she is alone. I don’t see how putting her downstairs to sleep, shut in a room would solve this long term problem. She doesn’t have fleas or ticks or mites.

Any ideas on how I can help my rescue dog would be gratefully appreciated. Also how I can help to build up my dogs confidence as she is still a timid dog after her 9 months of being battered and abandoned.
I am attending dog training with my GSD, the dog trainner told everyone their dogs should sleep downstairs. A behaviourist I spoke to on the phone told me to treat her anxiety seperation by having her sleep downstairs alone. It’s great to know others agree with me that putting my dog downstairs to sleep, forcing seperation on to her would make her even more anxious and reinforce the problem. I leave the bedroom door wide open. My GSD spends her nights with an Elizabeth collar on, with velcro shoes on, to prevent her from marking her skin by scratching and biting. The downside is my dog is very bendy and can reach to bite her hips. I have had my dog on a raw diet, it made her vomit and she lost too much weight, so I now have her on Bozita canned meat that is cereal and grain free and hypoallergenic kibble. I give her bio yoguart, the yeast is under control, her need to scratch her skin and bite herself is psychological and caused by her past.

Best answer:

Answer by keezy
Giving the DOg a job and training her for it such as doing agility with your dog will hope build her confidence

What do you think? Answer below!

I have a 4 month old lab/collie mix puppy. He has been licking and chewing on his skin (and paws) constantly (he has to stop in the middle of walking/playing often). I switched his food from Puppy Chow to ProPac two weeks ago (I was told that the ProPac was much better, corn is not the #1 ingredient), and also bathed him with a soothing shampoo. It has only gotten worse, if anything. We have lots of mosquitos in the area, but it seems doubtful they could penetrate his fur, or can they? Pretty sure his fleas are all gone (Frontline). Could he be allergic to the fabric softener on his dog bedding? I am at a loss, I feel bad for him! Also, he licks the area where he was neutered often. What does that mean? One more thing: he has chewed every dog bedding we put in his crate: beds, sheets, towels… Can anyone recommend a bed that is chewproof but cheaper than Orvis ToughChew? Thanks everyone!