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Why does my dog lick the carpet so much? It makes no sense.
Are your kids eating while watching TV?
What does that have to do with it?
Imagine all the spilled milk, bread crumbs and beef jerky bits left behind. And the carpet
has absorbed all of it.
I don’t think that’s the cause. The kids use him as a pre-dishwasher, putting plates
down for him to lick clean so they don’t have to scrub them so hard later.
Puppies taken from a mother too soon could start licking other things later on. That
is because it simulates nursing the mother.
Licking the carpet is a dog equivalent to sucking its thumb.
Or chewing on its nails, sure. Especially if the dog is licking a rough surface.
Could it just be boredom?
Dogs sniff more than they lick, but licking could be because the dog is bored. Does it
have lots of toys and entertainment?
Do my kids count?
But are they playing with the dog? One solution could be taking the dog for long walks to
burn off energy and get stimulation, instead of lying by kids sitting in front of the TV.
Isn’t the TV stimulation for a pet?
It isn’t even much of a stimulation for people. Try getting the dog out and about
and see if the licking stops.
What if the dog is crazy?
I don’t think dogs could be crazy.
I heard they could have OCD.
Which is a manifestation of loneliness, boredom or both. Playing with the dog is a solution
to both.
I don’t want to have to entertain a pet in addition to the kids.
Get them to play with each other. If the kids go outside, send the pet out, too.
Or let the kids take him for walks after school instead of using a dog walking service.
Depends on how well they scoop the poop and how much the fine is if they don’t.
There’s always the back yard.
Or just turning off the TV so the dog is their next favorite toy. He was a Christmas present,
wasn’t he?