10 months old Rotti puppy licking himself

by Claudia
(Vancouver)

He just started not too long ago...almost like a new bad habit.

The worst part is, this is happening mostly at night, almost like he wants our attention.



Hi Claudia
Excessive licking can be a sign of dog allergies, as allergy-related itching is very uncomfortable and causing a lot of licking, scratching, (even biting). This is usually directed at the dogs feet/legs, tail area, or tummy.

Rottweilers are one of the breeds that do tend to suffer from allergies and skin conditions. As this is a fairly new behavior, try to think about whether you've done anything differently lately - such as changed his dog food, used a new shampoo on him, had the carpets shampooed or are using a carpet deodorizer, washed his bedding and so on. Dogs can react to allergens in food, cleaning products, shampoos, detergents and so on.

Also, fleas are a common cause of allergies, and even topical flea preventatives can sometimes cause a reaction.

It's likely that your pup licks more at night as he has less to occupy his mind, and so the itching or irritation seems worse. It is also possible that this is a 'nervous' behavior or one that has the potential to be obsessive-compulsive, but I would personally think this is unlikely. Rotties aren't generally anxious or 'highly-strung' dogs, and if this was the case you would likely notice other temperamental type behaviors such as excessive anxiety, barking, separation anxiety and so on.

Finding the allergy 'trigger' is important, and if you aren't able to isolate the problem your vet should be able to help. There are also lots of products that can help with the itching and discomfort (and so reduce the licking), check out my Canine Skin Allergies page for more on these.

Hope this helps and that your pup is more comfortable soon. Best of luck with your pup.