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by Miss Jane Volume One, Issue One |
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Dear Miss Jane,
I have a 2 1/2 year old westie named
Chloe. She is a beautiful dog who is quite active. She doesn't slow down for
much of anything. She has developed this habit of licking the floor and carpet
which I can't seem to break her from. I've tried just about everything. Can you
offer any suggestions?
~ Debbie Churchill
Hi Debbie,
Licking items such as furniture and surfaces occur for two reasons, one being boredom, the other as a calming signal. Let's go on the assumption that it's boredom, which I suspect, since she is so young and probably not stressed.
I would recommend purchasing an interactive toy designed for dogs such as the Buster Cube. These types of toys are especially good for stimulating the bored dog. A Buster Cube (or the like) is a large cube toy with a hole on one end where you drop bits of hard food like kibble. You shake it up so that the food rolls into the chambers, then roll it across the floor and let the dog figure out how to get the goody out.
Another great toy is the Kong toy. A hard, rubber beehive-shaped toy which also has a hole in one end ... you do the same thing ... except it doesn't have to be hard food, you can load it up with cream cheese, squeeze cheese, peanut butter, anything like that, and let the dog lick to her hearts content.
The Buster Cube costs about $16, the Kong is around $6.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
~ Jane
Copyright ©
2001 Jane Fink and
Westie
World.
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