Any animal behaviourists out there?? (Licking...)

[Stoxx]

Hi,

I rehomed a little patterdale terrier from Battersea dogs home in April, we think he was about a year old. He's a lovely (if not a little mad) dog and to begin with had a few issues with anxiety when anyone left the house (even if there was still someone there). He is much better now as he's in a proper routine and therefore pretty much knows what we do and when. The one thing he does do a lot is lick. If you go upstairs and come back down again he has to lick you for about 10 mins and if you don't let him he jumps up repeatedly like a jack-in-a-box!! And in actual fact it's not just when you leave him and come back, he just seems to like doing it. For instance he's sitting here with me now doing it!
I thought this was perhaps an issue with insecurity so i was hoping that as he has got used to us and living here that it might have reduced, but it hasn't.
I would be interested to get an animal behaviourist/ trainer in to see what they have to say but so far haven't been recommended anyone good and don't want to waste my time with some namby pamby that knows just about as much as me!!
So I wondered if you guys had any ideas?!
Thanks!

 

[spaniel]

Sounds like he sees you as the head of the pack and he is exhibiting the same behaviour as a subservaint dog would to the returning pack leader. Its perhaps got a bit out of control but I personally wouldnt be too worried about it.

Next time theres a wildlife prog on about wild dogs or wolves check out how the pack greet each other, its the same thing.

Your dog is saying 'hello, you are the boss, did you bring us any kill'.

 

[Faithkat]

Sounds as though he's still insecure. It can take a very long time to resolve and may never do so. I acquired (long story) a Cavalier who had been abandoned in the New Forest. I think he had been dumped from a car as we had terrible trouble getting him into a car and once in, we couldn't get him out without actually picking him up. I took him shopping with me one day and tied him up outside the shop and we went berserk when I left him. It took a very long time to rehabilitate him. I also had a Cavalier bitch from a local rescue. She's been kept in a shed, bred from every season, was covered in lice, nails grown round into her feet etc etc. She was terrified of people and it took 18 months before she would come anywhere near me. She loved my other Cavaliers but people were a no-no. I think she'd also been tied up all the time with something leather as she had a total fetish about chewing leather straps (she ruined two sets of reins and a couple of dog leads before I was quick enough to hang them out of reach!) - rope was fine, it was just leather. She did eventually lose her fear of people but it took a couple of years. I think you'll just have to live with it until he realises you aren't going to leave him. He's also still pretty young and may well grow out of it too.

 

[Stoxx]

Thanks Spaniel, this did cross my mind especially when he did it to begin with.... it doesn't actually bother me it's just that other people don't seem to appreciate it!!
And forester, he also isn't keen on cars. I can't leave him in the car on his own because he gets in a state and tries to get through the dog guard into the front of the car.
So maybe I'm thinking it's a combination of the two. He hated it in Battersea and is obviously much happier now, so maybe he sees us as the 'pack leaders' who took him away from there and because he is insecure he keeps wanting to remind us that he appreciates what we do??? I'm probably going far too into it.....

 

[spaniel]

It does seem like he is insecure, I suspect time and maintaining his routine will do the trick.

He sounds lucky to have found you.

 

[JACQSZOO]

I have a rescue collie x that is exactly the same. I had her as a four month old pup and she is now 10 and she still does it. She will tolerate being left without destroying the house now (that took about a year) but when you leave she goes nuts and when you return she goes ballistic. When out walking if I pop into a shop and leave her with my hubby on my return she will go nuts, she will strain at the lead to try and get to me. If I leave her in the car, even within sight of me she goes mental, whining, scratching and generally causing mayhem till I go to her. She licks constantly if allowed.
You would have thought she would have grown out of it by now - she's a lot better than she used to be but she is still very insecure.

 

[Stoxx]

Thanks for your replies, it's really interesting to hear other people's stories that have rehomed dogs. I do think it must have a huge impact on their lives to be so unsettled at a young age. As for the things that some of these dogs have gone through ie. foresters cavalier bitch... it just doesn't bear thinking about.
Someone from this forum has recommended me a behaviourist that they use so I'm going to give her a go and see if there's anything else I can be doing to help him.