Do I have a problem?

Lady La La

Lady La La

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B sucks her bed, she never used to do it that much so I didn't let it worry me, but she's starting to get ever so obsessive with it now.
She clearly enjoys it, and I've been told its like a comforting thing for her, and a form of stress relief.
I know I can put her off from doing it, until she stops, but as yet I haven't because I'm not sure that I should if she's enjoying it? Why is she stressed?

She does it all the time now, for hours at a time. Since she's been doing it more and more she's stopped licking and biting at her feet altogether. She's being treated with steroids which may explain that, but its almost like shes replaced itching with sucking?

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/dotcottonsboobie/12a6f0aa.mp4
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/dotcottonsboobie/29aa630e.mp4
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/dotcottonsboobie/827255a0.mp4

Do you think this is something I should nip in the bud, or should I allow her to do what she clearly enjoys?
 
I cant see your videos but from what youve described and you say its becoming obsessive I would give her a bone or a frozen kong. My fear would be that she would start chewing on her bed and then start eating her bed which would mean a trip to the vet.

A friend of mine had a similar thing with her working Springer and he required 2 operations to remove bedding from his bowel and intestine. Her dog now sleeps on lots of newspapers in his bed to try and break the cycle.
 
Ok thanks for that DG
Annoying you can't see the videos though, I don't know how else to upload them.

So do you think rather than tell her off for it I ought to distract her with something else she likes?
 
I would distract her if possible and as I said give her a frozen kong etc to try and break the cycle. I wouldnt be telling her off though even though I know you wouldnt overdo it, it reminds me of someone who had a bitch that would continually masturbate which is another undesirable behaviour and they managed to control it to a certain degree with distractions.
 
Agree with DG, you be the person to give her something to do and something to occupy herself with rather than letting her self-comfort by chewing herself or any other object. Don't tell her off, just give a negative like an 'ah-ah' and divert her.

Some dogs are just stressy, can come from anywhere from experience to genetics, dogs do not feel stress/pressure the way we feel stress and obviously they deal with it differently too.
 
Could you see the videos CC?
I will try and distract her with a kong then, when she starts doing it.
I dont know if I'm being paranoid or if this started getting worse when I started putting them in the kennel during the daytime.
 
Can't see but I get the idea, it's not uncommon.
It's probably a diversion from her previous behaviour because that is being suppressed.
Does she have any other stressy behaviours?
 
I can see the vids:p

My friends deceased Vizzy used to mouth his favorite rabbit toy like that. It didn't escalate any further with him.
 
Awww looks to me just like a comfort thing- just like a kid with a dummy, love the fact she nearly falls asleep doing it- personally if it were me and it bothered me I would do the distraction thing- maybe even remove the bed? If it did not bother me i would let her have her dummy....
 
CaveCanem said:
Does she have any other stressy behaviours?
Click to expand...

Not that I have ever noticed, assuming the licking and biting of her feet is an allergy thing. It just seems weird that that has stopped now that she's fallen in love with her bed.

lexiedhb said:
Awww looks to me just like a comfort thing- just like a kid with a dummy, love the fact she nearly falls asleep doing it- personally if it were me and it bothered me I would do the distraction thing- maybe even remove the bed? If it did not bother me i would let her have her dummy....
Click to expand...

It doesn't bother me at all, that's why I questioned if I should be allowing it if it keeps her happy. I don't want her to cause herself any injury though. :(
 
Cant see she would really hurt herself- does not seem to be gulping in air or anything like that. Just "nom nom nom nom my bed"
 
my old great dane used to do that but just at bed time when she was in her crate. She'd then fall asleep with the bed in her mouth. I assumed it was a comfort thing and she had maybe been removed from her mum too early but I got her at 16 weeks from the lady who bought her as a pup so I can't say for certain that was the case.
It didn't seem like a bad habit to me so I always left her be.
 
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