Category: Lick Mat

When living with a dog, you might observe them licking the floor of your home. If this behavior is temporary, it may not be a major concern. However, if the licking becomes a frequent habit, there could be various health risks involved.

In this article, we will explain why dogs lick the floor, what potential dangers it may pose, and effective measures to discourage this behavior.

Reasons Why Dogs Lick the Floor

Dogs licking the floor can be unhygienic and pose risks of illness or infection, and it can also dirty the floor itself, so it’s important to address this behavior as soon as possible.

However, without understanding why the dog is licking the floor in the first place, it is difficult to implement effective measures.

Here are some of the main psychological reasons and causes for why dogs lick the floor:

• Wants attention or playtime from the owner
• Feeling stressed or anxious
• Feeling bored
• Hormonal imbalances
• Digestive issues

If the behavior is simply due to loneliness or boredom, creating more playtime with the owner may reduce or eliminate the floor-licking behavior.You can also use a Lick Mat to address their concerns, as the licking action can help alleviate their anxiety or boredom

However, if the behavior persists despite having regular meals and sufficient playtime, it may indicate underlying issues such as hormonal imbalances or digestive problems.

Health Risks of Dogs Licking the Floor

For hardwood floors, some might think, “Is it really a problem if the dog licks them?” While it is true that hardwood is the base material, the surface is treated with waxes or coatings to make it smooth.

Repeated licking of the floor can gradually wear away these waxes or coatings, which may then be ingested by the dog, potentially causing symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Additionally, floors often harbor various bacteria and viruses. When these pathogens enter the dog’s system, they can pose a risk of infections.

How to Train a Dog to Stop Licking the Floor?

Licking the floor is not a desirable behavior in dogs, so it’s important to use proper training to stop it. However, scolding too harshly or using violence can create fear and have the opposite effect.

Additionally, if you scold the dog immediately after it licks the floor, it might think that licking gets attention or playtime, potentially making the behavior worse.

Instead, when the dog licks the floor, it’s effective to ignore the behavior until it stops, and then clean or deodorize the area once the dog is calm. If the dog continues to lick the floor despite being near you, moving to another room or going outside might be beneficial.

The key to effective training is to teach the dog that licking the floor will not get attention or result in a positive outcome, and that the behavior will lead to the owner leaving. This way, the dog can learn to stop the behavior on its own.

How to Prevent Your Dog from Licking the Floor？

Even with training, it is unlikely that a dog will stop licking the floor perfectly within just one or two days.

So, what measures should be taken to ensure the dog’s safety during this period?

1、Floor cleaning

First and foremost, it’s important to keep the floor clean to ensure it is safe for your dog to lick. Remove large debris and dust from the floor, then vacuum it. After vacuuming, mop the floor with a damp cloth.

Since many floor cleaners contain chemicals that could be harmful to dogs, using just water for mopping is ideal.

2、Play together

Make sure to spend as much time playing with your dog as possible to prevent stress and loneliness. The more time the dog spends with you, the lower the risk of it engaging in behaviors like licking the floor.You can also use the GOGO Lick Mat, which is designed based on the concept of “licking” to engage and soothe your dog.

3、Use Deodorizing Spray

If your dog focuses on licking a specific area of the floor, it may be due to food spills or urine being present in that spot.

Since dogs are sensitive to even faint odors, if they persistently lick an area, use a deodorizing spray to eliminate the smell.

However, as mentioned earlier, spraying while the dog is licking can cause them to associate the behavior with attention from the owner, which might have the opposite effect.

Therefore, it’s important to apply the spray after the dog has stopped licking the area.

Additionally, choose a pet-safe deodorizing spray, as regular sprays may contain harmful substances for dogs.

4、Visit the Veterinarian

Even with persistent training, there may be times when a dog continues to lick the floor despite your efforts.

If deodorizing and increasing playtime with the dog do not improve the situation, it may indicate an underlying issue.

In such cases, it is important to visit a veterinary clinic as soon as possible.

Summary

When a dog licks the floor, there can be various underlying causes, so it’s important to address the behavior with persistent training.

If improvement is not observed, it is advisable to visit a veterinary clinic to check for any potential health issues.

Since neglecting this behavior could lead to health problems, it is also crucial to consider other measures, such as changing the location of the dog’s cage or altering the type of flooring.

Dogs can exhibit problematic behaviors such as barking, biting, mischief, and damaging objects for various reasons. These issues can often be managed through effective training and a thorough analysis of the situation.

We provide solutions for improving problematic dog behaviors, drawing on our unique insights as pet-friendly housing experts.

Incorrect methods of reprimanding

When training a dog to stop problematic behaviors, it’s crucial to build a mutual trust before taking corrective actions such as reprimanding. By expressing your intentions through reprimands, you can communicate what behaviors are unacceptable.

However, it’s important to use the correct methods when reprimanding a dog. Incorrect reprimands may not effectively communicate your message and could even exacerbate the problematic behavior.

Yelling and hitting

Shouting at your dog or hitting them is counterproductive. Loud noises can make your dog more excited and increase their barking. Similarly, hitting instills fear without addressing the underlying issue, potentially causing your dog to become more anxious or aggressive.

Ignoring the Dog’s Face

Scolding your dog without making eye contact, such as by hitting their rear, fails to convey your displeasure effectively. The dog cannot see your facial expressions or understand the context of your reprimand.

Throwing Objects

Throwing objects at your dog also induces fear rather than teaching them what they did wrong. This method is ineffective because it creates a fear response rather than solving the problem.

Ignoring or Isolating

Ignoring your dog or putting them outside as punishment does not help them understand why their behavior was wrong. They may not connect their actions with the punishment, so it doesn’t address the behavior issue.

Offering Food

Distracting a barking dog with food can backfire. Intelligent dogs might learn that barking results in treats, which could lead to more barking. Excessive use of treats can also lead to food-focused behavior and difficulty in controlling their weight.

How to Discipline with Affection

The key to effective discipline is to correct your dog immediately when they misbehave and to praise them as soon as the behavior stops.

“Good disciplinarians are also good at praising,” so it’s best to combine discipline with positive reinforcement. Ensure that discipline only occurs at the moment the undesirable behavior happens.

When disciplining, avoid calling your dog’s name; instead, use their name during praise. This helps your dog associate their name with positive feelings.

To reinforce this approach, focus on short, intensive practice sessions. Involve family and friends to help you master this method of discipline.

How to address problem behaviors

Nipping

For dogs living in human society, the act of “biting” is unnecessary in daily life. Dogs typically start nipping at around 2-3 months of age, so it’s important to stop this behavior early on.

When a dog opens its mouth to nip, press its jaw down with your hand, and scold it with a stern face and voice. This helps the dog understand that biting is not acceptable to the owner.

After scolding and once the dog calms down, gradually praise it. Repeat this process several times.

In addition to teaching the dog to stop nipping, providing chew toys can be helpful. Playing tug-of-war with toys like ropes is also effective.

Jumping Up

Many dogs jump up when their owner returns home, which is often seen as cute and joyful. However, this behavior can be problematic and dangerous if the dog jumps on people during walks or on children.

To address this, stop the dog by using both hands and lifting your knee to push the dog away from your body. Scold the dog with a stern face and voice, and praise it gently once it stops jumping.

Repeat this process a few times, and if the dog hesitates to jump, reward it with praise.

To prevent the dog from jumping on others, ask family and friends to help by calling the dog. If the dog tries to jump on them, stop it and reinforce that jumping is not allowed.

Scavenging

Scavenging can harm a dog’s health, so it’s important to address it.

On walks, dogs might find various items on the ground, including spoiled food, toxic substances, or things they shouldn’t eat. To prevent scavenging, follow these steps:

Drop some of your dog’s favorite treats along the walking route. If the dog tries to scavenge, stop it firmly, glare at it, and scold it with a stern face and voice.

If the dog continues to approach, stop it and scold it again, then praise it when it stops. Repeat this process several times until the dog avoids approaching or looking at food on the ground.

When the dog shows this behavior, reward it gently.

Mischief

Dogs may sometimes put various objects in their mouths or chew on them.

There are many things, both indoors and outdoors, that you don’t want your dog to chew on. It’s crucial to prevent such behavior, especially when outside or in other people’s homes.

To address mischief, differentiate between items that are dangerous, dirty, or acceptable for play.

When your dog picks up something undesirable, remove it from its mouth, scold it with a stern face and voice, and then praise it once it stops.

To speed up the process, place the item back in front of the dog and repeat the same action. The key is to always praise after scolding and teach the dog that it will be scolded for picking up items but praised for leaving them alone.

Excessive Barking

Excessive barking can be a significant issue, especially in close living situations like apartments.

While excessive barking might seem pointless to humans, dogs bark for specific reasons. Understanding why and when your dog barks is essential. It might be due to alerting to outside threats, wanting to go out, or reacting to outside noises.

To manage barking, quickly stop the dog by pressing its jaw down and scold it with a stern face and voice. Praise it gently when it stops barking.

Repeating this process can reduce barking over time. When the dog begins to show restraint or changes its barking pattern to quieter sounds, reward it immediately.

Understanding your dog’s barking triggers and practicing in those situations can help reduce excessive barking.

Urinating

You need to stop your dog from urinating in public places or in front of other people’s homes.

While it might seem challenging to control morning urination, dogs can hold it until they reach a designated spot, like a park.

Generally, dogs find it harder to urinate while running or sitting, so allow them to run to a suitable place and wait at stops during walks.

Once you reach the park or designated spot, say “You can go potty” and praise the dog when it urinates in the right place. Repeating this helps the dog learn to hold it until reaching the appropriate spot.

Training your dog to urinate only in designated areas can resolve this issue.

Summary

Dogs can exhibit various problem behaviors, including nipping, jumping up, scavenging, mischief, excessive barking, and urinating inappropriately.

These behaviors can be improved through proper training and building mutual trust. It’s important to scold the dog firmly when it misbehaves and praise it generously when it corrects its behavior. Avoid using incorrect methods of scolding and ensure that your corrections convey affection.

Effective training to address these issues will reduce stress for both the dog and the owner, leading to a more harmonious and enjoyable pet life.

1.When it comes to diet

In Europe and America, it is said that there are more obese dogs. Some dog treats are also high in calories and salt to increase palatability, so be careful not to give them too many just because they are very cute.

When deciding how much to eat each day, it’s important to consider the balance between diet and exercise.

What should not be eaten?

• Chocolate (contains theobromine which can lead to heart failure)
• onions, leeks, chives, rakkyo (contain substances that can destroy red blood cells and cause anemia)
• foods containing xylitol (triggers insulin secretion in the body leading to hypoglycemia）
• grapes, raisins (if consumed in large quantities, acute kidney failure)
• sausages (too salty for dogs, too salty for humans)

Depending on the individual dog, such as allergies and body differences, what they can’t eat and the allowable amounts may vary. Be cautious when giving them something for the first time, start with small portions for them

How to eat？

Many dogs gulp down their food when eating, fearing someone might take it away. This is a very bad habit. Food entering the stomach without being chewed properly can increase the burden on the stomach. Moreover, gulping down can lead to swallowing a lot of air, which can result in bloating. If a dog eats too quickly, the owner can buy a slow feeder dog bowl to reduce the dog’s eating speed, preventing indigestion.

2.Housing

• Dogs instinctively prefer dark and enclosed spaces when resting.Prepare a bed and toilet in a circle or crate. The toilet can be placed in different locations. Place it in a corner of the room, avoiding direct sunlight.
• Considering the flooring, ensure anti-slip measures for the dog.
• Choose a doghouse that can be used even when the dog is fully grown; it doesn’t need to be too large. Set up a sheltered area to protect from wind and rain, whether it’s a tent or a fenced enclosure, or tethered to wooden stakes for some freedom of movement.
• Additionally, be cautious not to place anything potentially dangerous around, especially during the puppy stage, to prevent it from biting or swallowing objects.

A place that needs to be cleaned

Dogs are clean animals. Try to create an environment where you don’t feel stressed.

Loose hair can also lead to an increase in fleas and ticks. Clean it regularly.

This is a place where fleas and ticks might increase. If it gets dirty, wash and dry it in the sunlight.

Leftover food residue and stale water are food sources for bacteria. Clean them regularly.

Dogs, unlike us, cannot communicate their emotions through language. Understanding their feelings is crucial for ensuring a healthy life for your dog. Do not overlook the subtle signs your dog shows.