# Do dogs lick themselves clean? Or is it just mine?



## LouisLady

My dog tends to lick himself just like a cat.

A few years ago I had a cat, and they hung out together like best buds.

She would lick his face,body,paws to get him cleaned up.

Now he does it to himself.

Is that normal?

He sometimes coughs like a cat trying to cough up a hair ball.


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## JSH812

I don't know if it's normal - maybe the vet on here will pop in. I do know that my parent's dog sort of developed an allergy to his saliva... or something like that.


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## QueenOfDa702

My Chi does it. She is a cat in a dogs body, I swear. She will lick her paws and rub them on her head to clean herself just like a cat does. Shes a weirdo.

My Shih-Tzu mix doesnt do it though, she will clean her privates, but thats about it. And of course, as soon as she's done doing that...she HAS to lick me!


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## shy*violet

You might want to talk to your vet about it.  Sometimes when dogs regularly lick themselves (like their paws) it might be a sign of something going awry.

It could be some skin irritation or he/she might actually have something in there that they're trying to get out.


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## stormy

shy*violet said:


> You might want to talk to your vet about it. Sometimes when dogs regularly lick themselves (like their paws) it might be a sign of something going awry.
> 
> It could be some skin irritation or he/she might actually have something in there that they're trying to get out.


 
I agree.  One of my dogs used to lick her paws constantly and it turned out to be an allergy.


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## LouisLady

Oh wow! It never came pass my mind about an allergy. i'll look into that.

I have a video of my old cat licking him clean somewhere.

Perhaps if I find it I'll post it. hehe =)


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## miss alice

if it is licking it is fine but if it is EXCESSIVE licking in certain areas (paws, usually) and the licking becomes CHEWING..then you really need to consult a vet. Like others said, chewing is often a sign of allergy. Some dogs are allergic to grains and also chicken.


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## LuxuryBagsEtc.

My black lab has terrible allergies! She licks herself all the time, and sometimes she will have patches of hair fall out! I have to fuss at her sometimes because the licking is so annoying!!


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## i_wona

My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL

...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like "You're _licking_ your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your _tongue_?!"


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## LouisLady

i_wona said:


> My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL
> 
> ...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like *"You're licking your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your tongue?*!"


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## smallfry

i_wona said:


> My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL
> 
> *...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like "You're licking your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your tongue?!"*


 

OMG...that is hilarious!!


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## Roxana

QueenOfDa702 said:


> *My Chi does it. She is a cat in a dogs body, I swear. She will lick her paws and rub them on her head to clean herself just like a cat does*. Shes a weirdo.
> 
> My Shih-Tzu mix doesnt do it though, she will clean her privates, but thats about it. And of course, as soon as she's done doing that...she HAS to lick me!


 
My chi does exactly the same. I got him with 4 years, so I thought maybe he grew up around a cat or something... 

My iggy does it too, though not as much. I actually like this 'hygenic' behaviour


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## candypants1100

i think it depends on the type of dog. i have a husky and i know it is in their nature to be very clean- so he licks himself clean, and i've seen him lick other dogs' faces until they are clean.... he also loves to be dried down after a walk in the rain or if he has played in the mud.


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## Roxana

^omg you have such a pretty husky! I used to want a dog like this so badly! I love em!


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## HOTasFCUK

My aunts dog (a lhasa apso) would sometimes sleep over at our house and in my room. I've seen Simba lick herself but sometimes i would wake up in the night and hear her. It would freak me out because it sounded same as my cat thowing up! Sometiems the cat would sleep in the room too so i would turn on my lamp fast but would just see Simba awake. It sounded gross because i kept thinking of the cat! Even my cousin hates when she licks herself espcially her thumb claw because she gnaws on it to sharpen it! I was shocked to see the dog lick herself though because i only though cats did it!


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## bagnshoofetish

all animals/species groom themselves.  all of them.  and they all have their own ways of doing it.
however, if your doggie is concentrating on only one spot to the extent that he is removing fur, (creating hot spots) you need to address that.  it could be an allergy or his skin could just be dry whereas a simple supplement recommended by your vet will alleviate.  

*when in doubt about anything about your pets, check with your vet.*


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## Rockysmom

my dog will lick his paw and rub in over his eyes, just like the cat. Sometimes my cat will groom my dog. Strange creatures!


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## fluffly

LouisLady thats soo cute.  He's probably comforting himself.  Then again it could be identity crisis lol. I don't think its serious but contact the vet if your unsure.


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## StyleChica

My German Shepherd mix licks himself clean too! But he licks himself like a cat like others said. He licks his paws, stomach, hind legs- everywhere! So weird! I have 2 cats so maybe that's where he got it??


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## lvn19644

My dog does it and always has - when he gets his paws wet (especially after rain) he goes crazy licking every part of himself LOL

...and he lick his doodle after a pee... gross, I know - I just can't understand the logic: I'm like "You're licking your pee-pee clean?! Dude! Who's gonna clean your tongue?!" 


OMG I just got my laugh for the week...lol (had to copy and paste above post do not know how to quote it)


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## jennypepper

We have a 7-year old white chihuahua and we also have 3 cats at home. They all grew up together. Our chi cleans his face just like a cat does before he goes to sleep or after eating.


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## Miner's wife

I have four dogs in addition to the Pyrenees mix in my avatar. They all lick themselves. What's really weird is when they all do it at the same time. At bedtime, no less. Synchronized dog cleaning . There are times when I exclaim "(Insert dog's name here) you can stop now, I think it's clean!!" 

Dogs are funny and I'm sure they think we can be pretty funny too, LOL.


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