BC licking walls

Kia has an almost compulsive behaviour that she's had since we got her - she licks walls. When we picked her up from her previous owner she said that Kia would lick her kitchen cupboards, in our house it was the leather couch, then in the London flat it was the radiators. She has settled down in London and is in a set routine with plenty of exercise and we've started agility classes and clicker training for more mental stimulation but still this behaviour persists.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to help her get over this habit? She tends to do it when she's excited (before meals/when OH gets home etc) but it's almost impossible to stop her once she's started and it lasts until she calms down.

I know it's not a serious behaviour issue and may just be her way of dealing with her excitement/stress but it makes her look crazy! And I don't like the idea of her being so stressed that she's developed OCD...

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Sarah xox

No real advice sorry as mine do not have an compulsive behaviour (thankfully) but as your using clicker training, can you inforce no with a treat and click. Its often that they get habits...for want of a better word...and as they have been allowed (by previous owners that haven't perservered) then it will be a hard one to break, but if your consistant it will.
My son had a light/reflection/shadow chaser BC which he got from rescue, he has been working hard with clicker/treat etc., and it is lessoning in a noticeable way, but he's been at it for a few months so don't expect a quick fix

Thanks Steph. I know its not going to be an easy one to break. But now that we're onto clicker training I'm hoping it will help! It's just such a shame that she was allowed to develop such a habit... I don't imagine its nice for her! Good to know your son is making progress though! Gives me some hope!!!

Mike thought originally it may be attention seeking, but I don't think that's it... It really is a compulsion!

xox

I have known collies do similar things before. I'd give her all her food in a kong and see if you can trade the compulsion for licking and squeezing a kong.

You can put little smears of pate in it and swop as soon as she starts licking the walls etc as well as her dinners. Frozen ones with yoghurt in are good as well.

One of mine used to pull her hair out---now she will use a toy and grab and squeeze but if one isn't around she will wreck the beds on the floor. I have gone through loads!

Good luck

rune

I would of thought it a habit thats been allowed to progress before you got her. Could of been something she developed when left alone (if her previous owner did) which can be caused through boredom, alot do it when in rescues/kennels, Dillion apparantly come into rescue chasing light/shadows etc., and got progressively worse before Gary had him, although the rescue did have him out alot he did it when put back into the kennel.

It has been a real noticeable difference with Dillion as Gary has been working through it with him as I said, last time I went he actually lay down time before he sent a cuppa coffe flying when the sunlight came threw the window

Yea agree....and Kongs another tool Gary has employed forgot that one Rune xxxx

Does she do it for attention? I saw Victoria Stillwell deal with a Gordon Setter with an OCD for chasing light and licking patio doors. This dog partly did it for a reaction. What she did was leave the room every time the behaviour started. If the dog was too fixated to notice her leaving she'd clap twice and say "hup hup" to break the behaviour and then leave the room, the dog would follow. Doing this consistantly broke the behaviour as the dog learned that every time he licked the doors, his fav people left the room, and when the dog follows the owners it's incompatible with licking, therefore the behaviour must stop. It was a matter of constant repetition. Although I guess this would only work if Kia would follow you, and it was on the tv so I have no personal experience of the technique, just thought I'd mention it.

One of our dogs used to do this, but she was a lot worse, coz she would actually EAT the wall, leaving us with big gouges out of them!!! The vet told me she must be lacking in nutrients somewhere along the line, but even giving her vitamin supplements didn't seem to work, maybe it was stress, I really don't know what it was, but we never cured it, we just used to keep filling in the walls! Good look, best to stop it now if you can.

Assuming it is a compulsive action i would just try and redirect the energy.

My family used to have a dog who would obsessively lick and although it took a while, every time he licked we would leave the room and then if he followed we might take him for a walk or play tug or whatever.

Very similar to what another poster was saying about a Gordon Setter ... just need to teach the dog that licking won't get a reaction and to break the action as soon as it starts.

hope that makes sense

My dog does this occassionally- he does it when he is tired and going to sleep- he only does it to one wall. I haven't found a cure and have to keep filling and painting the wall