There is no doubt that dogs like to lick cushions, pillows, and couched.
If you have this problem, want to find out why your dog licks the couch and how you can prevent it, you have come to the right place.
It can be frustrating or even annoying when your dog starts licking different pieces of furniture.
You might be worried that it is a signal about your dog’s health and at the same time, the licking can damage your expensive furniture.
There are many different reasons why your dog might be licking the couch or other furniture in your home.
Let’s take a look at some of the different reasons.
Why does my dog lick the couch?
To be able to stop your dog from licking the couch, it is important to first and foremost find out why exactly your dog is licking the couch.
Here are the most common reasons for this type of behavior.
Your dog simply likes the taste
The simplest reason is that your dog just likes the taste of your couch.
When we are sitting on our couch, we are often eating snacks, which results in crumbs and small bits of pieces being left lying on the couch.
With dog’s impressive sniffing abilities, they will quickly find these leftovers and lick the small, nice-tasting “treats” off the fabric of the couch.
To stop your dog from doing this, make sure to clean your couch thoroughly after eating on the couch.
Another reason could be the smell and taste from your own body odors.
You know how the dog likes to smell and lick you, and with how long you might have been sitting on your couch, licking on the couch might give the dog the same experience.
Your dog is bored
When dogs are bored, they look for all kinds of stimulation to use their excess energy, which can result in them licking or chewing up couches.
Dogs use their mouths to experience the things and world around them and licking the couch can simply be because of that.
If you notice that your dog is starting to chew up things and lick furniture all around the house, it can simply be because your dog has a lot of unused energy.
Make sure to take your dog on long walks and give it the opportunity to burn off all of its energy.
This might be an easy solution to this problem.
Another solution could also be buying your dog a new chewable toy, which can be a great way to occupy them and give them something else to use their energy on.
Dogs typically enjoy different types of toys, so this might require that you try several different types, before you find one that your dog enjoy.
Learn More:
It can be a sign of a health issue
When dogs begin acting differently than their normal behavior, it can be a sign of a health issue.
As dogs can’t directly tell us how they fell, they can and will give us clues through physical behavior.
If your dog suddenly starts licking all of your furniture and never has done this before, it is best to take the dog to a vet for a medical check.
Chances are that nothing is wrong with the dog, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
A sudden excessive furniture licking can be a sign of tooth pain, diseases in the pituitary gland, anxiety, and much more.
This type of compulsive behavior is often related to some underlying health issue, and for that reason you should take it seriously.
A dog licking a couch is very normal, but that doesn’t change the fact that you should try to make the dog stop doing it as fast as possible.
Otherwise, it can be super annoying in your daily life, which of course is something you should want to avoid.
It has become a bad habit for your dog
It doesn’t have to be the result of a medical condition.
This can simply be a bad habit.
Maybe your dog once licked your couch, liked the feeling and taste, and now has developed of the habit of doing it whenever it is near the couch.
We, humans, are terrible at creating bad habits.
This could be things like biting our nails, saying “ehmm” before each sentence, or even smoking.
The same is the case for dogs – they can create habits just like us humans.
The solution to this problem is simply to train your dog into understanding that licking the couch is a no-go.
This can take some time, but suddenly you will notice that your dog no longer is doing it.
It is also a good idea to give your dog a new toy as this helps removing the dog’s focus from the couch.
How to prevent your dog from licking the couch
There are three great ways to prevent and completely stop your dog from licking your couch.
Many people believe that showing aggression towards your dog is the most effective way to make it stop doing something.
This is, however, not the case.
Dogs actually react much better to positive reinforcement training, than aggression.
Aggression towards your dog will simply cause your dog more stress and anxiety.
Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is the idea of rewarding your dog for good behavior.
You can reward the dog by using treats or clickers.
This will teach the dog that bad behavior won’t get them any rewards.
If you are consistent with this method, good behavior will become very normal for them, and bad behavior will fade away.
Bitter tasting sprays
Another effective way is to spray a bitter-tasting spray on your couch.
You can buy bitter-tasting sprays that are supposed to taste awful for dogs, while not letting out any scents.
If the couch tastes awful, the dog will naturally stop licking it.
Make sure to give your dog plenty of exercise
As earlier mentioned, a reason that your dog is licking the couch could be boredom.
It is important that you make sure to give your dog plenty of daily exercises.
This will get rid of excess energy, which often is the cause of bad behavior.
Conclusion
there can be several different reasons why your dog is licking your couch.
Maybe it is doing it because it enjoys the taste, maybe because it is bored, or maybe it can be a sign of a medical or health issue.
No matter what the reason for your dog licking the couch is, you should try to prevent it from doing it in the future.
If you just let your dog lick the couch it can quickly become a bad habit for the dog, and it might start to lick the couch way too often.
There are three good methods you can utilize to make your dog stop licking the couch.
First of all, you can use the method of positive reinforcement.
Alternatively, you could spray your couch with a bitter-tasting spray.
Last but not least, it is crucial that you make sure to give your dog plenty of exercise.