Dogs and puppies lick anything to interact with it and show their affection. It is a way to communicate their love to others. But sometimes, they abnormally rub their tongue on a leather sofa and other furniture.
Why Do Dogs Lick the Leather Sofa? Dogs lick the leather sofa due to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In addition, discomfort in teeth or gastric problems can cause this abnormal behavior. Sometimes they search for food or seek your attention by biting the couches. You can prevent them by using a dog repellent spray or keeping them away from the living area. Treat the underline health problem and socialize with them to avoid this behavior. Licking leather is not harmful, but you can protect your sofa by using a cover.
Why is my dog licking the leather sofas?
Many triggering factors can make them do this. Here is a brief description of a few of them.
Psychological disorder
The repetitive rubbing of the tongue on the leather sofa indicates some psychological issues in dogs.
Some breeds are more prone to neurological disorders and can show abnormal and aggressive licking.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common reason for these pets to lick these surfaces repeatedly.
In such conditions, they have an obsession with doing an activity. They have a strong urge to do it and can not stop themselves from doing it.
Shy pets can suffer from anxiety and stress. Changes in the environment or shifting to other places can trigger anxiety in pets. For example, the stressed dog can suffer from OCD and show aggressive licking of couches.
Some breeds relieve the stress by licking a couch or other furniture.
It releases a hormone called endorphins to calm them. Dementia can also cause repeatedly licking leather couches or other furniture in pets.
Explore the surrounding
Dogs are friendly and can adjust to any kind of environment. They try to familiarize themselves with the new house and other objects.
They touch all the things in their surrounding to interact with them. They lick the sofas and other stuff present in the home to explore the nature of the objects.
In such a case, there is nothing to worry about the pet’s health. They will stop doing it after becoming comfortable in the house.
They can also show this behavior out of boredom and distract themselves by nibbling on different things.
Due to health issues
Biting the couches can be due to toothache and issues in the oral cavity of the dogs. They try to distract themselves from pain by aggressively biting or licking surfaces.
Pets have a poor digestive system and can suffer from digestion problems. Puppies feeding on a poor diet or suffering from nutritional deficiencies can suffer from nausea or stomach ache.
The licking of leather can also indicate a problem in the GIT. When feeling nauseated, they rub their tongue on surfaces to get rid of the bad taste in the mouth.
Different parasites in the stomach or in the oral cavity can irritate them.
Seeking attention
Dogs’ breed varies in their nature and social behavior with their surroundings. Some of them are aggressive and love to stay alone.
Some breeds are friendly and build a friendly relationships with human beings. They prove themselves as a loyal partner after getting comfortable with you.
They can also communicate with you by licking or biting different things. They can also start biting the leather or other stuff when their owner ignores them.
They want to play and do exercise during their free time.
Pets start behaving oddly without any reason to get your attention. They also do it with the couch because it contains your scent.
Searching the food
I once found my dog aggressively licking a specific spot on the leather sofa. On investigation, I found drink spills and food pieces in that corner.
The living room couch is also used as a dining place. The couch corners can contain the crumbs and aroma of leftover food. The aroma and food pieces can attract your pet to it.
They start biting the surface of the sofa to get food. They lick to taste and identify the type of food pieces present on the couch.
Like the taste of leather
Dogs and puppies are fond of chewable toys. Leather is present in many chewable toys for pets. It has a pleasant and unique taste.
Over prolonged use, dogs develop a liking for the taste of leather. So they start licking and biting it wherever they find it. There is nothing to worry about in such a condition.
Is licking leather sofa harmful to dogs
Aggressively and repeatedly licking furniture can make us anxious about puppies’ health.
Leather is not harmful to the health of your pet. It does not contain any preservative or toxin that can damage the health of your puppy.
But filthy or improperly cleaned couches can contain many germs and bacteria. The dogs can ingest these germs while biting the couch.
They can cause many health problems in puppies. In addition, your pet can suffer from different allergies and other disorders due to filth present on the couch. Keep the furniture clean to avoid these such health problems in your pet.
How to stop dogs from licking a leather sofa?
It is ok for pets to bite or nibble on a leather sofa occasionally. However, uncontrolled or irrational licking can cause different issues with them.
Use dog repellent
To distract them from the sofa, use a dog repellent or any other bitter tonic. It should not harm the health of your puppy in any way.
Spray it all around the couch and let it dry. While licking, the dog will get a bitter taste of the tonic. It will prevent them from further nibbling on the leather.
You can use homemade bitter tonics. Use lemon juice, vinegar, or pepper solution on the furniture to distract them.
My friend suggested I use a pepper solution to prevent my pet from this abnormal behavior.
Treat the underline health issues
You should also consult a veterinary doctor to treat the medical problems of your pets. Then, feed them balanced food to combat their nutritional deficiencies.
Give them food at regular intervals to prevent any gastric problems. Also, take care of their hygiene to prevent them from allergies and infestation.
Socialize with them
Lovingly interact with them to relieve their stress and anxiety. Never leave them alone for more than a few hours to prevent any psychological problem. Then, you can play with them and provide them to show affection.
You should provide them with different toys to kill their boredom.
Go on an evening stroll in parks to familiarize them with other pets. It can bring a new life to their dull routine. You can keep two or more pets to kill their boredom.
Keep the dog away from sofas
Keep your pet in a separate area to prevent the licking of leather sofas. It can help them to get rid of this bad habit.
You can also build a mini wooden house for them in the backyard. Keep the sofas clean to minimize the triggering factors like food crumbs.
Cover the leather sofa with other fabric
Cover it with other fabric when your pet likes the taste of leather. The dog will not recognize the leather or any familiar scent on the couch.
It will prevent him from licking and damaging your couch.
In addition, you can spread a cotton sheet or any other fabric like wool. You can also cover it with plastic sheets to hinder your puppy from biting it.
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