why is my dog licking his paws?

Our Lurcher does t his too, the vet says he licks his leg as its hurting him - not sure how that relates then to licking sofas and chairs etc.

Duckysnan I've just seen your message. Our westie has dermatitis which
makes him lick his paws a lot.He's also constantly at his tail and as a result
has bald patches where his tail joins his body.
The vet thinks its probably dietry so we keep trying to keep him off wheat
and treats.Not much fun for poor dog.Blood tests for allergies are expensive
and not conclusive from what I've heard
We have frontlined just to prevent fleas but he hasn't any.

Sounds like a behaviour he has developed that needs extinguishing, unless the vet says he has a medical condition that is causing irritation in his paws. But as he is licking everything else, too, does he need something that he can worry at without causing any soreness on his body? I give my dog a Kong toy that you can put treats or peanut butter in and she spends many happy chunks of time messing about with it - stops her being bored.

My daughters jack Russell got into a habit of licking her paws the vet said it was a bad habit - like nail biting, she stopped doing it by herself. But at the time it was so bad she made her paws bald!!

I had a spaniel that used to do that, and I'm not sure if that was when I changed her food to lamb and rice, as dogs can be allergic to other foods but very rarely to lamb. I also swear by dap diffusers if there could be an emotional problem.

My son has a mongrel, a dalmation/boxer cross. He started scratching and constantly nibbling away at his paws when he was about a year old. After lots of expensive tests at the vets it was discovered he has allergies, mostly to meat(!) but also dairy products and to grass/pollen etc. As a result he is on a special diet which doesn't contain any meat except lamb and the vet suggested he wasn't taken for walks where there is grass, particularly in the summer months(!) He has to have steriod tablets and injections given by my son. But he is great now, though he does still have times when he nibbles away at his paws. We have to watch carefully what he eats, he isn't able to have any usual doggy treats, it is really difficult to get vegetarian dog stuff!

I think the problem with dogs is that, once they get into the habit of licking their feet even when the reason for doing so has gone they still carry on doing it. Perhaps the little chap might have to wear a [very small!] elizabethan collar. When I switched my dog to lamb and rice I used Eukanuba, but James Wellbeloved has less additives I believe. I now use Collards.

who needs just the vets with all the good advice on this thread..i think the OP has left.....btw..
my dog has loads of things to chew at night ..anytime really ..i wonder if its just a nice comforting thing to do...licking.. i think having tests done so as to eliminate allergies is a good idea .
also the little tyke scoots around ..so we go to get his anal gland done which is nearly every month...to find he just enjoyed the scoot...empty gland..grrr love him to bits really..

...we need vets when it comes to...the unblocking of anal glands, methinks. Quite happy to pay to have that done ....

Crimson the vet was going to show me how to do it myself! no thank you ..yuk
and what if i got it wrong!