Why does my dog obsessively sniff the carpet and won't relax?

There must be a smell there that is very interesting. A in heat female, food, some small animal or another dog marked there. It sounds pretty normal to me. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Its very possible that Harlie likes the way something on the carpet smells or tastes, so she is continually licking and biting at it in order to keep on tasting it. I would be careful to make sure that she isn't actually ripping out any of the carpet and trying to swallow it. A significant amount of carpet that is eaten and swallowed can result in some severe gastrointestinal issues. I would consider washing or shampooing the carpet in an attempt to see if this stops Harlie from continuing this behavior. You should also make sure that she has enough toys and other chew-things to play with as a deterrent. I would also consider using something like a bitter apple spray on the parts of the carpet she seems to like the most. Some dogs hate the smell and taste of that stuff and will shy away from everything if this is the case. Hope this helps.

It certainly could all be related to this. I have seen dogs and cats react in similar ways to much small environmental changes than the one you are describing. If you want to test it, try putting another rug that was similar to the old one back in its original location and see what happens. If he's acting better but continuing to urinate on it, consider going back to basics with some house-training.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Sometimes this type of behavior can be linked to anxiety or a systemic disease. If Memphis has no other clinical signs and is eating / drinking normal amounts, I would recommend trying to correct the behavior using anxiety relieving products such as Adaptil collar and diffuser as well as NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin. If these do not help, I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian and have his blood tested to check for any abnormal changes. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It sounds like Booker is experiencing some separation anxiety when you leave the house. I recommend crating him when you are gone. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with his skin. If these methods do not help him, then I recommend having him seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

That sounds frustrating! If she is truly obsessively licking and is not necessarily taking pleasure in it, two things I would consider are a trial on anti-anxiety meds (these are prescription) and/or that some studies are linking OCD behaviors with gastrointestinal imabalances (which may respond to diet change and probiotics). I hope this helps!

It's hard to explain why your dog would be doing this, it is likely a compulsive behavior and is not harmful to her. I would recommend watching her closely to ensure she doesn't accidentally ingest anything dangerous when she is doing this behavior. Otherwise I wouldn't be too concerned.