Is it normal for my dog to obsessively sniff a spot and won't move?

Hello there. Thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. Eva's behavior can be very typical of a Beagle as this breed uses their nose all the time for many things. However, this new sudden behavior for Eva MAY be because she is going into heat. You listed that she is an unspayed female and typically intact female dogs will go into their first heat cycle anywhere between 6-12 months of age. When they go into heat they will have odd behavior, possibly as you are describing. I suspect this may be what is happening. The redness on her lips will resolve as she stops doing this behavior. I would recommend an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss getting her spayed (if you do not intentionally plan to breed her), and in the mean time, limit her outdoor free time so that she is not constantly doing this behavior.

You can try to have it cleaned professionally to see if that helps or use a product called Odoban to eliminate an odor he may be smelling. You may need to let him sniff everything out until he realizes there is nothing new and intimidating or anything changing to let him relax.

It is possible that your female is going into heat and he is interested. I have also noticed dogs become very interested in females when they have a urinary tract infection. I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. If she is in heat and you don’t want a pregnancy you should devise a plan to keep them separate. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your dog is otherwise acting normally (eating, drinking, peeing, pooping) and not coughing, sneezing, having vomiting or diarrhea then yes, he could be smelling females in heat. If you are not planning on breeding him it is suggest you have him neutered. Many dogs run away in search of females and they can be difficult to manage. It is healthier for them overall to be neutered if not being used for breeding. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!

Yes, this is normal. Ella is checking out all the smells in your garden, and if there have been visitors to your garden like neighborhood cats, that smell will attract her attention. You can start training her to come when you call her, and I will put a link below on how to do this. I hope this helps! https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/basic-training/teach-dog-to-come-when-called/

Are any other behaviors abnormal? Is he acting painful or sick? Maybe take him for a walk and see how he does away from the female. If you are still concerned that there may be a medical problem then I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. If it is just the female bothering him you may need to keep him somewhere else for the next 2 weeks or so. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

I’m wondering if the other dogs are intact (not spayed/neutered) as well and if some of this licking is related to hormones. Licking can also be a sign of submission. If the other dogs don’t seem bothered I’d let them sort it out themselves. If the other dogs snap and you’re worried about a fight I think unfortunately the only thing to do is to monitor them closely and continue to call and distract Pickles as you’ve been doing.