Obsessive ear licking

[LauraV]

My now 9 month old pup, Scotland, obsessively licks my two other dogs ears. They seem to enjoy it, but I know that it's not very good for them or him. All my dogs already have spotless ears, so what the heck is his obsession? He will literally flip their ears inside out to lick them...any ideas?

[D'Elle]

My Boo loves to lick Digger. I think it is a combination of Boo wanting to care for and groom Digger, as he is very protective of Digger and likes him a lot, and a bit of obsession. I also think the licking is a soothing activity for Boo. In this case, it never does any harm; Boo doesn't do it enough to like the hair off or cause problems, and I monitor it closely. Boo also stops the moment I ask him to.

 

I would say that unless you see redness inside the ear it probably is not a problem for the dog being licked.

At the same time, since we are talking about border collies, I think it would be best if you put a stop to it. I have found that assuming some obsessive behavior is harmless is always a mistake with a border collie, because the obsession in and of itself is not a good thing to permit. It only gets worse.

[GentleLake]

At the same time, since we are talking about border collies, I think it would be best if you put a stop to it. I have found that assuming some obsessive behavior is harmless is always a mistake with a border collie, because the obsession in and of itself is not a good thing to permit. It only gets worse.

 

Yes, definitely this.

 

Border collies are so prone to obsessive behaviors that it's always a good idea to nip anything that looks lie lest little bit like it in the bud.