Why does my dog lick his paws?

Dogs lick their paws to clean them, and a little of that is normal. Frequent, intense licking is different: it usually means the paw itches or hurts, and the common causes are allergies, something stuck between the toes, an injury, a skin infection, pain, or boredom and anxiety.

How much paw licking is normal?

Occasional licking is part of self-grooming, especially after a walk on dirty or sandy ground. The American Kennel Club's chief veterinarian draws the line at frequency and intensity: if a dog licks its paws often and hard, something is likely wrong.¹

A practical way to sort it:

What causes persistent paw licking?

VCA Animal Hospitals groups the causes into three: itchiness, which is the most common, injury, and behavioral issues.² In more detail:

• Itch from allergies or parasites. The two common causes of itchiness are parasites such as fleas and allergies, which can be to airborne allergens, food ingredients or something the skin touches.² The Merck Veterinary Manual names parasites, infections and allergies as the most common causes of itching in dogs.³
• Something lodged or an injury. A cut, a torn nail, a growth, or a stone, thorn or ice ball stuck between the pads.¹ In areas with foxtail grass, the barbed seeds can pierce the skin between the toes. Once in, a foxtail cannot back out on its own, and excessive licking of one spot can be the sign.⁴
• Skin infection. Painful bumps between the toes, which Merck describes as reddish purple and shiny, are most often caused by a deep bacterial infection. Dogs lick and bite at them and often go lame. Breeds with short bristly hair on the toe webbing, such as Labrador Retrievers, English Bulldogs and Chinese Shar-Peis, are predisposed.⁵
• Pain. A dog may lick over a sore area, including pain from arthritis.¹ VCA lists joint pain among the physical causes of lick granuloma, a sore created by obsessive licking of one spot on the lower leg, typically over the wrist of a front leg.⁶
• Boredom, anxiety or compulsion. Listed by both the AKC and VCA, usually considered after physical causes have been checked.¹⁶

Why does licking make the problem worse?

Because it feeds itself. Constant licking keeps the skin wet and damaged, and bacteria or yeast can move into broken skin. That causes more itching, redness and swelling, and so more licking.¹² Merck notes that excessive licking of the feet is common in dogs that have yeast and bacterial infections on top of the original itch.³

What should you look at between the toes?

Good light and a calm dog are all you need. The AKC advises looking closely at the nails, between the toes and pads, and at the tops of the feet.¹ You are looking, not treating.

• Spread the toes gently and look at the webbing on top and underneath.
• Check each nail and the skin around it.
• Look for a cut, a torn nail, a lump, redness, swelling, or anything stuck.
• Compare with the same paw on the other side.

If your dog pulls the paw away, tenses or turns its head toward your hand, stop. That reaction is information for the veterinarian. Do not dig for something you can see only partly, and do not try to open a bump.

Could it just be boredom?

It could, and long hours alone with little to do are a fair thing to look at. But a behavioral cause is hard to confirm at home, and the physical causes are common and can look the same from the outside. Even lick granulomas involve both physical and psychological factors, and VCA notes most dogs need both sides addressed.⁶ Start with the paw and the veterinarian. If the skin and joints check out, more exercise, food puzzles and company are the reasonable next step.