Skip to content

Chewing on his toe nails

Behavioral Issues
  • I always notice my boy chewing and licking his foot, so I finally I examined his foot and noticed that he chewed his nails all the way down to were he might bleed. He is my first baby, so I am worried and dont know what to do! Has anyone have had this same problem?

  • My guy chews his feet daily, usually after a walk, as part of his self grooming routine. I don't worry about it unless he seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time on one foot. If so, I investigate to see if there is an obvious reason, e.g. a cut or similar. Is this attention only being paid to one foot, or all of them? If just one, perhaps there is a reason? Otherwise, if he is just "trimming his nails" and saving you the trouble, I wouldn't worry unless he actually does cause damage.

  • Thank you, eeeefarm! I love my boy so much that I worry easily!!

  • I find Kaiser chewing on his nails and licking his feet too, usually after being outside so must be grooming, if he is overly interested in one foot I will have a good look and distract him usually with some treat and once it's forgotten he leaves it, though he has never really chewed any bit of nail off. After our walks, we have a lot of broken glass on the footpaths and every so often the council will weed spray I will rinse his feet to check for problems. I also did worry when he did it at first, but now I know when it's normal and when it's something bugging him.

    Jolanda and Kaiser

  • Both Cara and Arwen keep their back toenails chewed appropriately short, but yeah if too short distract. You might even try using baby wipes when he comes in to wipe his feet down before he starts the licking.

Suggested Topics

  • Chewing problems

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    5k Views
    Shaye's MomS
    @Rocky1: Basenjis chew,this s a fact of life. It might sound like a crazy thing to do,but I bite my pups back. It teaches them that I'M THE BOSS ! It has worked for me for the almost 36 years that I've lived with the little beastys. You can call me crazy,or wrong I don't care Works for me,and my dogs all respect me,and love me. Kathryn Wow, Kathryn - that's funny! I'm sure you just nibble a little. Their feet smell like Tostitos, so just wondering -does the rest of the dog taste like a snack??? LOL
  • Grooming-chewing?

    Behavioral Issues
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Cara flea bites me a lot but omg, poor Leora, it's almost nonstop when she is home. One day she made her get under the covers, then said in a sad voice "now she's flea biting my thigh." LOL
  • Carpet Chewing

    Behavioral Issues
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    5k Views
    RedVelvetLynxR
    @Shaye's: Shaye has never chewed on stuff she shouldn't until the last week or so - she's almost 6 months though, and lots of her behavior has gotten worse - if we go into the bathroom she starts chewing at the door jambs - she has also discovered carpet is a good toy - and if we are not paying attention to her, she purposely starts doing something she knows she shouldn't - my friend b owners tell me it's her "teen phase," pushing all the limits - hope she grows out of that soon…..maybe that's what your dog is up to - Exactly. Trinity was so good about not chewing on things she isn't supposed to until a few months ago - I thought I must have been blessed with the best behaved chewer ever! Ah-haha! It started with the base board corners & has moved to carpet threads. I would like to believe she doesn't realize what she's chewing on, but this isn't so. When I catch her in the act, there are no no toys around her, unless she's carried one over for a decoy. Otherwise, she sniffs around until she finds a spot. As soon as she stops & starts digging her nose in the threads, I know the chewing is not far behind, so at least I have an opportunity to nip it in the bud. I happen to think the chewing has also become an attention-getting mechanism. She wants to play ALLLLL of the time - it gets ridiculous! :eek:
  • Harness chewing

    Behavioral Issues
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    5k Views
    ELERICKSON40E
    @Mia: Yes it is in the backyard, and no it's not fenced :( I wished it was. He is fine when we are going on walks, but as soon as he is left alone for more than 5 min he chews it up in a matter of a few minutes! Would a martingale collar work? I think the reason teh harness doesn't work is because he wedges his jaw on the shoulder part of the harness, and I figured that maybe a martinglae collar would work better since he can't get to it. Ahhh why can't he be more like his calm sister Mia lol… Welcome to the club! Trixie chewed her way thru at least 5 - 6 harnesses and yes also in a matter of minutes. The only time she has a harness on is when she is going for a walk or if we are taking her in the car. She has had her current one for at least 3 months ! It's a miracle, but I feel your pain!
  • Chewing nails

    Behavioral Issues
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    5k Views
    RivermoonR
    My first basenji used to bite his nails all the time. He especially liked doing it around 2 in the morning.:eek:
  • Wood Chewing

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    jys1011J
    spitfire THANKS! It looks like the mentholatem worked :) my poor table will not be chewed down to hobbit size HA!!