# Mouths/sucks on doggy bed... why?



## wyoung2153

When we go to bed, I'll send Titan to bed and every single night I look at him and he is sucking on the corner of his bed. I have noticed it the last few months. Never noticed it before we moved here but who knows.. could be a life long habit. Just curious at what this is. I'll look over and he will just have the corner of the doggy bed in his mouth and perfectly content sitting like that. doesn't chew it or anything.. just sits there with it in his mouth while he's curled up in a Titan ball. Never seen a dog do that.. so it got me thinking. Not worried.. more curious than anything. Any ideas?


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## llombardo

wyoung2153 said:


> When we go to bed, I'll send Titan to bed and every single night I look at him and he is sucking on the corner of his bed. I have noticed it the last few months. Never noticed it before we moved here but who knows.. could be a life long habit. Just curious at what this is. I'll look over and he will just have the corner of the doggy bed in his mouth and perfectly content sitting like that. doesn't chew it or anything.. just sits there with it in his mouth while he's curled up in a Titan ball. Never seen a dog do that.. so it got me thinking. Not worried.. more curious than anything. Any ideas?


I never had a dog do that but I did have a cat that did that for quite awhile..I thought it was because he was taken away from mom to early


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## wyoung2153

Hmm.. well I picked up Titan just shy of 8 weeks.. not sure..


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## Chance&Reno

It's called "textile sucking". Some dogs need a self soothing ritual to relax them. Some will lick their paws, others will suck fabric items. 

When I first got my boy, he would gather anything material into his mouth, roll his eyes back and whistle through his nose while sucking on his bed. It was his coping technique for stress. It took us a while to figure out how to get him to stop. Even if you pulled the bed out of his mouth, he would still have his eyes rolled back and would suck the air. My greyhound got annoyed one day and kicked him in the face and he stopped. She hated when he did that.

It could be a stress reaction , excitement reaction, or a way to sooth and calm himself.


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## wyoung2153

I am thinking it's more of a way to calm/relax himself. He doesn't really have a reason to be anxious.. I don't think. Nothing has changed in his routine since we moved here like 8 months ago. but he is n EXTREMELY high energy dog. So maybe that's just how he winds down. He doesn't roll his eyes back or anything. Just sits there with it in his mouth. I'll call his name sometimes and he will stop and look at me and then lay down like a normal dog. lol.


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## Chance&Reno

wyoung2153 said:


> I am thinking it's more of a way to calm/relax himself. He doesn't really have a reason to be anxious.. I don't think. Nothing has changed in his routine since we moved here like 8 months ago. but he is n EXTREMELY high energy dog. So maybe that's just how he winds down. He doesn't roll his eyes back or anything. Just sits there with it in his mouth. I'll call his name sometimes and he will stop and look at me and then lay down like a normal dog. lol.


He treats his bed like a baby with a pacifier. It happens, I wouldn't be concerned. It's most likely a way he "meditates". 

SOme dogs really like the feeling of material in their mouths. It's a textural thing.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl

Sasha doesn't suck on things, but she obsessively licks things (bedding, herself, others, etc.) her's I'm pretty sure is a calming thing. My golden licked the fur off one of his paws and actually gave himself an infection and the vet said it was caused by boredom.


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## Lilie

Chance&Reno said:


> It's called "textile sucking". Some dogs need a self soothing ritual to relax them. Some will lick their paws, others will suck fabric items.


My rescue mini doxie licks. She'll lick her chest, her paws, the floor, the sheets, the pillow, my leg...doesn't matter what it is, she has to lick before she falls asleep. She licks one spot over and over again. If I try to get her to stop, she'll get that much more excited about it and almost frenzy lick. 

I've learned to let her lick for a minute or two first, then ask her to stop. She'll be calm and stop then fall asleep. 

I spoke to the vet about it and they suggested a drug that would help her stop licking. I don't remember what it was, but I decided that I'd rather her lick, she isn't making herself bald, nor is she ruining my furniture. If it got worse for her, then I'd consider drugs.


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## Chance&Reno

Lilie said:


> My rescue mini doxie licks. She'll lick her chest, her paws, the floor, the sheets, the pillow, my leg...doesn't matter what it is, she has to lick before she falls asleep. She licks one spot over and over again. If I try to get her to stop, she'll get that much more excited about it and almost frenzy lick.
> 
> I've learned to let her lick for a minute or two first, then ask her to stop. She'll be calm and stop then fall asleep.
> 
> I spoke to the vet about it and they suggested a drug that would help her stop licking. I don't remember what it was, but I decided that I'd rather her lick, she isn't making herself bald, nor is she ruining my furniture. If it got worse for her, then I'd consider drugs.


 
Some dogs develop OCD type behaviors. As long as she is not harming herself and she will stop when you want, I don't see why she would need the meds. 

Some people chew their nails or braid their hair, dogs lick and suck things. It's the same mechanism that causes the behavior in both people and dogs.


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## Lilie

Chance&Reno said:


> Some dogs develop OCD type behaviors. As long as she is not harming herself and she will stop when you want,* I* *don't see why she would need the meds*.
> 
> Some people chew their nails or braid their hair, dogs lick and suck things. It's the same mechanism that causes the behavior in both people and dogs.


That was pretty much my thought process as well. However, sometimes her licking makes _*me*_ wish *I* had some meds!


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## wyoung2153

Lilie said:


> That was pretty much my thought process as well. However, sometimes her licking makes _*me*_ wish *I* had some meds!


LOL!! Yeah I hear ya! Pretty sure it's a puppy thing right now, but my Boerboel licks EVERYTHING.. All. the. time. haha. It drives me mad sometimes only because she licks the most inconvenient things! My knee, my toes, my couch right where I'm sitting.. or right after she drinks water.. oh goodness... lol.


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## LukasGSD

Jaxon will do this all the time! He likes to bunch up his blankie and then suck on it. He doesn't seem stressed on anxious. Mostly he will fall asleep after a while.

I noticed he does it most often after we are done playing tug or training. I think it does sooth him.


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