How do you get dogs to stop licking the carpet?

While your furry friend naturally explores with her senses of smell and taste, obsessive or compulsive licking indicates a problem. Your first concern is to decide whether your four-legged friend's couch, carpet and bed licking qualifies as an obsessive or compulsive behavior. Your dog may be inclined to lick that lingering smell that is left after a steam clean, the same way they would lick up crumbs left on the floor. If your dog does it often or aggressively and in a repetitious way, or seems completely spaced out while licking or if you can't interrupt or stop them, it's an obsessive or compulsive behavior.

There are several reasons your dog may be engaging in OCD behaviors but the most common include that your pooch is either under-stimulated, under-socialized or experiencing stress and anxiety.

Start by assuming the problem is too little stimulation and socialization, because it's the most probable explanation for your dog's behavior .Exercise and play with your pooch, get them some new toys, enroll them in a doggy day care, take them to the park, set up pup playdates with a friend's pet, get a compatible second dog or otherwise find ways to stimulate and socialize your dog more.

For my dogs, we used a non-toxic spray that tastes bitter when they lick it (found at Petco or any pet store, really). While they probably were a bit understimulated, its difficult to constantly entertain them when you are a full time student and working. This was a quick way to assure that they would not eat/lick furniture or carpet.