# Flank Sucking?



## Kevin Cyr (Dec 28, 2012)

Has anyone ever dealt with this? If so, how? When did the dog start doing it? Stop? Medication?? I noticed it on another board where someone was mentioning it with dobermans, however he had a problem with his DS. I never knew dobermans had issues with it? Weird.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SOAIsNJ4iw

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/science/19dogs.html?_r=0


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## Elaine Matthys (May 18, 2008)

This is very common in the dobermans I know. If they don't flank suck, they suck on their blankets. It's weird and it's something I've only heard of dobes doing it. They seem to do it from puppyhood til the day they die. Other than being disgusting, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem for the dog.


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## Daniel Lybbert (Nov 23, 2010)

I know a guy that has a flank sucker mal. Its on prozac.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Hey Daniel, if you had a flank sucker would you get another dog? ah just messing with ya.

To the OP I have never had to deal with this.


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## Kevin Cyr (Dec 28, 2012)

Daniel Lybbert said:


> I know a guy that has a flank sucker mal. Its on prozac.


 
Yeah I heard of meds, but Prozac? does it help? LOL


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

When I first brought home my young Malinois 8 months ago, she was licking her flank. She was 9 months at that time. I think it was stress related. After she left the breeder, she went through 3 places before she got to me. I think the flank licking was a neurotic behavior based on anxiety and being kenneled or crated for much of her early life. Apparently she was a wild thing inside, so she was contained a lot. (She now has excellent house manners; a good thing in winter!).
The thing that worked wonders for both the flank licking and the wild behavior inside the house was a huge amount of physical exercise. I got her knowing that I would have to invest a lot of time in her. I exercised her at least two hours/day, lots of miles off leash in the bush. She got to use her nose, ears, legs. She was so tired that when she came indoors, she slept. She wasn't crated if I was at home, except at night to sleep. It helped that I was training for a 10 km race and I took her with me when I ran trails. She learned how to swim and loved it, and swam in the river or lakes daily.
When she first joined my family, she also did some compulsive circling behavior. Both behaviors cleared up with the first month, due to the exercise and time in the bush I think. I think that new stimuli disrupted her patterns of compulsive behavior. 
Another interesting thing is that she developed strong drives. I viewed a video of her before I got her and she was minimally interested in toys and had no possession, as noted by the person who knew her and made her video. Her ball prey drive kicked in after her first heat in June, followed by a newfound love/possession for the ball. She is not weird possessive about food or toys, and she will retrieve balls to me, but really would rather keep as many as she could gather. I've used two-ball to get her into the trading game.
My main point is that getting the dog's mind engaged in other things may help. The problem with flank sucking is the dogs can get "lick granuloma", ugly sores that can get infected. No one wants that.


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## Daniel Lybbert (Nov 23, 2010)

I dont think that was the dogs only problem. But the meds do help a bit. He still comes out of his crate damp instead of soaking wet. I think the dog has a few more problems than just sucking on himself. The owner keeps the dog well excersised.
Nicole if the dog was a good dog and was a flank sucker I could probably let it pass for a while.lol


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Flank sucking is weirdo behavior. I'd have to send that sucker packing  Well., actually I saw the video and thought oh you want something to do huh? How about I get my 4 wheeler out and we go for a ride for a few hours. 

After about 20 miles or so that dog would be too tired to want to suck on anything when I was done with him. I've heard of it before but the idea of it kind grossed me out, when I saw it I was even more sure of it being a creepy behavior.


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## jim stevens (Jan 30, 2012)

I had one dobe that did it, other than that she didn't seem anything but normal.


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## Kevin Cyr (Dec 28, 2012)

Daniel Lybbert said:


> I dont think that was the dogs only problem. But the meds do help a bit. He still comes out of his crate damp instead of soaking wet. I think the dog has a few more problems than just sucking on himself. The owner keeps the dog well excersised.
> Nicole if the dog was a good dog and was a flank sucker I could probably let it pass for a while.lol


LOL, funny you say that I spoke with him this morning about it and this thread and he said the dog only sucks on one side, been doing it for some time now, he tried a treadmill, biking with dog and tiring him out, just seems that dog continues to suck his side. He said dog has till end of the week. Dog is nice, but he can't get over it and deal with it and doesn't want to get rid of the dog and put the burden on anyone else. 

I just never heard of this issue until recent, very weird!


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

I don't remember who needed it but I think one of those really wide collars to prevent fussing with an injury might inhibit the dog from getting to that place to continue that behavior. They sell them on line, they are real wide and restrict movement but you can modify a weight belt for that too.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Nicole Stark said:


> I don't remember who needed it but I think one of those really wide collars to prevent fussing with an injury might inhibit the dog from getting to that place to continue that behavior. They sell them on line, they are real wide and restrict movement but you can modify a weight belt for that too.



Elizabethan collar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_collar


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

No sir, like this. I think it would stop it but the first thing that came to mind is would the behavior transfer to some other place? 

http://www.petsnmore.com/home.asp?cid=530


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

With the Elizabethan collar they can't get to anywhere else.


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

My Dobermann does it, hence the calluses on her hips. I tried everything, for a very long time and finally gave up. Other behavior is fine,and she is a hell of a working dog so what the hell. Actually LC calls her a great dog, not good for a Dobermann, good dog, but a great dog. Of course in the next breath he said, "so don't f%$k her up". Nothing like a little extra pressure.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Bob Scott said:


> With the Elizabethan collar they can't get to anywhere else.


Yes, but I would guess that whatever dog the OP is talking about may be crated during the day. You probably cannot put dogs in a crate with that on. 

Besides, I am not a fan of those E collars. First, they are stupid looking and second, they are stupid looking. :-D I was really surprised and relieved that when the dutch had to have stitches from a cut she got at the race track, for 2 weeks she left that cute purple wrap on her foot alone.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Steve Burger said:


> My Dobermann does it, hence the calluses on her hips. I tried everything, for a very long time and finally gave up. Other behavior is fine,and she is a hell of a working dog so what the hell. Actually LC calls her a great dog, not good for a Dobermann, good dog, but a great dog. Of course in the next breath he said, "so don't f%$k her up". Nothing like a little extra pressure.


Have you ever tried one of those collars that I posted? I guess you never know what "everything" really is until you ask. And I don't know why I care but is this something that goes on all day long or just off and on? Seems to me I'd just find a way so that the dog couldn't get to the flank and see if that worked.

I feel like I am cursing myself for even having this conversation. Just when I say I know about something but haven't ever dealt with it I end up with it at some point. 

Speaking of Dobes have you seen Susan Thurwell's dobe? I believe she's come out to work week a few times. Yoki I think is his name.


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

She doesn't seem to do it much anymore but those calluses are not going away. When they see them, It will give the Doberman pet/show people something to talk about besides what is important...like what an irresponsible owner i must be, that the dog must have lived its whole life on concrete and a bunch of other happy horseshit that is not based in reality. 

It almost healed a few times by using different concoctions. I think I tried an Elizabethan collar, I tried one of those coat things that poodle and Doberman show people use. Every time within a few hours she had whatever I tried to put on her tore apart. She is a tenacious and persistent little bitch. I think I even tried putting both the Elizabethan collar and a coat on her, to no avail. Anyways you would have to have the thing on her for a long time to give it enough time to heal. 

Yes I did see Susan's dog. Actually it was pretty decent dog (I think from Adlercrest), especially for a show dog. Did she ever get anything on him?


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Susan visits Alaska for trial almost yearly with Susana (think that's her name). I don't know if she managed to title him however. I recall thinking he was a pretty good dog as well.

Did you look at the link I posted on the other collar? You might find it a viable option. And just an honest question but after the source of whatever caused a callous goes away does the skin quality, including fur ever return to normal?

I don't know, I get a little obsessive about things I can't figure out or don't fully understand. I solve problems, that's what I get paid to do and it's hard to turn that off when I am not at work. It carries over in the weekend warrior lifestyle I live too. 

Sink a boat in the middle of no where 6 hours from your destination and figure out how to work around that or keep yourself alive as a brown bear comes plowing through the brush after you - you know, normal every day stuff


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Steve did you try a muzzle? Won't know unless I ask. This goes for the guy who originally posted about this for someone else. I get not being able to get over some of these bizarre behaviors but I'd want to make damned sure I exhausted every option possible before euthanizing the dog which I believe the OP said the owner was going to do by the end of this week.


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

I don't recall if I tried a muzzle. Probably. I gave up the last time I had the vet look at it and he said the calluses would not allow fur to grow over. I talked about removing the callous, as one sticks out quite a bit. He said she would probably bother it even more than she was the callous at that point so I let it go.


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## Matt Vandart (Nov 28, 2012)

One of my dobes used to do this. I sat in a room with her literally all day from the start to the end, 17 hours and everytime she started doing it I went bezerk, shouting and ranting and physically stopped her.
She doesn't do it anymore.


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