Stop Weimaraner Scratching

There are millions of Weimaraner owners looking for ideas to stop dog scratching. Whether from a food allergy, fleas, or an obsession on their skin, a Weimaraner that keeps scratching can cause infections and other skin problems that can progress to severe long term problems if you're not careful.

The Various Causes of Dog Scratching

There are various reasons a Weimaraner might scratch constantly. To be able to effectively stop your dog from scratching, the first thing you must do is to ascertain the root cause.

• Infections - The various infections that are out there are caused by bacteria, fungi, or yeast. Look out for patches of missing fur, running sores, or red swelling.
• Neurogenic - This nervous problem can be caused by extreme chewing and licking. Often, it is caused by a lack of mental incentive and exercise. It can quite often be linked to separation anxiety.
• Allergenic - There are various forms of allergies. Food based allergies, allergic to fleas, dust and plant allergies, and many other types of allergies can cause a variety of skin issues that can lead to severe itching.
• Nutritional - If a Weimaraner doesn't get the correct nutrients in their daily diet they could get dry skin, developing sores, eczema, or simply badly groomed hair that can lead to dryness.
• Environmental - Too much digging, too much swimming, or playing outside can cause the dog to scratch as well.
• Parasites - All types of parasites can cause the itching, including fleas, ticks, flies and gnats. Most types of medications can help stop parasites.

Go and Visit the Vet

To work out how the scratching behavioural problem is increasing, go to the vet and get your Weimaraner fully checked up. If there is an infection your Weimaraner will need some type of antibiotic or antifungal cream to counter the effects. The allergies can be treated with various antihistamines and with a change in the diet, and parasites can be treated with medications and flea baths.

Dealing with Neurogenic Scratching

The hardest type of behaviour to stop is going to be the neurogenic cases. All the five other problems can be treated by changing your diet around, different medications, or by changing around the exercise routines. For continued, neurogenic itching, you need to work out why your Weimaraner might feel the need to constantly keep on scratching at his skin.

First, you have to make sure your Weimaraner is getting the exercise that it needs. A lot of the time, the Weimaraner is bored and has just developed a phobic tick to constantly scratch. To stop your dog from scratching because he is bored, you may need to prevent the behaviour. You can do this by putting cayenne pepper or bitter apple spray on the dog's licking spots.

You can also get a cone from the vet that will not allow the Weimaraner to reach those itching hot spots. Once the Weimaraner has a healthy exercise routine, you will be able to slowly return their other activities to normal, removing the cone and the spray. If your Weimaraner continues scratching, make sure you visit the vet again to rule out any other physical conditions.

Ultimately, your goal as a dog owner is to pay close attention to why your dog might start scratching. Most of the time, it can be easily fixed, but you can never be too careful.