Dog scratches when frustrated; vet found no skin problems. What's wrong?

Question

Is anxiety/attention scratchingna thing? Cause when my dog is being told commands sometimes he will scratch instead. He has been tested and looked at by his Vet for ANY skin issues. But sometimes when we won’t let him have his way or do bad habits in which we are training out he will bits and scratch and chew himself. Like for example I’m training him not to put tension and tug on the leash and because i stop and start and don’t let him get in front of me. He gets upset and wants to scratch. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 9 months and 19 days old | 115 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While that is possible, that would be rather unusual. This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Dog scratches when frustrated; vet found no skin problems. What's wrong?

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