Despite splitting his time between relaxing on the sofa, going on walks, and receiving all the cuddles he could ever want, this dog still needs time to unwind after a long day. A woman has been left in stitches over her dog's 'silly quirk' that helps him calm himself after a 'long, hard day' of being adored by everybody he comes into contact with.
The dog, named Nikko, has become an online sensation thanks to his strange habit of sucking on one of his back paws when he wants to wind down for the evening. Sharing his unusual behaviour on Reddit, a user said: "My friend's dog has a strange habit... He does not have a medical issue, he does it to be silly. He was a rescue so it could be due to him being separated from his mother too early.
"The point is him doing this isn't causing harm to himself and he doesn't do it all the time. He is a healthy happy dog who just has a silly quirk. It's similar to a child sucking its thumb."
While most users couldn't help but laugh at the dog's unusual quirk, others shared stories of their own pets sucking on their feet for comfort.
One user said: "Dogs only care about how it makes them feel. Dogs don't care that we laugh."
While another user added: "My dog used to do this too! She got embarrassed if anyone watched and would slowly turn around with her foot in her mouth and continue."
A third user joked: "It's cute when a dog does it but when I do it I am 'insane' and need to 'see a doctor'."
Wanting to reassure the owner, another user said: "Dog trainer here. This is no big deal. Many puppies do this when you first get them but most grow out of it. Some never do."
It comes after a dog owner complained she can no longer sit and relax on her sofa without being given a "wet willy" by her dog.
A wet willy is the term used to describe a person wetting their finger with saliva and poking it into somebody’s ear as a joke.
Venting her frustrations, she wrote: "Juno is really into licking armpits and ears. With or without deodorant, she is diving in there. She really likes ears, specifically the inside of ears.
"She'll snort and snuffle directly into my eardrum, and nibble my ear like corn on the cob as though she's grooming me."
The woman has been trying to divert her dog’s attention away from her ears and armpits - but says the dog looks "absolutely heartbroken and crestfallen" when told to back off.
"I really, really hate when she licks inside my ear - but she acts like I’m rejecting her love," she said.
"I know all dogs lick, but I have never had a dog that licks so much and in such specific spots.
"I have two others who might once in a blue moon lick a leg or an arm, but Juno has always been a little more needy and affectionate.
"When she was a puppy she'd just lick you everywhere but in the last year she's really zoned in on ears and armpits.”
Labelling her unusual behaviour as a "Juno-ism", the woman is trying to accept her dog’s special type of love language.
She added: "Every pet has their quirks and this is hers. As she's gotten older she's chilled out more but still, I cannot sit by her without her going for the ears, then the pits, then snuggling down once she's decided she's given enough kisses.
"But my question is, why ears and armpits. Why? I endure it with a grimace because I don't want to hurt her feelings but I'm still just like, what the f*** and is it normal?"
Unable to offer all that much in the way of advice, one user said: "Maybe because it's where your scent is strongest? Only reason I can think of."
Does your dog have any unusual habits? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
