Why Does My Labrador Lick His Bed
Related: What Size Bed Does A Labrador Need
I've got a 75-pound black lab named Duke who treats his bed like a chew toy and a 55-pound senior rescue named Penny who treats hers like a throne. Between the two of them, I've watched enough bed-related behavior to fill a notebook. The licking thing? That's a whole separate category, and it's got nothing to do with the fabric.
The short answer: Your lab licks his bed because it tastes like you, or because he's anxious, or because he's bored, or because he's got a mild stomach issue. Sometimes it's all four. The bed isn't the problem. The behavior is a symptom.
Here's what I've learned from a decade of training labs and watching my own two do everything short of eating the mattress foam.
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Visit on Amazon →Why He's Doing It
Let's start with the obvious. Dogs lick things for reasons. Sometimes the reason is simple. Sometimes it's a puzzle with four interlocking pieces. I've broken it down into the patterns I've seen in my own dogs and in the hundreds of labs I've trained over the years.
Taste and smell. Your bed smells like you. Your dog loves you. He licks the bed because it's got your scent on it and that's comforting. That's the sweet version. It's also the most common version, especially if he only licks the spot where you sit or sleep.
Duke does this on the couch. He'll lick a specific cushion for five minutes before he settles down. It's not destructive.
It's just weird.
Boredom and habit. Labs are working dogs. They need a job. When they don't have one, they find their own. Licking is self-soothing. It releases endorphins. It's the canine equivalent of chewing on a pen. If your lab is under 3 and he's licking his bed, he's probably telling you he needs more exercise or more mental stimulation. A tired lab doesn't lick his bed. A bored lab does.
Anxiety and stress. This is the one that matters. Dogs lick to calm themselves down. If the licking is constant, if he's doing it for hours, if he's licking the same spot until the fabric is wet and frayed, that's not a taste thing.
That's a stress thing. Separation anxiety is the big one. I've seen labs who lick their beds after their owners leave for work.
The bed smells like the owner. Licking it is the closest they can get to comfort.
Medical issues. This is the one nobody wants to talk about, but I'll say it because I've lived it. Sometimes the licking is a sign of nausea. Dogs lick surfaces when their stomach is upset. If your lab is licking his bed and also licking the floor, the walls, the furniture, and he's doing it right after meals, get him to the vet. It's usually nothing serious, but it's worth checking.
How to Tell Which One It Is
You don't need a vet to figure out most of these. You need to watch when he does it.
If he licks right before settling down for a nap: That's comfort. He's self-soothing. It's normal. Let him do it.
If he licks when you're about to leave the house: That's anxiety. He's trying to calm himself. This is the one to address, because it's not going to get better on its own. The fix is usually more exercise, more routine, and sometimes a training program. I've had good results with crate training for this. The crate becomes a safe space, not a stress trigger.
If he licks after meals and it's persistent: That's worth a vet visit. Nausea in dogs is common and usually treatable, but you want to rule out the bad stuff.
If he licks when he's bored: That's on you. He needs more walks, more fetch, more puzzle toys. A 30-minute walk before you leave for work will do more than any bed ever will.
What This Means for the Bed
Here's the part that connects to what I actually review. If your lab is licking his bed, the bed itself matters less than you'd think. A cheap bed and an expensive bed will both get licked. The difference is what happens after.
Duke went through a phase where he licked a spot on his K9 Ballistics bed so much that the ballistic fabric started to fray. That's a bed designed to resist chewing, and he wore it down with his tongue. That tells you how persistent the behavior can be. The bed held up, but it wasn't the bed that fixed the problem. It was the extra exercise and the puzzle toys.
For senior dogs like Penny, the licking is usually comfort-related. She licks her PetFusion bed before she settles down. The bed is dense enough that she doesn't sink, the raised bumpers give her something to rest against, and the waterproof layers mean that if she licks a spot until it's wet, the foam underneath stays dry.
That's worth something when you've got an old dog with hip dysplasia who doesn't move as fast as she used to.
The Durability Question
Here's the thing nobody tells you about the licking problem. It's not the licking that kills beds. It's the moisture. A dog who licks the same spot for an hour every day is putting a lot of saliva into that fabric. Over weeks, that moisture breaks down the fibers. It also creates a smell. And if the bed doesn't have a waterproof layer, that moisture gets into the foam.
I've cut open beds that failed from licking, not chewing. The foam was discolored and compressed in the exact spot the dog licked. The cover was intact. The bed was still ruined.
So when I recommend a bed, I'm thinking about the licking problem too. The K9 Ballistics bed has a waterproof inner cover. The PetFusion bed has multiple layers before the foam. The KSIIA Washable Dog Bed doesn't, but it's cheap enough that you can replace it when it gets gross.
What Actually Works
Let me give you the practical version, because that's what I do.
For a puppy or young lab: Don't buy a $200 bed. He's going to lick it, chew it, and probably destroy it. Get the MidWest mat or something similar, and accept that you'll replace it. When he's 3 and the chewing phase is over, get the good bed.
For a moderate chewer who also licks: The K9 Ballistics bed is your best bet. The ballistic fabric resists the tongue better than anything else I've tested. The waterproof inner cover protects the foam.
It's not indestructible, but it's the most durable thing I've found. It costs about $150, and it's lasted Duke over a year.
That works out to about 40 cents a day. A $40 bed that lasts three months costs more per day.
For a senior dog: The PetFusion bed is the one. The foam is dense enough to support Penny's hips, the raised bumpers give her a place to rest her head, and the waterproof layers mean the licking doesn't ruin the foam. It's about $90, and it's lasted Penny months without losing its shape.
For anxiety-driven licking: No bed fixes this. You need to address the anxiety. More exercise, a consistent routine, and sometimes a training program. I've seen labs who licked their beds obsessively, and the fix was never a different bed. It was a different schedule.
The K9 Ballistics Tough Bed
This is the bed I recommend when someone asks what to get for a lab that chews and licks. The ballistic fabric is the toughest thing I've tested. Duke's spent months trying to dismantle it, and it's held up. The waterproof inner cover means the foam stays dry even when he's been licking the same spot for an hour.
The downsides are real, though. The cover is a two-person job to get on. I've wrestled with it more times than I want to admit. There are no handles, which is annoying at this price. And the fabric is a little noisy when Duke moves around. Not a dealbreaker, but you should know.
One buyer on Amazon, writing in March 2025, called it "a bit of a wrestle to get the cover on, but it fits well." That matches my experience exactly.
The PetFusion Waterproof Crate Mat
This is the bed for senior dogs. Penny's slept on it for months. The foam is dense, not the flaky cheap stuff from big box stores. She doesn't sink into it, which means her hips get real support. The raised bumpers on two sides give her options for how she lays.
The waterproofing works. I've had dogs soil it, and the foam stayed clean. The multiple layers before the foam is smart engineering. And the customer service is the best I've dealt with. When something goes wrong, they replace it immediately.
The downside: it's not chew-resistant at all. A determined chewer will go through it. If your dog is a heavy chewer, this isn't your bed.
The MidWest Microfiber Crate Mat
This is a solid budget option for the right situation. It's soft, machine washable, and holds its shape in a crate. One reviewer's had four of them for years, washing them weekly, and they've held up. That's real durability for a $30 mat.
But it's not chew-proof, and it's not lick-proof either. The fabric punctures easily. One buyer reported their dog ripped it with his nails. And it slips on hard surfaces. Add non-slip pads underneath and it's better.
Should You Buy a New Bed for the Licking?
Here's the direct answer, because that's how I operate.
If your lab is licking his bed and the bed is still in good shape, you don't need a new bed. You need to figure out why he's licking. Watch when he does it. If it's comfort, let him do it. If it's boredom, exercise him more. If it's anxiety, work on the anxiety. If he's doing it after meals and it's persistent, see the vet.
If the licking is ruining the bed, then yes, you need a bed that can handle it. That means a waterproof layer between the fabric and the foam. The K9 Ballistics bed has that. The PetFusion bed has that. The MidWest mat doesn't.
And if your dog is under 3, don't spend $200 on a bed. He's going to destroy it. Get something cheap, let him grow out of the phase, and get the good bed when he's older.
What I'm Testing Next
I've got a new "indestructible" bed sitting in my shop that Duke has been working on for three weeks. The marketing says it's chew-proof. We'll see. I'm also testing a raised cot-style bed for Penny, because her hips are getting worse and I'm wondering if she'd prefer something with more airflow. I'll report back when I've got real data.