My dog keeps scratching

Scratching is part of every dog's life. It becomes a problem when it turns into a routine: waking up to do it, chewing the paws before sleep, rubbing against the sofa several times a day. At that point the skin is already asking for attention.

Skin is your dog's largest organ and it works as a barrier. When that barrier weakens, through dryness, over-washing, the rub of a collar or something in the environment that irritates it, the nerve endings become more sensitive and the itch appears. The dog scratches, the skin becomes a little more inflamed, and the loop closes.

What you see from the outside varies a great deal from one dog to another. Some lick their paws until the fur turns rust-coloured. Others chew the base of the tail or scratch behind the ears. Some only show fine dandruff and a dull coat. All of these behaviours share one root: something is bothering the skin and the dog is trying to relieve it the only way it knows.

Our role is not to name what your dog has. That belongs to your vet, who can look at the skin closely, run tests and give you a plan. What we can do is help you observe better, care for the skin every day and recognise when scratching stops being normal.

The usual road and the PerroAmante road. What people usually try first: a human shampoo, which dries the skin even more; forum remedies such as vinegar or baking soda, which irritate skin that is already sensitive; or clipping the coat short hoping the air will fix it. They fail because they attack the symptom, not the barrier. The Protocolo PerroAmante works in a different order: Understand what is happening to the skin, Care for it with a 5-minute routine and the right product, and Maintain the result with timely refills and a community that has been through the same thing. It is like a damp wall: you can paint over it every month, or fix the leak once.