Brody has started licking Gypsy's face and ears obsessivly. Most of the time she just closes her eyes and lets him but does sometimes tell him off and move away. Also while he licks he sometimes pulls at her fur which this moring ended up in her having a little bald red sore patch just infront of her ear.
At first I let him do it as I just thought he was being nice but have been trying to discorage him now that she's getting annoyed and sore.
Has anyone had this happen with there dogs?
I don't know if its to do with them sorting out the pack hierarchy as it seems to be changing since Gypsy's last season. Which was about a month ago, her and brody were kept apart but he wasn't interested anyway, would just sniff her and walk away. Since her season she seems to have taken the lead role where Kerrie was leader before. Kerrie seems fine with this and there has been no fighting.
Or of it's because he's maturing and it's some kind of mating ritual? But as I said when she was actually in season he wasn't interested in her. I was going to send him to a friends for the duration of her season but just kept them apart at home as he wasn't trying to gt at her!
I've put below there ages etc incase that helps!
Thanks!

Brody: 7Mths, Cocker, Male, Not Neutered.
Gypsy: 20Mths, S. Poodle, Female, Not Spayed.
Kerrie: 7Yrs, Westie, Female, Spayed.

I used to have a Cavalier that did this to several of my dogs -they became virtually bald all over. In his case it was because he used to be fed raw and then I changed back to dog food and he obviously missed all the time he used to spend chewing his food. It's a good few years ago now but I seem to remember we had to go back to the bones for a while then gradually phase them out and he never chewed fur again. Much the same as guinea pigs that chew each other's fur when they lack hay.

Probably not much help but my only experience.

I can sympathise but can't really offer any advice. Hattie has had a passion for her mother's ears from day one, and they are now very thin in the hair department. Also if Lottie gets any scratches or scrapes Hattie sets about them, licking like mad and pulling out any surrounding fur. At the moment Lottie is wearing a doggie t-shirt because she went through a barbed wire fence recently and you can guess what Hattie is doing.

lol @ Pedlee

Aww protective doggy clothing!

Has anyone had this happen with there dogs?

Yup! Oscar has a real habit of chewing/sucking his brothers back, he puts his whole mouth over Geordi's shoulders and they just lay there like that. Geordi doesn't object but now has a lovely saliva stain across his shoulders :rolleyes:

I don't know why he does it, he seems to use Geordi as his comfort blanket!

When you find the cure, let me know!!

How about a quick squirt of something like bitter apple spray - well away from victims face of course.
Chris

Is it Mites? Bald red sore patch might suggest it is.
Maybe the other dog is trying to cure the problem!

My eldest dog (aged 11 years) does this with my youngest bitch (12 months old) 
He started doing it a few days after we had her this stopped for a few months but then started again when she had her first season.  It's not every day but quite often, he doesn't do it to the extent that he pulls her fur though it is just licking and only her ears as well, LOL
I found bitter apple spray a good deterrent once we'd checked that there was nothing actually medically wrong with her.  Because it's her ears though (she is a long eared breed) I tend to spray the bitter apple on my hands and just rub a little on her ear fur.
I've come to the conclusion that he does it when he wants attention from her and to have a play as thats what usually happens and perhaps because she's a bitch as he doesn't do it it to our middle dog (he did for a couple of days when he was a pup and we'd just had him) 

Paula :-)

My Flatcoat licked my Goldens ears constantly a while ago before we noticed that the Golden had an ear infection, after being treated he stopped.
He still has a tendancy to try occasionally but we just tell him to stop now and he seems to understand.

I think it also may be a bit of a dominance thing with mine.

My flatcoat is always licking the pointer's ears - especially straight after walks for some reason. There's nothing wrong with the pointer's ears, and flatcoats are licky dogs anyway, but why he has this ears obsession I don't know. I have to keep stepping in as the pointer gets fed up after a while!!

A Friend whose bitch has a CC and a RCC has had her show career ended because of the licking habit of her daughter and the damage it caused. 

First it discoloured her ears, and made them sore and then she ended up with a blood blister which after treatment has spoilt her ear carriage.

I think the reasons for this habit can be comfort, stress relief etc, in the same way as dos that suck and lick at their feet or other parts of their bodies.

My Jozi had to have an Elizabethan collar when she had an eye ulcer.  As she couldn't do anything about the discomfort she redirected her attention to licking her feet.  Every now and then she will lick again when she is bored or on a long car journey etc.  Her saliva is such that she makes her feet orange/pink in colour instead of the pale cream/grey they should be.

She is quite licky anyway and will lick my legs and given the chance my feet.

Thanks everyone, glad to hear it's not just mine!
I did take Gypsy to the vets to check that it wasn't something wrong with her that he was responding to (mites, skin problem etc), but the vet think it is just inflamed because of him!
Once the skin has healed I will put bitter spray on her, though it is mainly her face he licks so will have to be careful!
Will try also giving him something else to chew when he starts incase it's boredom or anything.
Thanks again!