wierd habit

[reef680]

my parents jack russell constantly licks the patio slab right by the back door it seems like she is addicted to doin it, she will stand by the door and bark and scratch the door to u let her out to do it, they have only lived in the house for 6 months and she has never done it before but has always liked playing with stones could u please be able to advice us on what to do as the vets here do not no why she is doin it thank you grace clayfield

[Jaybay]

suttyjane makes a good point. The dog may simply like the taste.  :-)

Another possibility that crosses my mind is that the licking and obsession with stones is a sign of extreme boredom.  JRT's are particularly active dogs who really need a job to keep them mentally and physically balanced.  If she isn't challenged with activities that make her think as well as burn off energy, she's going to exhibit some bizarre and sometimes unhealthy behavior.  

JRT's were bred to hunt vermin.  You could set up a game for her to mimic that breeding.  Maybe take one of those Kong toys and freeze it with some peanut butter and/or cheese in the middle and hide it the yard.  Start out with putting it somewhere fairly obvious so she can find it, and gradually make it more and more difficult so she has to use her nose and innate skills to track it down.  Even playing fetch with it in the beginning will help get her started.

And don't forget daily walks. Even though they're small dogs, JRTs have tons of energy and it's an absolute necessity for them to have plenty of exercise.  These dogs were never meant to be couch potatoes.  If those mental and physical needs are met, you should see the obsessive behavior with concrete and rocks disappear.

[suttyjane]

If the patio slab is this new? And made of concrete? It's salty to her! I've seen dogs try to literally 'eat' the dumped waste concrete from the mixer. It won't hurt her, but its obviously annoying to you.
My best suggestion is to try cleaning the area with a strong detergent or degreaser, see what happens?