missing fur on front paws

[joecancer]

over the past week my 4 month old male has begun to lose some fur on both front paws. i thought it might be mites so i brought him to the vet today. the vet checked for mites and he didnt have them, he also said it could be ringworm, but he said it didnt look like that, but still is sending the sample out for testing to be sure. he said most likely he is doing this to himself. we asked him why and he said because the dog has high anxiety and thinks he may miss being around us while were gone during the day, which is for about 3-4 hours. does this sound like a behavior that can be fixed by training? he gave us an ointment to help heal the area and its supposed to taste bad so he wont bite the area. i just would like to treat the real problem though. any help would be aprreciated. this little guy gets plenty of attention and activity so i dont know what would be causing this.

[StephanieandToby]

3-4 hours isn't a very long time to leave a puppy that's being exercised and mentally stimulated. When you leave, are you giving him a chew toy, or a stuffed Kong?

Also, when you leave the house...try not to make a big deal of it. Don't fuss and say "Bye-bye" and coddle the dog before you leave. Make coming and going no big deal. When you leave...just leave. When you get back...just come in and hang up your coat and go about your business...just give a quick hello. Later, when the pup has settled down, you can go give cuddles or whatever.

I was going to mention that I walk a Flat-coated Retriever with bald feet. it's all four paws though, and most likely an allergy.

[giglz15]

If you have time before you leave a good long walk might help with some energy levels and he may sleep the time you are gone. My Rot had started chewing on anything and everything when we are gone also about 4 hours a day with the way our work schedules pan out, I started walking him every morning before work he has stopped chewing on things he isn't suppose to. We do have tons of toys for him to chew when we are away. Also he isn't hyper in any way I think he just needed something to do, I even got him a little back pack that he can use to carry things, it normally just has a water bottle in it, but he sure feels proud.

[joecancer]

i witnessed him doing this last night in his crate right before bedtime. he was munching on the fur on both of his paws. that ointment doesnt seem to stop him(he was supposed to not like the taste). i told him no in a nice calm voice a few times and he did stop. im going to start playing real hard with him before bed and before we leave during the day and see how that works out. he plays with our 2 other dogs most of the day(he does the playing, they are his props), and we walk him in the morning, so hopefully the extra playtime will really wear him down. thanks for the suggestions.

p.s. they still havnt ruled out ringworm, still waiting for the results. but ive witnessed him first hand so im pretty confident its not the ringworm