The most irritating thing that my older dog does is lick his paws. He just doesn't lick his paws, he licks them with a ferociousness and an intensity that is mind boggling; it is also a pain in my ass. My girlfriend has this little dripping fountain in her office. It drives me nuts. Drip. Drip. Drip, it goes. And suck, suck, suck goes my dog. (He follows me into the office and camps out there while I write.) Sometimes, I turn on music to drown out the sound of these two things, but sometimes I just don't feel like listening to music. My girlfriend suggested that I put tabasco sauce on the dog's feet. I think that she was joking. I hope so, anyway. That would be cruel. They must have something at the pet store that will alleviate this problem. I must check into it. Soon.