The title pretty much says it - my dog, Chewy, has been biting and pulling the hair out on her front arms. Her name was given before this problem started. :)

It's not every day, and I cannot find a pattern but about every week or so I'll come home from work to chunks of hair pulled out around the house (normally all in the same area where she was laying), or wake up to what sounds like carpet being ripped out, which is an awful sound.

This has been happening for probably a year and a half.

**About my dog**

She is about 2.5 years old and is a Chow/Lab mix. She is honestly the nicest dog I have ever been around and NEVER gets aggressive (I only mention that because I know it is common for Chows to be aggressive/protective).

She was fixed as soon as she was old enough. 

**What we've done/tried so far**

1. Keep her hair trimmed (especially around her arms/paws) because we thought that the length might be bothering her (and if it were shorter she might not be able to bite it as much). This had little to no effect.
2. Taken her to the vet, several times. The vet thinks Chewy has anxiety issues, which I agree with completely. We've tried a couple of different medications, the latest being Amitriptyline HCL, but haven't had any luck.

**Her anxiety**

We've moved 3 times since we've had Chewy, which I think has contributed to her anxiety of being in a new place. However, we've been at our new house since July 2014 so I would hope that wouldn't be an issue now.

She also has a fascination with being under things. Coffee tables, end tables, chairs, our bed, anything she can fit under, she'd rather be under it. She sleeps under our bed every night, and is under our coffee table in front of me as I type this. I've read this could have something to do with feeling protected. 

I should also mention that she isn't shy at all. She has no issues with people or people coming over, etc.; she greets anyone and everyone pretty much immediately. That is why I am unsure about her feeling "unprotected" when she is always under something.

**Allergies**

I am not 100% sure that Chewy has allergies, but she might. When she was a puppy, our vet told us that she *might* have allergies and suggested we switch to a grain-free food. She's been on grain-free food ever since, although we aren't too particular when it comes to treats, etc., not having grains. She doesn't appear to have allergies to me (but I am not a vet and she hasn't been tested for allergies to my knowledge).

**Bathing**

I've also considered the fact that she might have dry skin, which could cause itching and thus her biting her arms. She honestly isn't bathed very often. She's an indoor dog but we really only bathe her when she absolutely needs it (i.e. gets muddy outside). I'm wondering if she needs to be bathed more often, possibly with a shampoo that can moisturize her skin?

Here is what her arm looks like right now, you can see the baldness (this is her left arm), although it doesn't look *that* bad right now:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v1KEv.jpg)

Has anyone ever seen or heard of a dog doing this before or have any ideas/suggestions that we could try to get her to stop?