My dog paw balm contains non-toxic ingredients that won’t harm your pup! This being said, it’s best to take a few measures to encourage dogs not to lick. Excess licking can take away the balm’s moisturizing effect and actually make your dog's paws drier! When creating this paw balm recipe, I let my dogs smell various natural butters to determine which he wasn't interested in licking. Out of cocoa butter, mango butter, and shea butter, shea was the winner! It doesn’t have a strong scent so dogs are less likely to lick it.  If you’re concerned with licking, try adding the optional few drops of lavender essential oil to your paw balm. It will be unappetizing for your dog and they'll want to keep their tongues far away! Most folks know that chocolate is toxic to dogs, but cocoa butter isn’t as toxic. It is generally a safe ingredient to use in paw balm according to this vet.