Re: Why do dogs kicked their legs?

Dogs do not have quite the same ability to think that humans have.  This is 
important to remember especially when training a dog.  People often tend to 
anthropomorphize their pets (imagine their pets have the same thoughts and 
feelings as they do).  This is easy to do since dogs can appear to express 
feelings and may indeed sometimes act in a very intelligent way. But remember, if 
your dog gets into the garbage while you're gone, it doesn't do much good to 
punish him since you didn't catch him in the act.  He may look "guilty" 
while you are scolding him, but try scolding him at any time and you will get 
that same "guilty" look.  
In regards to the kicking of the leg while scratching, all the dog knows is 
this itchy spot is being scratched and-it feels so good! I would assume he 
just wants to scratch it more.  Horses have an even sillier response to an 
itch: if you ever get a chance to scratch a horse on the back, near the 
neck, just to either side of the big bone that sticks up above the 
shoulders (the wither) the horse will lift its head up and curl and 
wiggle the upper lip.  I hope you get a chance to give this a try.
One more thing;  It's not normal for a dog to scratch especially at one 
spot for a prolonged period of time.  You may want to check you dog for fleas 
by combing with a flea comb (a very fine tooth comb). This will pull fleas 
out of the fur.  If fleas are not a problem, he may have a food allergy.  
Please talk to you vet for further information on this.
Thanks for the question and have a great day!