Why does my beagle obsessively lick his paws?

[Baby#1Due8/03/09]

My 2 year old male 3/4 beagle 1/4 border collie mix dog obsessively licks his paws. Anytime he lays down he licks them like crazy. The only time he wont lick them is when he is super tired and about ready to fall asleep. Beyond it being a little annoying (especially when he chooses to lick his paws in our bed and you come to bed to find a huge wet spot) I am just wondering if this may be a sign of a problem like an allergy or something. Thanks for your help.

 

[Unregistered]

paw licker.

If you ever get an answer to this, I can't wait to hear it. My beagle is 2 and a bit, and he seriously licks his paws every single time he is laying down, unless he is asleep.
He doesn't really bother with anything else. I seriously can't figure out why. My vet says it's no big deal and he just does it because he wants to.