What dog owner hasn’t been greeted by a big, wet, sloppy kiss from time to time? Some dog owners find this particular type of attention less than appealing, so one can imagine how much visitors to a home with a licking dog could be put off by such behavior.
Some dogs lick more than others, and some lick so much that it could be called excessive. The good news is that licking isn’t harmful, and the behavior isn’t anything to worry about unless it annoys you – or your guests – to the point that you’d like to put a stop to it.
Why Do Dogs Lick?
Let’s take a brief look at why dogs lick. From the moment they are born, dogs are introduced to licking by their mother and littermates. Dogs lick for several reasons:
- Grooming: When puppies are first born, their mother licks them for grooming purposes. At first, the mother removes remnants of the birthing process. Once that is done, her licking serves as a stimulant for the puppies to eliminate. Puppies also groom their littermates by licking them. This behavior doesn’t stop when puppies grow up. Pet owners with more than one dog have probably seen their dogs grooming each other from time to time.
- Food: Some puppies, when a few weeks old, will lick their mother’s mouth to get her to vomit some food, which they then eat. This serves as positive reinforcement for licking.
- Affection: Yes, dog kisses often serve the same purpose as the peck on the cheek you might give your loved ones: a way to show affection. The mother dog that licks her puppies for grooming purposes also does so to show affection and strengthen the bonding process. Some dogs express their affection in other ways, like jumping, rolling over, or wagging their tails until their owner pays attention.
- Submission: While many associate licking with grooming or affection, dogs also lick to show submission. Sometimes when a dog licks another dog, it’s to show subservience. Similarly, when a dog licks your face, it could be showing that it acknowledges your position of dominance.
- Habit: Some dogs lick because at some point in their lives, the behavior was rewarded and reinforced. Even if the attention is negative, like being yelled at or pushed away, it’s still attention, and to some dogs, even negative attention is better than none.
Now that you have some idea as to why your dog licks, you can decide whether it’s a habit you want to break. Remember, licking isn’t harmful, and the only negative aspect is that it can be annoying. Some toddlers give mighty sloppy kisses, but you wouldn’t want to try and stifle that behavior, would you?
If you decide that the licking must stop, here are a few tips on how to accomplish that:
- Squeal or Yelp: If your dog thinks that its licking causes you pain, it will not want to do it. The last thing your dog wants to do is hurt you. Make a noise that sounds like you are in pain when your dog licks you, and it will likely stop.
- Make it Taste Bad: Apply a few drops of hot sauce to your skin, so when your dog licks you, it won’t taste very good. You might need to experiment with different items to find something that causes a bad taste, as some dogs won’t mind hot sauce!
- Command It: If you’d like to reduce the licking but not completely eradicate the behavior, train your dog to lick you only on command. Decide on commands to invite and stop the licking, such as “kisses” and “no kisses.” As with other verbal commands, it will take time for your dog to master this, so be patient and keep practicing until it gets it right.
Punishment, such as hitting or yelling, should never be used as a training tool for any behavior, including licking. Remember that dogs who have been engaging in a behavior for a long time will take longer to retrain. Additionally, be careful not to inadvertently train your dog to stop licking or grooming itself or its doggy housemates.
If you do decide to stop the licking, it’s essential to provide an alternative way for your dog to show affection, such as shaking hands or rolling over. The training should include redirecting the behavior to an appropriate form of affection.
If you feel that the amount of licking is excessive, you might want to consult with your vet or an animal behaviorist to see if there’s an emotional problem behind the behavior.
Before you start training your dog to stop licking, it’s important to ask yourself if this completely natural and instinctual behavior is bothersome enough to eliminate. If you do decide to address it, teaching your dog to lick on command might be a better alternative to trying to stop the behavior completely.
One Response
When we go out for coffee on Sunday we sit outside on this deck and , I see a people there early sipping coffee with there dogs just hanging out with them and I notice nonc of these dogs jump on anyone, they don’t bark, drool or lick in fact I notice they don’t have that wild smell dogs typically have. I think it must be the breed. These quiet, Zen dogs! They all look like some sort of doodle dogs to me. It is that a part of the mixed breed or is this just a dog that is going to school or what? I want a dog and I think this is same type of dog I want. cool , calm that isn’t a hyper dog..