Licking

Whispered

Any tips on stopping a dog from licking. It's getting very annoying now, he's allowed on the couch but when you sit with him he starts licking at your face. Currently I'm saying no and pushing his head away, but it seems to make him do it more, he'll start licking my hand instead.

He's not nervous, I know licking can be a sign of nervousness but I seriously doubt this is the case here. Whatever about me, I suppose I'm the one who tells him what to do, but he does the same to my husband who is a total pushover with him.

lrushe

Brook's a licker as well, she'll try with your face but failing that she'll start with your hand and continue on up until your elbow :eek: Even bending over to tie your lace is seen as an open invitation to her to come over and lick your face :rolleyes:
If it's really bothering me I will just say "go over and lie down" aka go lie on your bed, she's v.obedient so this is usually enough for her to stop.

Whispered

haha, brilliant. Luckily harley doesn't really do it except when on the couch.

I was working last night and fell asleep on the couch to be woken by a big smelly head right in my face slurping cm's from my face, not a nice way to wake up. Actually, that's another thing, he also has a habit of licking the air around your face too. Not actually landing his tongue. Just slurping at the air rapidly.

I have put him off the couch for doing it, but I love cuddling up in front of the tv with him so I'd like to find a way to stop the licking but still allowing him to be there.

Owen

Blossom's a huge licker too. Licks my hands constantly, and if any part of my forearm's exposed, she'll start on the hand, and then work her way slowly up making sure to lick every little bit. Weird at the start, but I'm kinda used to it now.

toadfly

I have a feeling this is going to be a thread about dogs licking with little advice for the OP

Ozzie is a licker! He spends hours every evening licking Tilly's face, she looks like she has been dunked headfirst in a barrel of water! They are both lying beside me in bed, he has his front paws on her face and neck licking away. Never seen a dog like him.

His tongue is very very long, it's always sticking out a little bit!

DBCyc

Suzie is a serious licker too. Any bit of bare skin nearby is likely to get a swipe of her tongue. She has licked strangers legs on the street when she is passing if they are wearing shorts/skirts.

One time, just down the road, a builder was doing a bit of work and was bending over with his crack on display. As we walked by she decided to give it a lick which frightened the crap out of him! I just looked at him and said "Well it wasn't me!"

It can get annoying alright as she does it more when she is excited, but she has calmed down as she has got older. She still loves to lick certain people though, like my mother, when I go home. She sees the funny side of it thankfully.

Maybe you could try a loud, sharp "Ah-ah" or a "Oi!" instead of "no". Some dogs respond well to those instead of a "no"

HelenT

I growl! I know it seems nuts but it works. I let her lick my hand but not my face and after 3 or 4 little growls she has learnt that licking the face is out of bounds.

To be honest it wouldn't bother me so much but we have lots of ankle biters (human kind) around to play with our daughter and I think it may frighten them etc so thats why I have thought her that it is out of bounds.

FYI dogs lick your face for a number of reasons.

Dogs lick your face because this is their natural way of showing that you are their parent/care giver

Wild dogs use it for reguritation of meat thats puppies cannot chew / digest. Adults in the pack swallow the meat which then begins to digest in their stomachs. When the adult dogs reach the cubby the younger dogs begin to lick their mouths which stimulates the regurgitation of the partially digested meat.

Its used as a form of respect. Lower members of a pack lick the face of the Alpha male and female.



Hope that helps!

Whispered

That makes sense - he often tucks his rather large head under your chin whn he's finished his licking and settles in for a cuddle so it could be sort of looking for affection. He's very "tactile".

I was aware it wasn't just bad behaviour so I haven't given out to him too much for it. But it has to stop. Is it fair to stop him if it's a natural pack thing?

I'll try growling at him. I can nearly promise you that he'll just lick more.

luvdogs

one of mine is a nibbler .... shes very good at it and never gets the skin, i like it and take it as a sign of affection!!!
she was searching for something to nibble on once and picked a towel on the radiator in desperation lol

HelenT

You have to make that call! The way I reason it out is that yes they have to align with some stupid human rules but in return they get much love, food on demand, heat, care, stimulation etc.

He sounds like a lovely dog btw!

Shazanne

I have a pair of lickers! Millie loves to lick anything that stays still long enough - hands, faces, legs (hers and ours!) are all fair game:D
At the moment both of them are on ear drops and Max waits patiently until Millie has gotten hers and then he tries to lick them out - he's turning her into a sponge! And (being the fussy mother:rolleyes:) I worry that these drops are not the wisest things to be licking:eek: If I correct him he just gives me that solemn innocent look that he's knows I cant resist

The Sweeper

Teach your dog the 'leave it' command (very useful anyway, for anything you don't want them touching) and use the 'leave it' command when they start licking.

I've a licker too - face, hands, whatever he can reach. For him it's a real passifying gesture most of the time, and in the evenings if he's really chilled out and you go to stroke him he'll start to wash you in a mutual groom, so it's a bonding thing too.

Given it can be attention seeking behaviour, pushing the dog's head away isn't a good solution - because that's still attention.

You can try 'leave it', or you can simply stand up, making yourself inaccessible to the dog. Every time they start to lick, stand up and ignore them.

Whispered

Thanks for your replies.

He knows "leave it" and does it very well, but usually with food/toys etc. I'll give it a try with my face too.

Thanks again.

borderlinemeath

I have an irish setter and she is a constant licker. She licks my hands but not my partners (he gets face and ears only)
But if I let her into the house in the morning and into the bedroom she'll jump on the bed but won't lick him - but then if he lets her in - she wakes me up by licking my face and ears.

No I've no answer in how to stop it!!

Daisy!

Actually on the subject of licking, my JRT is mad for licking peoples' faces especially kids when they're on the ground playing with him. They don't mind it, some think it's hilarious and he stops after one or two licks but is it dangerous at all? He's wormed and has all his vaccinations etc but just wondering if there's any danger in him licking a child's face?

dvet

Haha, this is the cutest problems ever!

Our dog isn't a constant licker but she occassionally does it as a 'thanks' type of thing, or else as an 'i'm sorry' type of thing. It's very sweet although i can see why you'd want to put a gentle stop to it if it was giving you a constant wet face!! :pac:

Daisy! wrote: »

Actually on the subject of licking, my JRT is mad for licking peoples' faces especially kids when they're on the ground playing with him. They don't mind it, some think it's hilarious and he stops after one or two licks but is it dangerous at all? He's wormed and has all his vaccinations etc but just wondering if there's any danger in him licking a child's face?

I'd say it's probably ok, as long as he hasn't been licking/eating anything gross.. e.g. dead birds/horse manure (wierd i know..but some do!!) Other than that I would think as long as you keep him wormed, (and the kids too!), it should be fairly ok

LucyBliss

My dog Meg is a licker. She'll lick my face and if I put cream on my hands, she's over like a shot to lick that off too. I limit her to one quick slurp of my nose. On one occasion, I was lying on the couch and she was lying beside me and trying to lick my face. I moved my head and she planted both paws on my face to stop me so she could groom me in peace! It was more amusing than anything else but I use the 'Leave it' command as well, otherwise she'd give me no peace!

She also likes to go over to the other dog, Jack, and groom his face from time to time and he will move his head closer to her and let her do it. One night, Rosie was grooming Meg's ears, while Meg was grooming Jack's face and Jack was licking my hand. I'll take that over the three of time fighting tooth and nail any day!

Cherry Blossom

Love this thread . Licking in my house is a means of opening peoples eyes when they are asleep. She'll lick your eye lid then stand back to see if it has had the desired effect, if not she'll try a few more times then resort to gently prising them open with her paw, it's very funny!!

Discodog

My pup is a licker & a mouther - classic Lab trait. He has a really soft mouth so he never hurts except when he catches my body hair . He has this knack of using his incisors as an epilator :eek:.

dvet

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Love this thread . Licking in my house is a means of opening peoples eyes when they are asleep. She'll lick your eye lid then stand back to see if it has had the desired effect, if not she'll try a few more times then resort to gently prising them open with her paw, it's very funny!!

Best alarm clock ever!!

neelyohara

Mine has a huge foot fetish.

Any sign of bare feet and she's in there... or she'll paw your feet because she wants you to take off your shoes/slippers so she can get a good slobber.

The worse part is when she's licked your feet and jumps up to try lick your face!!!

Normally I can get her to stop by breaking her concentration and I'll ask her 'is someone outside' and she'll stop and listen for sounds. The whole 'bad girl' 'lie down' 'for the love of jebus stop' never works.

I think i haz flavour

ncmc

I have a suggestion Whispered, raw hide chews.... it won't stop the licking, but it does make the breath doing the licking a little more fragrant! And yes, I do speak from experience! Loving reading this thread, especially the builders bum post, serves him right for not having his trousers properly pulled up . I'm glad to know Libby isn't the only licker out there! She specialises in the crook of your elbow, I think it's the salt in your sweat that they like :eek:.

Whispered

Update: I tried growling - it made him worse! He got really excited and licked more.

I stood up, he stood on the couch and started nuzzling my hands with his little bum wagging.

I've started putting him off the couch for it. We will see if it works.

He's currently lying as far away from me on the couch as he can, sighing. Like I've insulted him. :rolleyes:

Shazanne

I just love this thread - and all the people on it! It makes me feel normal - and I seldom feel that in my canine dominated world:D:D:D

Discodog

Whispered wrote: »

Update: I tried growling - it made him worse! He got really excited and licked more.

I stood up, he stood on the couch and started nuzzling my hands with his little bum wagging.

I've started putting him off the couch for it. We will see if it works.

He's currently lying as far away from me on the couch as he can, sighing. Like I've insulted him. :rolleyes:

He knows that you are a Softie