DOES YOUR DOG LICK YOU TOO MUCH, ROUGHLY?
I let my dogs
lick my face when:
- I have invited them to do so.
- They are not in an overly excited state.
- They have not been eating anything disgusting.
- They lick in a respectful manner and know when to stop.
It is normal, healthy
expression of joy and affection for a dog to give you one or two gentle licks
as a greeting, or to share affection.
Licking behavior is
instinctive in puppies. Puppies lick their mother’s face as a sign of
recognition and respect. A mother dog will lick her puppies to groom them. A dog
will also lick another dog to indicate subservience.
My Australian Shepherd
Tasha loves to groom my Chihuahua Carmen - when Carmen needs a grooming he
always goes to see Tasha!
Teach Your Dog
But when a dog licks
in a dominating manner (never asks if you would like to be licked but just
moves in and takes completely over) or excessively licks in an anxious
manner and refuses to stop it is time to
put some limits in place.
Too much
licking is not normal and indicates that your dog is either dominating you or
is insecure and anxious. Left unchecked this behavior can become obsessive. It
can also indicate that your dog does not know how to relax. That is not good
for the dog or you.
If you enjoy getting
a ‘kiss’ from your dog but would like to teach your dog that it needs to stop
licking after a couple of licks and that it needs to lick respectfully (gently,
slowly - not hyper and fast). First make sure that you are not inviting your
dog to lick you when your dog is very excited - you can end of overwhelming and
stressing your dog! To learn more you can read this short article Affection
and Your Dog.
One - Make sure you
are calm (without excess emotion), and ready to coach with fair, firm
confidence. Don't be aggressive, annoyed, frustrated, angry etc., don't raise
your voice in anger. To understand more about how you can make sure you are
communicating properly with your dog you can read about the Sensitivity
of Dogs and Communication.
Two - Once your dog
has licked once or twice you can touch your dog firmly but quickly with your
fingers - at its neck or waist, you can snap your fingers and say 'enough'
firmly, but not with anger. If your dog is too rough in the way he licks you
can follow the same methodology and say ‘gentle’.
Three - Then tell your
dog what you would like it to do instead i.e. 'go sit' etc.
Four - Follow
through...if your dog goes back to lick you again - don't get angry, simply
correct as per the steps above.
How To Stop Your Dog Licking Your Face
If you do not want your dog to lick your face, your hands
etc;
If your dog always
licks your skin cream off, or is insistently / obsessively licking anything
else… here is the proper way to it them not to stop…
One - Make sure you
are calm (without excess emotion),and ready to coach with fair, firm
confidence. Don't be aggressive, annoyed, frustrated, angry etc., don't raise
your voice in anger.
Two - get your dogs
attention, you can touch your dog firmly but quickly with your fingers - at its
neck or waist, you can snap your fingers and say 'hey' firmly, but not with
anger. Never touch or talk in anger as you then lead by the wrong example!
Three - Tell your dog
what you want i.e. 'no, don't touch' and then say 'leave it' I have ten dogs -
different breeds, from tiny to large - they all understand this type of
direction...as do the dogs I work with for my clients.
Four - Tell your dog
what you would like it to do instead i.e. 'go sit' etc.
Five - Follow
through...if your dog goes back to lick you again - don't get angry, simply
correct as per the steps above.
And by the way - dogs
use the placement of their body to takeover and own space - you can too! If you lean or walk
into the space your dog occupies your dog will naturally move out of your space
- providing you are calm confident...this is also an excellent way of telling
your dog - in a language it understands - to give you space. This helps your
dog to further understand that licking and invading your personal space is not
appropriate at that time.
Holistic Diet, Nutrition, Wellness Services Tailored to Your Individual Dog and Cat
For information about my holistic diet, nutrition and wellness services, visit my holistic wellness services page.
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Holistic Behavioral Services for Your Dog
For information about my holistic behavioral services, visit my holistic behavioral services page.
For dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds.
My behavioral services are available worldwide via video consultation.
🌎 USA | Canada | UK | Europe | Australia | New Zealand | Asia | South and Central America | Africa | UAE
📱FaceTime | Facebook | Skype | WhatsApp
To set-up your holistic behavioral session get in-touch via email, go to my contact me page.
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✓ I'm not aligned with any companies.
Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld.
