"How do I teach my puppy to stop licking me!?"
If you want to stop your dog from giving kisses, start by instructing the people she kisses not to encourage her. No amount of trying to train her out of it will work if other people encouraged it. “Oh, I don’t mind. She can kiss me all she wants,” they say.
Why Dogs Lick
Puppies love to lick us, and it’s easy to see why. Our salty skin probably tastes delicious. Sometimes we wear good-smelling lotions and creams that make it taste even better. We also tend to give puppies positive attention when they lick us by laughing. Even if we respond negatively — “Ooh, yuck!” — we’re still talking to them and giving them attention, and that’s all puppies really care about.
Licking is also an instinctive behavior. In the wild, canid pups lick their mother’s face and lips to encourage her to regurgitate food for them. Domestic and wild mother dogs lick puppies to groom them. It’s no wonder that our puppies and even adult dogs have a strong desire to lick us since we deliver their food and keep them clean.
But as sweet as puppy kisses are, there are good reasons to discourage the practice. A study in Japan found that bacteria that cause gum disease are transferrable between dogs and humans — going both ways. Your dog may also be kissing you immediately after gulping down garbage, snacking on poop from the cat’s litter box or licking his own butt. The latter is a good — or not-so-good — way to accidentally ingest parasite eggs or larvae hitching a ride in your dog’s saliva.
Less gross but equally important, the habit of licking people is a no-no for would-be therapy dogs, particularly those who visit people with health issues. “Infection control is a primary concern in facilities, especially hospitals, and your animal needs to be protected,” says Pam Becker, a Pet Partners evaluator for the Animal Health Foundation in Lake Forest, California. “Not only do most people prefer an animal not lick them anywhere, but also your animal is at risk should there be body fluids present on skin or clothing.”
Here are some tips to help you “lick” your dog’s habit.
Turn your face away when your pup tries to lick you. This is a rule that everyone in the family needs to abide by, or your dog won’t learn that the behavior is now forbidden.
The instant your puppy withdraws his tongue, mark it with a “Yes!” and reward with a piece of kibble.
You can also teach your dog an alternative behavior, one that’s incompatible with licking you. For instance, ask him to perform a “sit” or a “down”. Praise and give a food reward when he complies. Any time he tries to lick you, give the alternative command and reward him when he does the asked-for behavior.
You can also offer the puppy a toy to chew on as an alternative for licking you. If his mouth is busy with a toy in it, he’ll be unable to lick your hands.
The really hard part isn't teaching the puppy not to lick but discouraging other people from letting him kiss them. That’s what ultimately makes us unsuccessful in teaching the dog not to share her slobbery love with the world. But if you're serious about stopping the licking, you can try saying, “Please don’t let her kiss you; she’s in training.” Then encourage the person to greet the puppy by asking for a “sit” or “shake” rather than a kiss.
- Debbie Knatz
Shepherd’s Ridge
If you want to stop your dog from giving kisses, start by instructing the people she kisses not to encourage her. No amount of trying to train her out of it will work if other people encouraged it. “Oh, I don’t mind. She can kiss me all she wants,” they say.
Why Dogs Lick
Puppies love to lick us, and it’s easy to see why. Our salty skin probably tastes delicious. Sometimes we wear good-smelling lotions and creams that make it taste even better. We also tend to give puppies positive attention when they lick us by laughing. Even if we respond negatively — “Ooh, yuck!” — we’re still talking to them and giving them attention, and that’s all puppies really care about.
Licking is also an instinctive behavior. In the wild, canid pups lick their mother’s face and lips to encourage her to regurgitate food for them. Domestic and wild mother dogs lick puppies to groom them. It’s no wonder that our puppies and even adult dogs have a strong desire to lick us since we deliver their food and keep them clean.
But as sweet as puppy kisses are, there are good reasons to discourage the practice. A study in Japan found that bacteria that cause gum disease are transferrable between dogs and humans — going both ways. Your dog may also be kissing you immediately after gulping down garbage, snacking on poop from the cat’s litter box or licking his own butt. The latter is a good — or not-so-good — way to accidentally ingest parasite eggs or larvae hitching a ride in your dog’s saliva.
Less gross but equally important, the habit of licking people is a no-no for would-be therapy dogs, particularly those who visit people with health issues. “Infection control is a primary concern in facilities, especially hospitals, and your animal needs to be protected,” says Pam Becker, a Pet Partners evaluator for the Animal Health Foundation in Lake Forest, California. “Not only do most people prefer an animal not lick them anywhere, but also your animal is at risk should there be body fluids present on skin or clothing.”
Here are some tips to help you “lick” your dog’s habit.
Turn your face away when your pup tries to lick you. This is a rule that everyone in the family needs to abide by, or your dog won’t learn that the behavior is now forbidden.
The instant your puppy withdraws his tongue, mark it with a “Yes!” and reward with a piece of kibble.
You can also teach your dog an alternative behavior, one that’s incompatible with licking you. For instance, ask him to perform a “sit” or a “down”. Praise and give a food reward when he complies. Any time he tries to lick you, give the alternative command and reward him when he does the asked-for behavior.
You can also offer the puppy a toy to chew on as an alternative for licking you. If his mouth is busy with a toy in it, he’ll be unable to lick your hands.
The really hard part isn't teaching the puppy not to lick but discouraging other people from letting him kiss them. That’s what ultimately makes us unsuccessful in teaching the dog not to share her slobbery love with the world. But if you're serious about stopping the licking, you can try saying, “Please don’t let her kiss you; she’s in training.” Then encourage the person to greet the puppy by asking for a “sit” or “shake” rather than a kiss.
- Debbie Knatz
Shepherd’s Ridge