How to Stop a Dog From Licking People

By Kelly Richmondson

When your dog is a puppy he licks you all of the time and you eat it up, because puppies are cute and you feel like they are kissing you. Once your puppy is no longer a puppy and is two years old, no one will appreciate his licking habit. There are training techniques to teach you how to stop a dog from licking people once and for all.

Training a dog to stop the licking will take lots of patience and repetitive training. The most important word you will need to teach your puppy or dog to understand is, "No!" Your dog probably started licking people all of the time when he was young and he believes it's an appropriate behavior. It now has turned into a bad habit, but your dog doesn't know why.

If you haven't used a professional dog trainer, it would be practical to do so now, before a bad behavior such as licking gets out of hand. Since the dog doesn't know the what's and why's of certain behavior, it's kind to the dog to teach him quickly and correctly.

Some dogs will begin licking after someone enters the house, but then they will settle down after several minutes. It's just like when your dog is jumping up on someone when they visit, you want to tell the dog to, "Sit". It's the same concept with licking. If your dog begins licking, tell him, "No", followed by, "Sit". Praise your pet either with a small pet treat, if your trainer believes in treat rewards, if your pet obeyed your command.

Are there multiple ways on how to stop a dog from licking people? Yes, there are, but teaching your pet the correct demands either vocally or using hand commands, or both, is the best way to train him positively. There is a method using an electric shock collar, which I am strongly against. These collars shock your dog when he expresses a form of bad behavior.

It isn't easy to stop your dog from licking, but it can be done. Consistency and determination are the most essential qualities needed to be successful. The basic strategies above will get you started, but it is important to get control of the licking quickly. If you need more resources on how to stop your dog from licking people, please visit Dog Training