Do You Find Your Dog's Licking Habits Disgusting? Discover a Simple and Effective Cure

By Tom Shadow

To us as humans it can seem quite disgusting that our dogs like to lick what seems like anything and everything whenever we take them out for a walk.

In actual fact licking is your dog's way of discovering the world around it and is a very interesting exercise for your animal. The tongue for a dog is as useful as our hands are to us it is a multi-purpose tool that enables it to taste things, explore new people, demonstrate submissiveness and of course to let you know that he values your leadership.

I must admit that sometimes being on the receiving end of a slobbery show of affection from our boxer is not always what I want to be greeted with, but it is the thought that counts!

However, problems can set in when your dog takes things too far. A quick lick when you get indoors from work is one thing, being followed round the house and being surprised by a lick from behind when you are reaching up to the top shelf can actually be quite dangerous especially if you have heavy items in your hands.

So why do dogs take licking to extremes? Well in these cases it is more than just showing affection, there are some complex behavioral patterns being exhibited which you can only hope to decipher by taking in to account your dog's emotional state and thinking about the circumstances that might have it being worried.

Some Clues To The Reasons For Licking

A nice reason for licking is just as a genuine show of affection. You should be able to tell this by looking at your dog's general attitude. Is his body relaxed? Does he look stress free and happy? If so then you probably have just a simple show of affection from your pet.

Alternatively, if your dog is feeling anxious or stressed out then it may start a cycle of compulsive licking. This is a show of tension or general upset and only you will be in the best position to know what the underlying cause may be. Maybe it is just bored from being cooped up indoors, or is fed up with being left alone for long periods. You need to provide more mental stimulation if this is the case.

Of course the reason for the licking may just come from excessive exuberance and there are no real problems other than it loves being around you and wants to tell you as much.

This is only acceptable up to a point, at first it is great to feel loved by your pet and I am sure the feeling is mutual. However, after time when you have endless amounts of dog saliva deposited on your hands, which commonly include partly digested food, it can get quite wearing. So how do you communicate to your dog that this behaviour is no longer acceptable?

Well the simplest way is to withdraw the part of your body that your dog is licking, commonly your hand, and then to turn your back on your dog to show your displeasure whilst saying "no".

This you will have to repeat several times over your dog will be persistent, after all you are the center of his world, but eventually the message will sink in and you will prevail. Just don't be too harsh a gentle rebuff is all that is needed.

Tom Shadow has built an easy to read website on simple dog training methods. If you fancy some free dog training lessons then head over to Tom Shadow's site.