Getting Your Dog To Stop Licking You

  Posted on March 17, 2014  by joyofliving  No comments

I’m pet sitting now for two pug/beagle mix girls.  They’re good dogs, but both of them love to lick people’s faces and hands.  Some pet guardians don’t mind this behavior, but for many of us it’s a bothersome habit.  Here are some tips to stopping the excessive licking behavior:

Use a firm verbal correction immediately after the dog licks you or any other person. Unless there is a correction, the dog will not understand that this is an unwanted behavior and will simply continue. For some dogs making a loud noise will correct the problem.

If the dog doesn’t respond to your reprimands while licking, it’s time to take other measures. Start with a command the dog knows, for example a sit-stay exercise for a few minutes.  As soon as the command is obeyed by your dog, reward him with plenty of verbal praise.

Not licking you also means not licking anybody else. Make sure friends and family members understand that you are training your dog in a serious way to stop the licking. The key to any training is consistency, so be sure friends and family members do not encourage, allow or tolerate the licking either.  Share the verbal correction cue with them as well so your dog will not be confused.

Ok, I saved the best for last. Try using a product called Grannicks Bitter Apple. There are several different brands, but they don’t tend to work as well. Grannicks is available at many pet supply stores.

The key is to keep the bottle on you or with you for the next few days. When the dog comes up and licks your hand , without saying anything, grab the bottle and spray you hand. Really soak it and then give it back to the dog. The dog says “wow, you don’t taste good anymore”. Do this for the next couple of days and you will love the results. This product doesn’t stain and is not harmful to you so you can use it anywhere.

The licking will usually stop before the first bottle of Grannicks is gone.