Ask a Trainer: How Can I Get My Dog to Stop Licking Me?

I recently received a question from a reader:

My dog is perfect except for one problem: He’s constantly licking my hands and tries to lick my face. How can I convince him to stop doing this? Thanks!

Jason, Tampa, FL

Dear Jason,

Thanks for you question, I find it salivating! Oh, sorry. The English major in me couldn’t let that go unsaid.

Excessive licking — and sometimes any canine licking at all — really bothers some folks. Everything is relative, of course. I work every week with dogs who have bite histories, so in those dogs I would greatly prefer that they learn to lick instead of bite, but that’s not your issue.