How to Handle a Dog That Licks All the Time – Part 1

Posted by Jeanne on March 30, 2009

For us humans, it can be a bit difficult to identify with the doggie habit of licking one another in greeting. We don’t do it, after all, and though our tongues come in handy for things like ice-cream eating and sucking that last dollop of peanut butter off the knife, we certainly wouldn’t welcome a visitor into our home by giving them a long, lingering lick on the cheek (unless you were brought up to embrace certain social mores currently unheard of in Western society).

Dogs use their tongues to explore the world. A dog’s tongue is as important (and useful) to him as our eyes and hands are to us: it’s a multi-purpose utility tool, used to taste things, explore the presence of new people and animals, express submissiveness, and to let you know that he values your companionship and friendship.

Licking is a completely natural behavior for dogs, and most of the time, the experience isn’t something to worry about: the odd lick from a warm, moist tongue on your hand or ankle is, at worst, tolerable (and, I must admit, I actually find it pretty adorable when my dog licks me – but then again, he’s trained not to overdo it, so I don’t have to worry about the smothering capacities that a 100-pound male Rottweiler’s tongue possesses!)

Some dogs just take things too far though, and this is where problems can set in. It’s not pleasant to be persecuted in your own home by a far-reaching, agile, mobile, and slobbery tongue: some won’t let you get a moment’s rest, but will pursue you from bedroom to hallway to lounge to kitchen, making sporadic dive-bombings of affection on your toes, ankles, calves – anywhere that flesh is exposed and available. And for a tall dog, the available terrain is much more varied, and thus, enticing – ever had a long, wet dog’s tongue lathering your bellybutton as you stretch up to those elusive top shelves? When unexpected, the resultant shock is more than a trifle unbalancing!

Plenty of dogs won’t restrict themselves to your skin alone, either, and owners of these dogs will attest to the always-visible consistency of dog saliva on clothing: whether your outfit is black, white, or any of the myriads of shades in between, there’s nothing like a viscous patch of dog slobber on a freshly-laundered hemline to advertise your ownership status (and your dog’s personal level of demonstrativeness) to the world at large. And once it’s dried, it’s there ’til the next laundry run: the physical evidence of a dog’s friendship is like egg white. It’s there, it’s dried on, and it’s not coming off until a combination of suds, hot water, and vigorous effort is applied.

And all this because your dog wants to say “I love you”!

More on this subject next week…

How to Start Training an Older Dog

Posted by Jeanne on January 28, 2009

Older dogs are, if untrained, a worse problem than untrained puppies for their bad habits are often deeply rooted, and they have to be broken away from bad habits as well as trained into new ones.

The first thing to do if you are bringing home one of the older kennel mates or have purchased a new, fully matured dog is to let him get thoroughly acquainted with his new surroundings before you begin any training.

Don’t leap at him and punish him for something that he has always done. Observe his temperament; note his bad habits and his good habits. Whenever he does something wrong, correct him quietly. Don’t punish him. When he does something right, praise and pet him. Above all things, try to win his trust and affection. Let him know you are his master – but a kindly, understanding one.

Most dogs, unaccustomed to being in a home, will get up on the table and steal food. If you see him do this, strike his paws quite hard and say “No.” When you correct the dog, don’t do a lot of talking; use the single word “No.” Once he has learned the meaning of this word, you’ve gone a long way with your training.

At the end of about two weeks, you will find you have corrected many of the glaring bad habits of your dog and you are then ready to start some real training. Go about it just as you would with a puppy, but you must be willing to overlook slips and lack of obedience. Don’t make your training periods too lengthy, and don’t let your dog get bored with them. Play with him, praise him, and make him feel that these training periods are something to look forward to.