How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Licking Me?

How do I get my dog to stop licking me?

Published on January 8th, 2020

If your dog is getting a bit overenthusiastic with their licking, then you might need to train them to stop. But how do you stop your dog from licking you?

Not everybody likes being licked by dogs so it’s a good idea to train your dog so that they recognise when somebody wants them to stop.

There are lots of reasons why dogs lick you but sometimes they can take things to a whole new extreme with excessive kisses.

Slobbery dog licking owner's face

How do you make a dog stop licking you?

There are several different things that you can try to get a dog to stop licking you.

1.      Ignore your dog

If your dog is licking you because they are angling for attention, simply ignoring them can make them stop of their own accord.

Don’t look at them, stroke them or otherwise react to being licked and they may get bored and move away from you.

2.      Tell them ‘no’

At some point, you’ll probably encounter a situation where your dog is trying to lick someone who simply doesn’t want them to do it.

If you tell your dog “no” when they are licking and move your hand away, then they will learn to respond in the same way when others move away from them or tell them the same command.

3.      Respond to their prompts

Your dog could be licking you to try to tell you something.

Maybe they are hungry, want to play or need to go out to the toilet.

Pay attention to your dog’s behaviour and try to give them what they are looking for.

That way, they’ll hopefully stop licking you as you have met their needs.

Dog licking face of person

How do I get my dog to stop licking my face?

Some dog owners have no problem with their dog licking their hands, arms or legs, but have no desire to be licked on their face.

Unfortunately, your dog won’t intuitively know that you don’t want them to do this, so you’ll probably need to train them not to lick faces.

Here is a helpful video on how to get a dog to stop licking your face.

As you can see, there are a few simple things you can do train your dog to stop licking your face.

How to get my dog to stop licking other people

Dog licking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so it’s a good idea to be able to get them to stop licking someone if you can see that the person isn’t enjoying it.

Here’s another dog training video, this time on how to stop your dog from licking other people.

If you practice these training tips then your dog will pick up your prompts in no time at all.