Licking Lab - 2009-07-18

Question

I have a 3 yr old golden lab, I want to know how I stop her from licking people

Answer

This is not uncommon in Labs – it is a form of stress relief, attention seeking and wanting to be liked. I would suggest that you get your visitors to ignore the dog, have their arms crossed and not pay attention till the dog is more settled. No eye contact either as this invites the dog as much as any other invitation through voice or body posture. Some dogs even take to licking and very gently nipping at the person as well. Reprimand the dog, and work on having the dogs in the sit before anybody says hello to them. The more your work with obedience in these sort of situation the better the dog response, as it is a comfort zone – they know what is expected, whereas with visitors they may not be clear.