Bitsy does the same thing when I get out of the shower!

It does me too especially in the face. When Jewels does it I move her face away and she gets the hint

is it a reassurance thing?????
 

sonny boy licks frantic when i lift him especially my dh, i was told its a reassurance thing, i would love to know what the experts say, my others lick my legs after bath but sonny boy its seems different:confused: he is a nervous little man at the best of time, and has obsessive behavior, very interesting thread:animal-pa

yes-- my three lick me and dh a lot. We call it kisses. The only one who goes to excess is Bailey-- I think it is almost like he is "marking" us. :rolleyes:

Alex does this too, although not too excessively. However, if I come back from a run, he will do just about anything to find a patch of salty skin and lick away. Cute for a few minutes, and then really annoying. However, he's really good about stopping if I tell him firmly to "stop."

This may sound silly, but I read somewhere that licking (grooming) was a form of submission, and the pack leader (me, or you) must give permission to let them groom you. So by allowing them to groom or lick on you is permission. When you tell them "no" as I sometimes do, it even further establishes your control as the leader. I'm not talking about the happy greeting kisses but when they just start licking and don't stop. I just wonder if anyone else has heard this....may be another theory?????:confused:

I believe excessive licking is a submissive behavior and can easily become compulsive. If it bothers you, you must control it, just like any other unacceptable behavior. In our house, we have a 3-lick rule to prevent Dori from boring holes in our skin. After 3 licks, we say "No" or "Stop" and withdraw our attention by putting her down or walking away. The little smartie learned fast enough to limit the licking. We tell friends and family to not allow it. It seems cute at first, but can rapidly become annoying. And, I really don't think it is good for the pooch. Also, her puppy class trainer says you should not allow a little dog to do what you would not allow a big dog to do. Again, I'm talking about annoying behavior. If you're thrilled with the licking (or any other behavior), you have less training to do.

We always say, "Dori can't hold her 'licker'!";)

I have heard this too. Bogey and Doodlebug are both lickers and will lick my hands, arms and legs when they lay my me. I didn't realize it was their way of saying I was pack leader until I started to do some research. I also didn't realize that when I told them to stop and they did that was my giving permission. Whenever I tell them to stop they will. Pebbles never licks me but will do it to my husband.

My little Thee thee does this to my hubby all the time but before he does, he crawls up my body and does this little tap on my cheek with his paw and then gives me licks on my lips dead on, then goes to my hubby's legs and he starts washing away! He'll stop after like an hour and then comes back to me to cuddle. He only licks me this way when I'm under the weather or have cramps I notice but he'll do my arms, not my legs like my Hubby. Is he grooming us?

KS is a big licker too! She licks my husband more than me, but we just call them puppy kisses. She can go to town on his mustache for hours if we let her. But we only let her for a few seconds and then say the word 'enough.' She is getting the hang of it.

Why Do They LICK So Much ?
Trainers study behavior and I have studied licking. I know we have to train therapy dogs NOT to lick. This is my personal thoughts about licking. 1. Affection, short little licks, show affection 2. Excitement, Rapid excited licking, is to calm down. We have trained our Yorkies that friendly nipping and mouthing is not acceptable. Some dogs will grab a toy to control this nipping behavior. 3. Grooming, Slow leisurely licking is mutual grooming behavior. They are grooming you, they can not hold a comb or brush, you but they can lick you. Some trainers call this parenting behavior. Both male and female [COLOR=green !important][COLOR=green !important]dogs [COLOR=green !important]lick[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] puppies and other dogs. 4.Ownership, Claiming licks are different in the tempo and manner. Often the dog will put both paws on the person claiming them and will sometimes jump to get to the face area. I have noticed that dogs who are allowed to do this claiming type licking may growl and even bite if interrupted. And they don't want others to show or get affection with their person. 5. Appeasement Licking is similar to what small [COLOR=green !important][COLOR=green !important]puppies[/COLOR][/COLOR] do to show they are humble and friendly. Sometime this type of licking is accompanied by submissive posture and even belly up position. 6. Enough Kisses is a gently spoken cue for them to stop licking. It is important to end the licking on your terms. I am surprised that people often bulk at this simple discipline. It is mentally healthy for your dog to know when enough is, is enough. Sometimes I can almost 'see' a dog sigh in relief when told Enough Kisses.

Teresa that is fascinating! I now have a little insight to what Thee thee does to us. I thought it was grooming and it sure is. He grooms my hubby but gives me affection. My little Munchkin :) :animal-pa

HaHa....My Bella has a tshirt with a martini glass on it and that is what it says

I can't control my licker. She gets quite the comments when she wears it when we go to happy hour.