Licking

[Moviedust]

I know some dogs like to lick more than others, but our little Cedar is constantly licking us! It is very annoying. She doesnt limit her licking to hands/skin. She'll lick jeans, jackets, shoes, anything related to us. She does not excessively lick herself or anything else--just people.

We've tried the stern "no" and praise for not licking. She will stop for a little while and then she starts up again. We also try to give her something else to play with, like a toy, which works momentarily, but she ultimately prefers licking.

Is this a cavalier trait or a sign of some other problem? Is there some other technique we can try to curtail her licking?

[Jen]

I think it's a Cav thing, a lot of other people have mention this same behavior. Abbey's the same way, her tongue is like a little bullet!

[Fi]

My Cloe has a thing for Men's ears, never any of my female friends but my male friends all get a good ear licking when they visit, its hop on the back of the couch for a good old root around!!!!!!!!

except of course my Dad who seems to have total control of her without even saying a word, all he does is point and she will come and sit by him, amazing, she doesnt do it for anyone else, nor does she jump on him or lick him!

[Karlin]

If it is really extreme, it could be an obsessive compulsive behaviour, similar to fly-catching. You might mention it to your vet next time you are in just in case it might be related to something else. Leo licks the sofa for example but he is also a far more enthusiastic face licker than Jaspar is.

Sometimes it is said that to keep saying 'no' actually doesn't help as it keeps getting the dog attention (I have been told this about tail-chasing, which Jaspar sometimes does).

[Lorraine]

My two lick legs, as does my foster and a girl in work who also has a cav. says her fella licks legs too. He even does it to visitors who come into the house wearing a skirt or shorts icon_yikes

[Maxxs_Mummy]

Maxx licks everything too. He will even lick the patio sometimes He loves one of my oldest son's friends and as this lad has got dreadlocks which are full of natural oils he will lick Tom's hair for hours - luckily, Tom finds it highly amusing icon_yikes

[Fi]

now there is something i always wanted to know and totally unrealated to dogs! how do you get make or have dreadlocks? and more to the point why??? why would you do that to your hair?

[Moviedust]

Thanks for the info. At least I know Cedar's not the only licky dog!

[Maxxs_Mummy]

Well Fi, it's a fashion thing with loads of young white grungey males LOL

A sort of hippy chic if you like. Now, when black people have dreads they are braided etc and look good because they have a different texture to their hair. When white people have them they are gross - they rub hair wax into their hair and twist it & keep twisting it - yuk! They also never shampoo their hair as shampoo would run straight off and would never clean it anyway.

My son has informed me that Tom has now had his dreads shaved off and apparently he had a thick layer of dead skin on his scalp that took ages to remove How gross is that?

We don't see him very often as he lives away now but when he comes to stay he always used to bring his own pillow case because the stuff on and in his hair stains them ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[Fi]

oh dear, have visions of that scalp, oh dear god, how gross.

but thanks for explaining it, i dont like them i think it ruins the hair adn why dosomething to your hair you know has to be cut out...