The title pretty much says it all. My dog loves to lick, and I cannot seem to get him to stop licking my 9-month-old’s face and hands. He knows I don’t like being licked, so he rarely tries it with me. But when my son is within reach, he goes straight for it.
We’re still in the stage of constant supervision between them, and I’m always right there on the floor with them. I try to be proactive by stopping it before it happens. I give him a firm “no” and gently but firmly cover his mouth and redirect him away from my son. But as soon as I let go, he’s back at it. We go through this over and over until I eventually just move my son away so he doesn’t get licked all over.
I’m not sure what else to do, and I want to ensure I’m fostering a positive relationship between the two. Initially, my dog was uncertain and standoffish around my son, but he’s warmed up to him a lot.
Give him a puzzle, lick mat, or bone to occupy his time. It doesn’t sound like you’re diverting his focus even if you’re telling him you don’t like it.
Love the Nina Ottosson dog puzzles a lot. quite sturdy, and licking and sniffing are major parts of playing with them (particularly if they’re frozen).
Man, where in the world do you find these dogs that are willing to solve puzzles rather than just picking them all up and kicking them around? My dogs don’t interact as intended; instead, they just go full brute force when they learn there is food or goodies inside. Toys like wobblers and those generally function well, but they constantly make a lot of noise and bang against things.
This is my dog. I got him a toy puzzle. He threw it everywhere, knocking the treats out, and then he started chewing the feet off right away. He threw the snuffle mat I attempted upside down and proceeded to consume the treats that dropped from it. I therefore sense this. He has also discovered that dropping stuffed Kongs on the ground makes it easier to shake out the food more quickly.
Yes, I did try a frozen kong with our old golden when he was younger, and all he had to do was throw it down the stairs for it to break. I had assumed that he would need an eternity to do it, but he finished it in less than five minutes. Bulky sticks are the best thing I’ve found to keep our dogs occupied, but we can only let them gnaw on them for short periods of time because the larger ones are pricey and upset their tummies.
One of my dogs seems to enjoy solving puzzle toys. Next comes someone who merely picks them up and throws them around. And when the second gets their turn, there’s a third who goes around gathering anything that spills. I suppose different approaches to the same issue