Dog Constantly Licks Crawling Baby's Face

Hi A.
We have a beagle that will lick you raw if you let him. the way we have gotten him to stop is every time he starts to lick we will say nat with kind of a growl sound to it and he will immediatly stop and walk away. I learned this from watching the dog whisper.he is on the National geographic channel if you get it you may want to watch a episode so you can hear the noise he makes. hopefully it will help.

Licking is a submissive behavior. Your dog is acknowledging your child's more dominant position in the "pack". I would suggest teaching him to "leave it". There are some very easy ways to train this. We used a treat. Hold it in your had, get your dog's attention. Show the treat to the dog and say "leave it" if he tries to take it close your hand and say "leave it". As soon as he moves his atttention to something else praise him and give him the treat. Continue until he doesn't even look at the treat then move on to putting the treat on the floor and repeat. It shouldn't take long for him to learn it.

I would also sugggest giving your dog a place of his own, bed, rug, etc. and teach him that place, we always used "go to bed", he had several beds depending on the room. Sometimes they were just a rug or a place that he knows to lay down. Teaching "away" is another option, however that is a bit harder to explain online. These are fairly basic commands that any trainer should be able to assist you with.

Without seeing the behavior it is hard to say if it will advance to nipping. As long as you consistently reinforce your "dominance" and that of your son I don't think you will have any problems with it turning to nipping. You have done this with the discipline for growling.

You seem to have done a fine job so far. Give it a try and if it doesn't work contact a local trainer.

Good Luck!

Hi A.,
Unfortunately, I think it has everything to do with the herding nature of the dog. Our dog Jake, is 7 and still does it. (To everyone in the house..but especially to anyone smaller than him!) And that is something you can't change about the dog, no matter how much discipline is done. It is a part of the dog's nature. That is what they are born to do...

dog training classes.
one of the things dogs need is the 'pack' mentality. good dog training classes will help you learn how to treat him like you are the leader of the pack, and how to make sure your kids are respected in the same way. most of the time, size helps dogs determine who i boss, and your dog is likely bigger or around the same size as your son, which makes to dog think e has a fighting chance.

also there is a book that a dog trainer recommended to me called "leader of the pack" that teaches the pack mentality. its hard though so classes are a better bet.
good luck, and never leave your pet alone with your child - this is a MUST for all parents with all dogs. you never know sometimes what a dog will let a child do to it sometimes until its too late.

I have a wire fox terrier so I know all about high energy/maintenance dogs and children (I have three kids). What worked for us was to change behavior and treatment of the dog a bit.

Whenever we've brought a child home from the hospital, we've shown extra attention towards the dog when we're holding the baby so they know the baby is a good thing so our dog (our first baby) adjusted well to the new addition.

But once our babies began crawling, it was a whole different story! We then switched to behavior that gave the baby more authority. When our dog needed to go out or be fed, we'd acknowledge their need but then do something for the baby first so the hierarchy would be clear. If you can incorporate anything that shows the baby is more important at this point, you're on the right track.

From our experience, once our children began walking, our dog got it pretty quickly then...they were on two feet just like the parents so it became pretty clear to our dog.

Best of luck!
S.
www.uggamugga.com

Shannon S is right. The reason your dog is licking your baby's face is because you have already established the fact that the baby is more important than him so the dog is being submissive to the baby. The baby unfortinatly doesn't know how to growl at the dog to get it to stop licking so he crys. You need to step in and teach the dog that crying means stop.Pick the baby up over the dogs head and then discipline the dog trying to make it like the baby is the one doing the discipline. Sounds like you have a smart dog and should learn this quickly good luck.

I would suggest putting your dog on a down/stay when he goes over the lick your son. Or even just all the time when your son is out crawling. Pretty soon your 9 month old will be walking anyway and be better able to defend himself and get away when your dog licks. That or put him your dog behind a child gate when your son is crawling around. I know this will be tough for your dog when your little boy is always crawling, but he can run free when your son is asleep or in the high chair etc. I think in the long run this stage will be short and this way you will avoid an injury to your baby and keep your dog safe as well.

When we put our Doberman's through obedience school, the teacher suggested using a mixture of vinegar water to stop bad behavior. mix a tiny bit of vinegar with mostly water and squirt the dogs nose when they're doing something they shouldn't be. It doesn't hurt them, but they don't like the smell so it gets them to stop.

A.,

Job well done on establishing leadership in the house, as it makes life so much easier on the dogs.

I am a professional dog trainer, and one of my personal favorite commands, as well as a very popular one with clients, is the "place" command. We teach it to mean go to an object that is different in height and/or texture and remain there until released. Most common "places" are dog beds, rugs, etc. You can have a different "place" in each room if you wish, or a single "place" that you move from room to room as needed. Use it when your son is crawling around and your dog is having a hard time keeping his herding instincts in check.
I would allow a calm greeting to your son from your dog as long as there is no licking involved. Teach him to lick on command (give kisses), and only ask for them when you are able to control the situation, and your son will enjoy it. Later when you son is able to talk, he can ask for them himself. I would avoid doing anything that seems like your are making your son discipline your dog. It could easily come across as threatening to your dog, and in the event he would try to challenge your son's "authority", your son will be unable to defend himself.

Don't be afraid to use baby gates, or your dogs crate to keep both your son and dog safe when you are unable to supervise them both. Remember you are the parent, which means you are responsible for keeping them safe from each other!! :-) If you notice your dog getting stressed, give him a break. Put him in his "safe zone" with a stuffed Kong, or chew toy and let him have a little peace. Even 5-10 minutes can do wonders.

Lastly, give your dog a positive outlet for his natural herding ability, energy level and drives. If you don't have access to livestock for herding, try agility, rally, or just teach him advanced obedience and tricks for fun, but work on it daily with him. Have him help around the house; pick up his own toys, pick up the dirty clothes and put them in the hamper, help walk the baby to the park (when it warms up), etc. Trying to squash his instincts will lead to one very frusterated dog, but give him a real job to do and he will be the best dog you'll ever own.

Good luck!!

C.
www.laddk9.com

I can't stand it when a dog licks faces, knowing where that tongues been (or NOT knowing:)
You are absolutely right that your dog is instinctively 'herding' your son. Eventually it will be nipping at the fingers/hands when he starts to walk and cutting him off at the pass when baby wants to go one way and dog wants him to NOT go that way. This can be a good thing if dog is keeping him away from some imminent danger ie. stairs, hot fireplace, open door, etc.

You could try calling a dermatologist and asking if the solution they use to deter thumb sucking would be safe to put on your son's face (dab on each cheek and chin). Don't use bitter apple or bitter orange those are not skin safe. Also, be sure baby doesn't have any 'leftovers' on his face that may be tempting.

What works with toddlers usually will work with dogs (especially smart ones like Border Collies) distract the dog with a treat of his own when you put baby down. The dog may eventually associate this as a reward for leaving the baby alone.

One last thing. . .be sure your dog is WELL de-wormed. This is critical to baby's health. I'm glad you got the growling and baring teeth stopped. That's scary stuff. Never, ever leave dog and baby alone. Ever. No matter how well you think you know your dog.

Last resort, put the dog in the playpen when baby is on the floor!! LOL

B.

We have a 13 yr-old border collie who is smarter than we are. We obedience trained her from a puppy. She responds very quickly to a "leave it!" command. We never had a problem with our small kids. That lady, Victoria, on "Me or My Dog" is good, too. We have always been the "alpha" and understanding dog behavior is important when trying to modify it. You don't have to delete the herding instinct to modify it. Licking is submissive behavior and your dog is showing the baby that she acknowledges and accepts the baby's superiority. Teach her "leave it" done in a growly voice. Any trainer can help.

I have a lab and she does the same. We did not have an issue with growling but she constantly goes up to my son and licks his face, hands, and feet. I dont discipline her for it but call her away from my son. She doesn't hurt him so I dont really mind that she is "playing" with him. If I call my dog to move away and lay down in another part of the room that seems to work. I know this advise is probably not what you are looking for but just letting you know its a dog thing in general. I would not be that concerned.

because it seems like you have already done a great job establishing the fact with your dog knowing that he is not in charge and running the house. it sounds more like he/she is trying to do its herding instinct. that is something that can not be removed no matter how hard you try, and probably one of the reasons as to why you got the breed(its family friendly traits). have you ever tried to acknowledge what the dog is trying to do,(herding-he/she may be concerned/loving your son) and praise it, but at the same time be stern that it is well enough. they are smart animals and with patience and time, as im sure you have seen and experienced, they will learn what you want and need, it just a matter of establishing it. you may find that as both get older together and learn what is acceptable, that you may have a wonderful babysitter in your realm. i hope this helps.

You have some wonderful advice here. I can't add to it but I can tell you that my cocker spaniel didn't care to much for a new baby in the house when my son had our first grandchild and I was babysitting her a lot. The dog went as far as snubbing my husband after the first time he held our new granddaughter. When my granddaughter started sitting up and eating graham crackers the dog figured it wasn't so bad having a baby around and began sitting around her a lot more. When the baby started crawling she really loved it and would follow her around. She also would lick her in the face when she got to close to her and it would make the baby back up a bit. It wasn't long before the baby went in for those "kisses" and we would cringe when she would open her mouth to let the dog lick her. Now she is 2 and she tells the dog "yucky Tara" when she tries to lick her in the face. They are best of friends and when my granddaughter isn't here, Tara sits by the door and waits for her until she realizes she isn't coming that morning. She even sleeps cuddled up to her when she spends the night and for her to sleep with anyone but me is amazing. Your dog and son will soon be best of friends and inseprable.