Porque Mi Perro Me Lame Mucho: Decoding Your Dogs Licks.

Okay, so my dog, Buddy, he's a golden retriever, and he's always been a licker. But lately, it's been, like, way more. I was starting to get a little freaked out, honestly. Was he trying to tell me something? Was I covered in some invisible, delicious substance?

My Licking Investigation

First, I ruled out the obvious. No, I hadn't been rolling around in bacon grease. No, I hadn't switched to a new, super-tasty body wash.

Then I started observing. When was he licking me the most? It seemed to be:

• When I got home from work.
• When I was sitting on the couch, relaxing.
• When I was petting him.

Okay, that gave me some clues. It wasn't random; it was connected to me, to * I thought back to the vet visit when I got to know more about my dog's behavior.

So, putting it all together, I figured it was probably a mix of things:

• Affection: Classic dog move. He loves me, he licks me.
• Attention-seeking: Maybe he wanted more pets, a walk, or just for me to acknowledge his existence.
• Habit: I might have accidentally rewarded him for licking in the past (by giving him attention, even if it was to tell him to stop).
• He just feels happy:Yes, I can feel that.I think he always show his happiness by doing this.

The "Stop the Lick-a-thon" Plan

I decided to try a few things, I have some plan:

1. More focused attention: Instead of just plopping on the couch, I'd spend a good 15 minutes playing with Buddy, giving him dedicated playtime.
2. Redirection: When the licking started, I'd offer him a toy or a chew instead.
3. Ignoring (the hard part!): If he licked me excessively, I'd get up and walk away. No attention, good or bad.

Did It Work?

It's been a few weeks, and... it's getting better! He still licks, because, well, he's a dog. But it's less. The dedicated playtime definitely helped. He seems more content, and I'm less covered in dog *'s much better to do these for him.

The redirection with toys works sometimes, and the ignoring… well, that's still a work in progress. It's tough when he looks at me with those puppy-dog eyes!He is so cute so I think I should try more to do that.

I am so happy now.I will keep doing that and enjoy spending more time with Buddy!