All projection aside, my dog can’t hold her licker because basically, I conditioned her to respond to me that way. When she was a tiny puppy, I’d kiss her head (she’s got a black spot that’s perfect – I call it her kissy spot). Then I’d put my face near her mouf and say, “Gimme kiss.” It does not take very many repetitions of that for a Boston terrorist to figure out that you want it to lick you. Bostons are natural born lickers anyway. All I did was reward my lick-o-matic puppy by giving her lots of attention and affection when she does lick me.
This presented a problem because now she won’t stop licking. Anything. She licks her feetz, the couch, the rug (I tell her she’s going to be a lesbian if she keeps licking the rug like that ;)), my arm, anything she can get her tongue on. So we had to work on licking on command rather than just all the time. I had to teach her “No lick!” so when that wet lapping sound starts to drive me up the wall, I give her the command and she looks up at me like… What? You taught me it was okay to lick!
If you don’t like your dogs to lick, you will not respond to its first attempts with positive reinforcement. You’ll go “ew!” and recoil or withdraw your attention from the dog. Dogs learn quickly what you want them to do vs. what you don’t want them to do, with the occasional stupid dog thrown in there to make me a liar.
I’m just sayin’. This whole thread is mostly projection when it comes to saying your dog is being affectionate. It is, but that’s because you taught that was how you wanted it to show you affection. No? Are there people here whose dogs lick but who do not kiss their dogs? Or reward the dog with petting when it does “kiss” you? I just think that about 80% of dog behavior is taught to them by who or whatever they live with. Dogs who grow up with cats often share some cat traits. Most of my cats have followed me around like puppies because I’ve usually had dogs with them.
Yes, one of my my favorites is when the wolves take over the house next door, and the dad is explaining to his son “I know you miss the Wainwrights, Bobby, but they were weak and stupid people - and that’s why we have wolves and other large predators.”
Boston Terriers are a “bully breed,” descended from the bulldog types. Our American Pit Bull Terrier, Simone, is also a member of the bully breeds, and she’s definitely affectionate. She’s a licker, a toucher, a nurturer. When it’s shorts weather, she touches my calf with her nose every few minutes exactly as if she’s deliberately keeping physical contact with me; if we’re petting the other dog, Sadie, Simone will come over and begin “helping out” licking Sadie; when Sadie is getting a bath Simone also tries to come help. When we hiked with dogs she’s never met, Simone rushed out in front, but kept doubling back to check on the other dogs and to nudge the ones who were having trouble or whining.
I don’t know whether she got this from humans or was just born like this. I’ve known dogs who were very different.
I agree. My dogs don’t lick me. I hate it. Even though I am their “human” and no one gets the excitement, attention and shadowing as I do, I am the only one they do not lick. That is because since they were pups, I have made it clear that behavior was not acceptable to me.
My husband will pick up the dogs and they will lick his face for as long as he lets them. Yuck.
(Obligatory photos of cute dogs licking each other. And other shenanigans. Like my now-dead Boston scratching his own ass on the couch leg, while snorting, moaning, and grunting with pleasure. I love that pic. :D)