Too Close for Comfort

[WADE DEUPREE]

Porkchop is a 1yr old Aussie, that we recently adopted/rehomed from a family who needed 1 fewer dog. He has been with us for 2 months. He is very typical to the breed, but exhibits some behaviors that I am desperate to modify. 
He will jump up on a chair or bed seeking attention, but he gets too close to us trying to lick, kiss. He is not content with being beside us, or in the lap, but insists on getting ‘right in your face”  I would like to teach him an acceptable boundry and still receive affection. 
 

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there, welcome to the forums,

Porkchop is a super cute name! He is fortunate to be getting all the attention he likely lacked in his previous home. 

Two months is a relatively short time for a dog to adjust and settle into a new environment. During this time of transitioning and settling into a new home, dogs may often manifest signs of insecurity and hyper-attachment. These dogs thrive on an established routine and knowing what to expect.

Aussies, as other herding dogs were selectively bred for carrying out several tasks such as keeping count of the herd, maintaining order and ensuring the safety of the flock at all times. These dogs were therefore bred for paying attention to every tiny detail. On top of watching livestock, they also had to watch for the most subtle nuances of voice, tone and bodily gestures of the herdsmen.

The ideal herding dog is therefore expected to pay meticulous attention to their environments and their associated familiar patterns. They'll actively spring into action if something appears amiss. These dogs therefore require patient guidance and redirection to more appropriate responses, such as looking at us rather than barking, or attention heeling rather than lunging at cars.

In regards to his behavior of jumping on a chair or bed behavior to seek attention, licking and trying to "give kisses," I would suggest taking a multi-faceted approach.  Here are some general guidelines and tips.

-Antecedent Control

In antecedent control, we manage the dog's environment so that he doesn't get to rehearse the problematic behavior (licking/giving kisses).

Here's the thing: licking is reinforcing in various ways. Dogs quickly  learn that licking works great to garner human attention. Some dogs take licking to a higher level as it happens with overly appeasing dogs. These dogs use their licking in hopes of calming others down and to show their peaceful intents.

The issue is, these dogs can get carried away and the behavior becomes so obnoxious it's annoying and it one gets upset by it and scolds the dog,  this motivates these dogs to lick even more, in an attempt to calm us down, leading to a vicious cycle. The poster child of a overly appeasing licker who constantly licks people, is often a shy, insecure dog.

In any case, in antecedent control steps are taken to prevent the dog from rehearsing the licking behavior. The more dogs rehearse behaviors, the more they gain reinforcement and therefore the more the behavior becomes habitual and ingrained. 

Antecedent control in this case could therefore entail anything that makes the behavior difficult or unlikely to occur. For example:

• Keeping chairs against tables so that they can no longer be used
• Placing bulky items on the couch if the dog jumps up there to lick people
• Not sitting down or bending close the dog's level if that evokes face-licking
• Keeping hands in the pockets to prevent hand licking
• Keeping a large pillow or other bulky item (I use my laptop) on the lap to prevent climbing in the lap. 

-Train An Alternate Behavior

As you take steps to prevent your dog from engaging in licking and gaining reinforcement from licking, you want to work on the side on training an alternate behavior to engage in making that extra rewarding. Basically, you want to train your dog other ways to interact with you that don't involve licking.

For example, you can train your dog to go to his mat (placed nearby you on the floor) where he will receive something to keep busy for some time (stuffed frozen Kong, bully stick). Here is the guide on training a dog to go to his mat:  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

Once trained to a fluent level, you can make it a habit of letting him go to his mat for his long-lasting chew, at the scheduled times you sit down to relax. Making this a routine can turn this into a look-forwarded to event, where sitting down becomes the cue for relax time on the mat with something enticing to chew and keep busy. 

Another option is training to sit for attention. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/ Start by hand feeding the treat, and once the sitting becomes fluent, praise and reward your dog for sitting by tossing a kibble or treat. You can repeat this several times with your dog yo-yoing back and forth (this also provides a mental and physical workout).

After several reps, with you sitting down, if your dog loves attention and being pet, you can then ask for a final sit where you pet him, but stop petting him/giving any form of attention, if he becomes pushy and tries to lick.

-Praise/acknowledge any independent, non-pushy behaviors.

I like the picture above where Porkchop appears chill and relaxed by the window. I would deliver praise in a calm tone (and maybe even reward by placing a kibble in between his paws, if it doesn't arouse him much) when he's manifesting relaxed, calm behaviors as such. As owners, we often miss the good behaviors and focus on the undesirable ones. What happens when we do this, is that, dogs quickly learn that undesirable behaviors get our attention, when the desirable ones are ignored. It therefore helps to provide praise and attention contingent upon noticing any spontaneous calm and relaxed behaviors that we like. 

-Avoid Any Form of Attention Given Contingent Upon the Licking Behavior

Even with the best antecedent control plan, the dog may still manage to lick. In this case, it's important to avoid giving the dog any form of attention, and this includes even attention of the negative type such as scolding the dog or pushing him away.

To an attention-driven dog, any form of attention qualifies as reinforcing and therefore with attention of any kind, you risk fueling the behavior, when you want it to extinguish.

In this case, you could therefore turn your head and look away or even turn sideways, and eventually get up and walk away if the behavior persists. Make sure to do this every single time, contingent upon the attention-seeking behavior. All family members should also follow this protocol.

-Beware of Extinction Bursts

When you start ignoring a behavior that was fueled by attention in the past, you should expect a phenomenon known as an extinction burst. 

Basically, what happens is that, since your dog was likely used to getting attention by licking in the past, the moment you start ignoring him, he'll try to escalate the behavior as if saying "Hey, look at me, I am licking you, look at me! Hello?"

At some point, your dog may even throw in some new behaviors just to get a response from you (or other family members) such as barking or maybe even nipping. In these cases, it's important to stick to the plan and keep ignoring, otherwise you risk reinforcing persistence with the risk of being stuck with a dog who takes even longer to stop licking and maybe starts nipping too. 

However, you can make the process go smoother by preventing your dog from licking in the first place by asking him to engage in an alternate behavior. 

*A word of caution is needed: frustration from not getting an expected response can sometimes spill into aggression. If you notice any signs of aggression, skip this method. This can be indicative of a dog with a low frustration tolerance. Consult with a behavior professional for in-person assistance. 

-Avoid Behavior Chains

A big mistake that often dog owners make is to inadvertently create behavior chains. Behavior chains are sequence of behaviors, where an unwanted behavior mistakenly partakes in the chain.

For example, let's say you are training your dog to sit and then lie down and you praise and reward by giving a kibble. At some point though, your dog licks your hand, and you immediately redirect by asking your dog to sit and then praise/reward that.

By doing this, your dog may come to think that the lick is part of the chain of behaviors that generate reinforcement (either under the form of attention or treats), so don't be surprised if at some point, you'll notice more episodes of licks before sitting!

It's therefore important paying attention to what is happening and avoid reinforcing any licking with any form of attention considering that even giving the cue to sit is a form of attention, further amplified by the addition of a treat.

-Provide Enrichment

If your dog licks you a lot, you can keep his mind off licking by engaging him with food puzzles and foraging activities such as fun treasure hunts. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

You may also find it helpful engaging your dog in fun brain games like getting tennis balls out of muffin tin with treats hiding under and the bottle game. Always supervise your dog during such games for inappropriate chewing on things. If you need to remove the bottle from your dog, or any balls, make sure to trade them for something valuable rather than removing them directly from the dog. As an extra caution, you can take advantage of a door and toss the valuable past that so you can close the door and safely retrieve the item.  More about how to do this is covered in the third link below:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

Enrichment helps keep the dog's mind busy, while also providing him with some activities that can help boost his confidence and promotes mental wellbeing.

-Provide Physical Exercise

Herding dogs were selectively bred to work on farms and are still known today for their hard work and stamina. These are resilient dogs purposely built for managing rough terrains, controlling stubborn herds of livestock for countless hours each day. Being on their feet all day and rapidly responding to circumstances that required their immediate attention took lots of energy!

Indeed, it can be said that herders are always ready for action and are reluctant to rest as long as there is something to do. These dogs do not want to miss out on anything. Unlike us humans, working is their passion, not their misery. Licking can also be a way to manifest boredom and seeking engagement and interaction. 

It goes without saying that these dogs thrive with owner who lead an active lifestyle with the opportunity to engage their dogs in a variety of activities. Walks, hikes, play, training, canine sports, Treibball, herding trials, musical freestyle,  are all activities these dogs love. Consult with your vet on guidelines on how much/what type of exercise you should provide considering your dog's age so to have an idea on when his growth plates close. 

-Tackle Anxiety Driven Behaviors

Dogs who lick due to anxiety and a deep need to appease, should be provided with the reassurance of routines and benefit from learning to trust. One can help a dog gain trust through some basic steps https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/helping-fearful-rescue-dog/  and confidence building exercises can help too: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/

Another thing to consider is paying attention when Porkshop starts licking and wanting to get into your laps. This behavior can be anxiety driven. Pay attention if he's doing so in response to certain noises or seeing certain things. If you notice a pattern, you will have to work on desensitizing him and counterconditioning him to whatever frightens him. Here is a guide if the licking/getting into lap behavior is induced by a noise: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/

 

As seen there are several approaches that can be used to reduce excessive licking behaviors. Tackling the underlying emotions and implementing management and training can go a long way.

The behavior will likely not change overnight, however, by preventing rehearsal of the problematic behavior, preventing your dog from gaining reinforcement upon licking, training alternate behaviors that replace the licking, tackling underlying emotions, and providing enrichment and good physical exercise, the behavior should gradually decrease over time.

I hope this helps and that I have covered several basis. Keep us posted on how things go and/or feel free to ask any questions. 

Happy training!

Best,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification/certain type of training come with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (tensing up,  barking,  growling, lunging, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance.

Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.