licked to death

orangedog sent me the following email:

The other day, while I was trying (unsuccessfully) to fend off my friend's pit mix from "licking me to death", I got to thinking about how pits are always slurping on people and how obsessive the behavior seems. It's as if the pit is releasing energy by licking instead of doing what it was bred to do - attack. And, it almost takes the same form as an attack - just without teeth.

I've owned dogs my whole life, different breeds, and none of them licked except for maybe one quick one when I came home from work. My dogs have all been snuggly, lovable critters. They are/were lovers, not lickers.

As I keep fending off the pit mix that is now licking my knees because I keep pushing it away, I think to myself how gross and fucking annoying this dog is. I have scratches all over me from it holding on while it slimes me. Finally, my friend has to zap it with an e-collar to get it to stop. The dog sits and keeps licking its own face. Slurp, slurp, slurp. This is usually considered a calming signal, but with this dog, I'm not so sure. The dog is still laser-focused on me, and the only thing holding it back is the fear of another electric sizzle to its walnut sized brain.

I started researching if there was a link between obsessive licking and aggression, and wouldn't you know it:

However, not all dogs seem penitent when they slurp the faces of people they meet. For some dogs, it seems that they engage in face licking because they can get away with it and because it gets a rise out of the person. When licking is performed for such a reason, it may be component of the "center stage," attention-demanding behavior of dominant dogs. No lick! is a good command to have working for these guys.

the above was written by pit nutter DR NICHOLAS DODMAN

whenever the discussion of the lick you to death wiggle butt comes up, the first thing that comes to my mind is this creepy display.

or watch on youtube

DODMAN lays out a few more reasons why dogs lick; appeasement, anxiety, submission. submission certainly does not fit the description of the lunatic pit in this video.

i've never been a big fan of the dog tongue. anything more than one or two quick timid licks and i am annoyed. having a dog come at me with the gusto of ginger could result in a rough physical altercation. the first time i saw this video of the woman being "licked to death" by ginger the pit bull, i was horrified. i was horrified by not only by what i was seeing in the video but by the wave of nutters who were parading it as the ideal. what person in their right mind thinks that any out of control behavior is acceptable and healthy in a dog? oh wait, pit nutters.

i don't care for licking in normal dogs and i especially do not want a dog created for fighting near me that is in any kind of out of control state, especially given the fact that they have so many triggers that send them into the red zone. oh, there goes a yorkie... too bad for you. chomp.

as disturbing as ginger's behavior is, it never occurred to me to research this behavior until i got this email from orangedog. a few minutes with google and i see that orangedog and i are not alone in our dislike of this annoying behavior.

teachyourhuman.com offers up a few explanations.

If your dog is licking you because he’s feeling affectionate and wants to let you know, it’ll be pretty easy to figure out whether this is the case or not. His body language will be relaxed, and although the circumstances will be variable, the surrounding mood will generally be stress-free and happy.

Another not-infrequent reason for repetitive, owner-targeted licking is that your dog’s feeling anxious and stressed.

Having said that though, most of the time excessive licking is simply due to excessive exuberance in your dog: he’s happy, he loves you, and he has to let you know right now.

* note, ginger is slobbering all over a complete stranger.

here are a few more websites offering advice to people who wish to stop this pesky behavior.

stop excessive licking

blufftontoday.com

even PINEY'S dog trainer chimes on the subject