Huskies are very affectionate dogs that are known to lick a lot. This post will help you to figure out why your husky is licking so much and how to stop it.
So, why might your husky be licking so much? There are a number of reasons that your husky might be licking the two main ones are grooming and affection. Other reasons include dehydration, stress or anxiety, boredom, sickness, exploration, and attention seeking.
And, how to get your husky to stop licking? The best way to get your husky to stop licking will depend on why it is licking. But, common methods include not giving it attention when it licks, rewarding it when it doesn’t lick, giving it toys to lick instead, giving it lots of exercise and fixing any pains that it might have by going to the vet.
Even though huskies are naturally prone to licking often there are actually a number of reasons that it could be doing it. The best approach to take to fix it will depend on the cause of the licking.
Why Your Husky Could Be Licking So Much
There are a number of reasons that your husky might be licking a lot but I will mention the main ones below.
Grooming
Huskies will often groom themselves by licking. They will also groom others such as when a mother husky licks her puppies. This is one reason that they will lick you too.
Related: Why does my dog lick my legs?
Affection
Another common reason that huskies will lick you is that it is a sign of affection. When it’s licking you it’s letting you know that it trusts you and that you are a part of its tribe. This type of licking is normal and will often happen when you try to pet it.
Excitement
Huskies will also often lick when they are excited. This will normally happen when you’re giving it attention or when you’re about to take it out for a walk.
Hunger/Dehydration
It could be that your husky is dehydrated or that it is hungry. If this is the case then it will be licking its lips a lot. If you think that this is the cause then give it a bowl of water and some food. If it drinks the water quickly then it probably was the reason.
Stress/anxiety
Another cause of constant licking could be that your husky is stressed or if it is anxious about something. Situations, where this is more likely, would include when it’s recently had a stressful event occur such as when a family member has gone away or if one of your other dogs has died. It can also be the case when it has been mistreated in the past and it copes by licking a lot.
Boredom
Huskies were bred to be very active dogs. If your husky is not getting a lot of exercise then it could be that it’s licking a lot out of boredom.
Sickness
Another possible cause of the constant licking could be due to sickness. When you’re sick you can get a bad taste in the mouth, this can happen to huskies too so the licking could be its way of getting the taste out of its mouth. If you think that this might be the case then take it to the vet and make sure that it has access to water.
Exploration
Huskies will start to lick before they’re even able to open their eyes so they will naturally begin to explore the world using their tongues. This habit can continue into adulthood causing it to naturally lick things quite often.
Attention seeking
Another reason that it could be licking you is that it wants attention. If you haven’t been giving it a lot of attention then it could be that it’s found that by licking you it is able to get attention from you which is why it licks more. If you think that this is the case then you should reward it with attention when it’s not licking but to temporarily ignore it when it licks so that it can realize licking won’t get it attention.
It’s Still Young
Puppies tend to be a lot more excitable and curious and they tend to lick more because of it. If your husky is still young then it’s likely that it will calm down as it gets older but you should still take the time to train it now so that it’s better behaved as an adult.
How To Get Your Husky To Stop Licking
The best way to get your husky to stop the licking will depend on the cause of its licking. But, below are a number of things that you can try.
Don’t give attention
One way that you can reduce how much your husky licks you is to stop giving it attention when it licks you. You don’t have to ignore it for long just long enough so that it’s stopped licking and then you can give it attention again. By doing this you’ll be able to reinforce that licking you won’t get it what it wants and that not licking will.
Related: why does my husky destroy everything?
Reward it for not licking
When your training your husky not to lick you it will also be important to reward it when it doesn’t lick you so that you’ll teach it that not licking results in rewards.
You can watch the video below to see how it’s done.
Give it toys
One option you have is to keep it distracted by giving it toys to play with. This option works well temporarily but it doesn’t do much to stop your husky from wanting to lick you.
Related: why does my husky bark?
Give it lots of exercise
Something that you should definitely do is to give it lots of exercise. by making sure that it gets lots of exercise you’ll be able to reduce its boredom which will reduce how much it feels the need to lick itself and how much it licks you for attention.
Fix any pain
If your husky keeps licking the same area then it could be that it has a pain there. If you think that your huskies licking might be due to pain then your best option would be to take it to a vet.
Be patient
When you’re training your husky not to lick it’s important that you be very patient. Licking is a part of their nature and is not something that you’ll be able to stop quickly but with persistence you’ll be able to reduce it over time.
Things To Consider
Don’t let them lick your face
Even though you’ll often find that huskies will try to lick your face a lot especially when they get excited you shouldn’t let it do so. The reason being that your husky could have been licking something that has germs and you’ll be risking letting those germs spread to you.
It’s important to start young
It’s tempting to brush puppies licking off as being due to age but you should make sure to start training them at a young age. They will be more responsive as puppies and they will be more willing to let you change their behaviour. If you wait until it’s older then it won’t be as responsive to you and it will be harder to change its habits.
Get help
If you’re concerned about how much your husky is licking you or itself then you should consider getting help from a certified animal behaviorist. They will be able to tell if something is wrong with your husky and they will be able to help you to reduce the licking.
Related Questions
Why does my husky lick me in the morning? If your dog is regularly licking you in the morning then it’s probably telling you that it’s thirsty, hungry and that it wants to go outside to pee. To make this stop you should try allowing it to pee right before going to bed, giving it lots of exercise and getting it used to getting up later. You can read more here.
Why is my husky licking itself excessively suddenly? This could be due to a number of reasons including being in pain, having anxiety, being sick or being stressed. Your best option would be to take it to a vet to see if it’s sick or in pain or to get an animal behaviorist to look at it.