major snogging!!

[kactus]

hi guys.. just a quick question... our new 6month old boxer bailey seems to have some social issues... when we meet another dog he is always friendly, but all he wants to do is lick lick lick the other dog in the face...hes got such a big mouth and tongue the poor dog is soaking wet by the time hes done and the owner is generally staring horrified... he is Never aggressive and always approaches in really energetic play style.. its especially worse with my sisters staffie who is 10 and just stands there bewildered and lets him leap all over her and lick her to death (and hes actually trying to get his tongue right in there!!) i kind of want her to scold hima bit when it gets too much so she can teach him a lesson about ettiquette but she is super tolerant. is this a normal boxer thing and how do we teach him about a little lick rather than a bath??!!!

[kassa]

It's totally normal and the other dogs will tell him when to stop. If they genuinely seem distressed, you can distract the puppy away, but don't punish him for it. My 5 year old and his sister who play together regularly will often stand and lick each others' muzzles in between playing strenuously -- it's a calming signal, especially from puppy to older dog. It says "No harm meant, I'm just little old me."

With the older staffie, see if you can coax them apart and watch if the staffie takes the opportunity to get away and get some peace, or comes back to initiate play. If the staffie still seeks out the puppy's company, let them play away. Sometimes much older dogs (or quiet submissive dogs) do need a break from an obnoxious puppy because they can't for whatever reason deliver the proper correction.

In the next couple of months the older dogs will start teaching lessons they've let slide for a while. As your pup gets older, what's "cute" and tolerable to the older dog will fade away and they'll lay down the law.

If you see the older dog snarl and snap at the puppy, don't panic -- watch the puppy's reaction. Assuming the puppy isn't concerned about the correction, there's no need for you to be concerned, either. If the puppy contiunues to bounce right back in the older dog's face and the older dog gets increasingly more severe in its corrections, break up the play session.

But a good snarling/growling "back off, you obnoxious puppy!" lesson is a Very Good Thing.

Kathryn Saxon
Daisax Boxers

[Rocco850]

Rocco just turned a year and he's constantly licking dogs in the muzzle. I put a thread up a while back, here it is: Licking the Muzzle I don't believe its dominance at all, Rocco is soooo not dominant!
Hope that thread helps you.
-Jenette

[Mama_Zookeeper]

So what does all this "snogging" mean when it is between my boxer and 20 month old son!

Dora & the Zoo Crew

[ses02e]

I thought it was great to see the term "snogging" used. Before I even saw the location, I knew it was either England or a surrounding country. I am from England so I do know what this means.
Basically snogging is the same as french kissing! LOTS OF TONGUE!! It's right bloody cheeky! That will be another lesson!

[schipman]

Thanks for giving a name to the activity. Both of my babies do this and now I know what to call it - Snogging. There is so much to learn by talking to people from all over the world on the web.

[Tulsa-Dan]

Originally Posted by Mama_Zookeeper

So what does all this "snogging" mean when it is between my boxer and 20 month old son!

Dora & the Zoo Crew

Either your son is very hairy or it means the dog sees your son not as Leader of the pack but playmate.

[NuBoxer Fan]

Very interesting. Zuzu has played with a 9/10 mo old Dogue de Bordeaux on a few occassions, and I remember thinking she was really cute when she licked at his face. Now that I think about it, she did seem to do that when she was approached in a way that made her a little nervous. Calmed the big boy right down, and then when Zuzu knew she was safe she would give him a little swat in the face. I thought she was just being a brat!!

Now I know that she was trying to tell him to "chill out" so she could continue to handle playing with him! Watching dogs communicate is fascinating! I love learning all this new stuff.

[DogPile]

It's not necessarily submissive, but it is a calming signal. It shows "I'm friendly and won't hurt you." Our trainer says it's much more polite for a dog to greet like this than to leap onto other dogs with no greeting. As long as your dog will then engage in play and not let itself be picked on, I really wouldn't worry. Joe has to kiss every dog in the park before engaging in play!