I know it doesn't bother some people, but there are times when I do not want my my dog (3 yo yellow lab) licking my hands, arms, legs, etc. I know this is a core way they like to express affection, but are there good ways to train this out of them? "No lick" commands are decent, but would like this to be more trained into her so she doesn't even start with it. Have not used much negative reinforcment except shooing her away and telling her "no lick" when she starts at it.

Gibbs just turned 10 this year, and he’s still out here moving, thinking, and working like a much younger dog. I filmed this the other day and wanted to share it with you all because it really drives home something I talk about a lot: Training isn’t a band-aid — it’s a lifestyle. Most people only train when problems show up. Their dog gets reactive, stops listening, blows off commands… then they try to fix it with a few sessions. And even when the dog improves, they go right back to living the same way they were before, and the same issues come back. That’s not what actually works long-term. Gibbs has aged well because obedience, structure, and engagement have been a normal part of his everyday life since he was a puppy. Nothing extreme. Nothing fancy. Just a consistent way of living with him: - clear expectations - daily communication - engagement and play - obedience woven into real life - impulse control reps - structure and routines When you live this way, your dog doesn’t fall apart when things get difficult. They don’t suddenly become “unmanageable”. They already understand how to handle pressure, excitement, distractions, and boundaries — because it’s been part of their life all along. Use it or lose it. This is what long-term training produces. Watch the video and pay attention to the little things — the focus, the engagement, the impulse control, the relationship. These are the things we’re building in our own dogs every single day. Drop your takeaways below, and if you want help applying this mindset with your own dog, post your situation and I’ll help you troubleshoot it.

Anybody ever try this? Seen a few ducks unlimited and other- videos saying it’s important but only offer suggestion to not shoot over their head or put them in a protected shelter with insulation nearby but not much on protection methods. some people use silicone or wax inserts. Others use outside ear muffs. I’ve also seen a kind of skeeve that fits over the dogs head.

@Jeff Thomson I saw your Halloween video and it was night and day from my 3 year old lab’s behavior on Halloween. I’m on day 2. And she’s already behaving differently. One thing I’ve noticed on day 1 was her general hesitation to look me in the eye. When she does look up it seems like she is looking just off center, about 1-2” off the side of my face. It’s subtle, but it’s there, so I’ve been waiting longer to get a glimpse of the full eye contact before the yes and reward. Curious if you have thoughts on that. As some background I picked her up from a farm I work at. Her prior owner is a waterfowl hunter and had several dogs and had to reduce how many he had. she had prior hunting training that gave her some really good behaviors (never jumps on people, waits to be invited indoors before coming in) and some fear/submissive behaviors and some gun shyness that were working on. She may have had some aggressive e-collar corrections or other negative reinforcement events that may have contributed to her hesitation to look in the eyes. Anyways. Thanks for the videos. Look forward to seeing how she progresses.