When I am luring my dog, he licks my hand while trying to get the reward. How can I stop this behavior without diminishing his drive for the work?

My dog keeps licking my hand extensively while luring him (trying to get the reward, or at least taste it, I think).

How can I stop this behaviour without damaging the lure work? I would like my dog to just touch my hand with its nose during the lure without licking my hand.

Cindy's Answer

Try to release the treat to the dog IMMEDIATELY before he or she has the opportunity to lick. I think sometimes in early training if you make the dog lure too long they think that's what they are supposed to do. As far as the finished product when it comes to dog training, it's not that big of a problem because you will be phasing out the lure when you are getting into more advanced training.

I think many trainers make the dog wait too long in the beginning steps, there is nothing wrong with saying "Yes" immediately giving the dog access to the reward, especially if your dog is new to this work or is very young.

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