1/13/2023
How To Train Your Dog to Kiss
Dogs are man’s best friend, and what better way to show our love and appreciation for them than a good pat on the head and a few dozen well-deserved kisses? Wouldn’t it be fun, though, to train your dog to kiss back? With the help of TV Show Host and Professional Animal Trainer Joel Silverman, you can use this step-by-step guide to learn how to teach your dog to kiss!
How To Get Your Dog to Give You Kisses
Step One: Have your dog start in a sitting or lying position. Once there, present your cheek or chin and say your command word “kiss.”
Step Two: Whenever your dog responds by licking you on your cheek or chin, immediately reward them with a treat. This will help your dog begin to understand that a lick on the cheek is the desired action.
Step Three: Repeat this process 5 to 10 minutes every day. After several training sessions, you can start to take the treat away and instead offer different types of positive reinforcement like praise and head scratches.
Step Four: Once they have mastered the cheek kiss, you can start to teach your dog to kiss your hand, your nose, and even your friends!
Tips For Teaching Your Dog to Kiss
When you teach your dog to kiss, make sure to keep the following tips from Joel in mind to make the training process as smooth and easy as possible for you and your pup:
Train Your Dog to Kiss Your Cheek or Chin
Dog kisses can be cute but having to dip and dodge so they don’t slobber all over your mouth is never fun. When you train your dog to kiss, make sure to use your cheek or chin as the target. This will help them learn how to properly give kisses and avoid unwanted licks on your mouth and lips.
Start in the Right Position
Training for this specific trick will work best when your dog is either sitting or lying down. This position will allow for better control and make the trick easier to execute for your pup.
If your dog doesn’t know how to sit yet, you will want to start there first. Luckily, we have a guide for that too! Once your dog knows the command “sit.” you can move on to more complicated tricks like giving kisses.
Capture Their Behavior & Reward Accordingly
When training your pooch to smooch, one of the best tips to remember is to capture their behavior in real-time and use a specific command word to describe that action. For example, when your best friend starts to pick up on a behavior—in this case a kiss—reward them with praise, say the word “kiss” out loud, and give them a tasty reward like Bil-Jac Gooberlicious Training Treats.
It’s important to take every opportunity to “catch them in the act” and quickly give positive feedback and reward. This will help them start making the connection between your command word and the desired action.
Guide Them with a Treat If Necessary
Some dogs may take longer to catch on to this trick than others. If your dog isn’t responding to your kiss command by licking your cheek or chin, you can use a treat to help guide them. Simply hold a treat in your hand and present it to your pooch. From there, guide your dog to your cheek by continuously showing them the treat in your hand. Hold the treat next to your cheek and when they begin to lick it, say the command word “kiss.”
Repeat this several times until your dog learns to lick your cheek when they hear the command word.
Don’t Forget That Learning Tricks Takes Time
Dogs are incredibly smart, but it is important to remember that when teaching your dog a new trick the behavior may not stick instantaneously. To help your dog learn how to kiss, try to practice in small increments of time over the span of about 4-5 days. After some time and patience, your best friend should have their new trick mastered!
Don’t Forget to Have Fun
When you teach your dog new tricks you spend valuable time together that helps increase your bond as pup and pet parent. Don’t forget to make these experiences fun and reward your dog with lots of love and praise.
Keeping these training sessions enjoyable is an important part of helping your best friend stay happy and healthy! Once you’ve mastered how to get your dog to give you kisses, you can move on to other fun tricks like play dead and wave.
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