Help to stop licking

[gluesticks]

Okay. Long story short - I've been petsitting my uncle's 200lb, 7 year old lab/mastiff mix and Louie, our now 52lb 10 month old chow just adores him and they play constantly. We've been babysitting for just over a week now and Louie has developed an obsessive habit of licking the drool around Andres jowels and inside of his mouth.

Now I understand that licking the face of another dog is usually an affectionate/submissive behavior, but it doesn't appear that simple. Louie's obsession appears so bad that as soon as I let him out from his crate in the morning, he seeks Andre out and immediately starts licking it, even if poor Andre is asleep. Louie will literally shadow Andre around the house and lick at his mouth, especially if Andre is panting. It's very disgusting to listen to or watch and disturbing to see how determined he is to get at it. I have searched online but it doesn't seem like there are any such similar situations. How do I get him to stop? Obviously pushing Louie away CONSTANTLY doesn't deter him, as he immediately returns and stares and licks. And I cannot put anything on Andre to deter him because it is Andres MOUTH.

Thank you
Glue

[Victory]

Does Andre have any tooth decay or other mouth issues. If the drool carries the order of disease it will cause Louie to want to lick it. And remember Louie's sense of smell is 100 times, (or more) what yours is. It could even just be that the drool is causing a skin infection around Andre's mouth. There are things that can help with that, and reduce the bacteria around wet areas, "show eyes" which is for the eye area also works well on the chin area.

Remember dogs have been found to be able to smell cancer and other disease faster than they can even be tested for..so if you clean Andre's mouth and chin area well for a few days and Louie is still obsessed, I would take Andre to the vet to see what's going on with his teeth and mouth.

[gluesticks]

Wow, I didn't even think about that. Andre is an older dog and I doubt that my uncle has ever brushed his teeth or taken him for any dental care. His breath doesn't stink... Do you think that Louie can contract anything from this disturbing behavior?

Luckily Andre is being picked up tomorrow. Until then i will just keep them separated. My uncle is returning from his vacation and I will let him know that he should probably bring him to the vet for a checkup.

Thank you,
Glue

[Swerve]

I agree with above, maybe something wrong in he mouth/ gum etc and maybe the chow is licking to clean his wound. I know our chow would lick mny older dogs wound.

I'd suggest to andres owner to get his mouth checked.

Steve

[Victory]

No, Louie shouldn't contract anything, unless Andre has some parasite or other. But that wouldn't cause this behavior, so he should be okay.

[wokman]

My late Chow Kamie was a mouth licker to other dogs. I felt it was her Motherly instinct to keep her two other pack mates clean. She would also lick discharge from around the others eyes. Zoey, Kamie's offspring now licks Leo my Males mouth sometimes, though not as much as her Mother Kamie did. My newer pack member Abby is starting to lick Leo's often wet muzzle underside. Leo's teeth are in good shape with only slight tarter build-up.
What does "Show eyes" do for the eye area?

[Victory]

My late Chow Kamie was a mouth licker to other dogs. I felt it was her Motherly instinct to keep her two other pack mates clean. She would also lick discharge from around the others eyes. Zoey, Kamie's offspring now licks Leo my Males mouth sometimes, though not as much as her Mother Kamie did. My newer pack member Abby is starting to lick Leo's often wet muzzle underside. Leo's teeth are in good shape with only slight tarter build-up.
What does "Show eyes" do for the eye area?

Dreamdancer will clean Firesong's mouth area too, and her eye area as well, but he doesn't do it excessively like the original post was talking about, only once in a while. That's normal but what was described isn't normal.

"Show Eyes" is used to clean the stains that happen when their eyes run, it is used a lot on white or light colored dogs for shows to get rid of those stains, hence the name. The stains are caused not just by the runny eyes, but by a bacteria that grows from the runny eyes. It is that bacteria which causes the stain on the fur and can actually if it gets bad enough cause eye infections because the bacteria will travel from the stained area back to the eye. Firesong has very mild entropian in one eye and it runs sometimes, so I clean the tear stains with "show eyes" and it removes the stain and the bacteria that is there. You can get it at PetCo or PetSmart or online at Drs. Foster and Smith. A small bottle will last a long time, as you don't use a lot, just dampen a soft cloth or cotton make up remover pad, wipe the area and then wash it with another cloth that is wet with warm water. You need to wash all the Show Eyes off as per the instructions or it can sting and burn the skin under the fur. You can also use it on any areas stained by drool as the same issue exists, bacteria growing in the wet fur which is what causes the stain.