Why do dogs lick you

For a dog owner it’s the best part of the day: that moment when you walk in the door to be greeted by a big slobbery kiss. We’ll never get tired of it – but what does it mean when a dog licks you? From puppies to adult dogs, here’s a lickle lowdown on why do dogs lick you…

Why Does My Dog Keep Licking Me?

It’s long been thought that when they bound towards you and start licking your face, it’s your dog’s special way of showing how much they love you. Dogs love to lick. Dogs lick people, they lick their owners, their toys, themselves! Generally, licking behaviour is part of a dog’s DNA.

But hold on a second: aren’t we getting a little too soppy here? Could all this licking behaviour simply mean that they recognise that we’re their meal ticket – and that showing us affection is nothing more than a survival strategy?

Research seems to back up what dog owners’ kind of knew already: that dogs really do love us. Neuroscientist, Dr. Gregory Berns of Emory University, Atlanta studied the “reward centre” within canine brains. One of his experiments involved giving dogs sausages in some situations and praise in others. He found that the response to praise was just as strong as the response to food – and that in 20% of cases, it was actually stronger.

According to Berns, dogs on the whole love us “at least as much as food” ….!

Why Do Dogs Lick You When You Pet Them?

Licking is an instinctive behaviour for dogs that’s associated with happiness. Studies have shown that when a dog licks something (or someone), it releases endorphins or pleasure hormones and makes them feel good. They see something they like and that they associate with “good times” and licking it reinforces that feeling of happiness.

Mother dogs will lick their new-born puppies to clean and comfort them. It’s a way of bonding and also improves their blood flow and stimulates them to wee and poo. Puppies lick as a way of greeting and to communicate submissiveness to their elders. They may also lick their mother’s lips to encourage her to regurgitate food (this is part of the weaning process in wild dogs).

Dogs also love to lick to groom themselves and will lick at an irritation or wound to keep it clean.

If a dog licks you, it’s their way of saying hello – and asking about your day. On top of this, it’s worth bearing in mind that for wild dogs in packs licking performs two very useful functions at the same time: it helps reinforce those all-important bonds between pack members – and provides a chance to clean each other’s faces and bodies of ticks, fleas and grime. So, your dog may think they’re doing you a big favour on the hygiene front.

Why Do Dogs Lick You?

So why do dogs lick your face? It may be sign of affection, but all that salty skin, sweat, make-up, soap, aftershave, dead skin, traffic fume residue – maybe even food debris – makes for an interesting and irresistible cocktail. When there’s no food about, you’re the next best thing. Why wouldn’t they lick you if you taste so good?

And why do dogs like to lick your feet? Sweaty feet have a great scent and taste good (for dogs anyway)! The licking may make you smile and laugh, so your dog thinks they’re making you happy too. So, they’ll keep licking.

What if My Dog Won’t Stop Licking?

A friendly lick is one thing – and it’s perfectly natural. But there are some situations where licking can become excessive and you may want to stop your dog licking so much. If they keep licking you, perhaps you’re reinforcing the behaviour by giving them lots of attention when they lick? This positive reinforcement means that they’ll keep licking you.

A quick welcome lick when you arrive home is great – but when the greeting and showing of affection seems to last forever – and when you finally shake them off, they retreat to a corner and spend hours licking themselves, is something wrong?

As we’ve mentioned, licking releases endorphins. So it could be that licking is your dog’s way of releasing their anxiety. And in some situations, compulsive licking can be the sign of anxiety or an obsessive disorder.

Has there been a recent change in your dog’s environment that could be making them feel anxious? Are they left alone for long periods? Are they getting enough mental stimulation and exercise?

Obsessive licking can lead to open sores, infections and the build-up of painful tissue known as granulomas. Failure to address the anxiety issue is likely to only make it worse. So, speak to your vet -. some specialist behavioural training might be in order.

Licking could also be a sign of illness. Constant licking of the skin accompanied by head jerks could indicate a flea infestation or other parasitic invasion.

If your dog’s licking everything (e.g., you, the walls, the floor!), they might have a gastrointestinal (tummy) upset. If it’s accompanied by diarrhoea, vomiting or listlessness and doesn’t clear up after 24 hours, speak to your vet.

Should You Let Your Dog Lick You?

There’s no getting away from it: dog’s mouths aren’t exactly the cleanest of places.

If you’re a dog, your own saliva is useful stuff: it contains proteins that help with self-cleansing and even with the healing of wounds. But it’s all the other “nasties” that sometimes reside in there that ought to cause some concern – many of which are zoonotic – i.e., they can potentially pass to humans and cause illness.

Salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter can all be present in saliva. And because dogs are prone to eating their own and other dogs’ faeces, there’s also the risk of passing on certain parasitic infections, like hookworms and roundworms.

But is there a danger of getting overly sensitive about the odd lick? For one thing, pathogens don’t absorb through normal, unbroken skin – so the chances of problems caused by being licked on the hand or cheek are actually extremely low. Open wounds are a different matter and could become infected.

Harmful organisms can be absorbed more easily through mucous membranes – so this includes the mouth, nose and eyes. So, when your dog licks your face, you might want to offer up your cheek and steer your buddy away from the rest of your face. And if you’ve got a weak immune system, you should try and avoid dog licks.

In general, a healthy, happy dog can mean fewer health risks for all the family, – but keep on top of grooming, vaccines and deworming if they like to lick people!

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Reference:

Content provided from Vetstream’s Vetlexicon Canis – www.vetstream.com/treat/canis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.