The habit of a four-legged friend to lick his owner does not always indicate love for him. Dog breeders tend to attribute human qualities and emotions to their pets, therefore they explain their actions and habits without taking into account the physiology, instincts, and psyche of their four-legged friend.
Such “humanization” does not always benefit the dog, so veterinarians strongly advise, before getting one, to study the peculiarities of behavior and keeping of animals. Otherwise, problems with understanding cannot be avoided.
A dog licks its owner: reasons
Showing love in dogs
The mother constantly licks the puppies before and after feeding - this is both a necessary hygiene measure, a massage to improve digestion, and a way to calm the little blind creature and let him know that he is not alone. Having matured, the puppy begins to lick its mother in response, demanding affection or showing that it is hungry. And when a person replaces the mother, he automatically begins to show his needs to him in this way. An adult dog, expressing devotion and joy, can run its tongue over the face and hands of the owner, unable to otherwise show feelings.
The dog constantly licks the puppies - this is both a necessary hygiene measure and a massage to improve digestion
Why do dogs lick their feet and what does it mean?
There are several reasons why a dog often licks a person's feet.
- Salt : the diet does not have enough sodium and chlorine, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the stomach; without them, the body does not produce hydrochloric acid, which means that the process of digesting food is disrupted and appetite worsens. By licking sweat from its feet, the dog tries to get the substances it needs.
- Smell : in the wild, strong odors give away the animal; instinct forces the dog to take care of the cleanliness of the owner’s feet so that the specific aroma does not give them away to the enemy.
- Fear : a humiliated, timid touch of the tongue may indicate disturbances in the relationship between man and animal, frequent aggression directed at the dog; serious correction of human behavior is required.
- Wounds : Infected scratches or wounds on the legs prompt the four-legged "healer" to use the most powerful healing agent at his disposal - his own saliva.
Legs are the most accessible part for showing special feelings to the owner
On a note! Surprisingly, even if there is no visible damage, the dog may begin to show increased interest in that part of the body where the inflammation is just beginning, as if it senses an approaching attack of arthritis or gout, trying to “remove” the pain.
Is licking harmful to people?
Proponents of dog “kisses” refer to the beneficial properties of lysozyme contained in saliva. This substance accelerates the process of tissue regeneration and has antibacterial properties. Despite this, the saliva of four-legged pets still cannot be called safe.
Regular vaccination and deworming do not guarantee 100% protection. A pet can still infect its owner with viruses, bacteria and parasites. There is also a risk of an allergic reaction to saliva containing a protein foreign to humans.
Most often, infection occurs when the mucous membranes are damaged. It is extremely difficult to notice microcracks on the lips and eyes, so it is better to prevent licking of these parts of the body. To avoid infection after unwanted contact, try to always wash your face and wash your hands thoroughly.
Reasons why a dog licks its owner
Only interest, love and devotion can make a dog lick a person. And she does this, most often showing concern. By blackmailing with their touching behavior, dogs accustomed to this can extort sweets, which are constantly pampered, rewarded with harmful goodies.
Dog owners should be aware that animals have a keener sense of smell than humans; even an almost indistinguishable aroma can irritate the pet, causing it to “wash” the person - for the benefit of the unreasonable creature, of course, in order to disguise it, hide it from enemies, and make it less noticeable.
A dog may lick its owner simply to show that it is nearby, to indicate its presence and support. Sensing a person’s mood, four-legged friends sense when the owner is feeling bad and console them as best they can.
If a dog licks you, it is showing concern.
The animal shows its interest
Even though dogs have a highly developed sense of smell, they still use other senses from time to time to satisfy their curiosity. Therefore, if a dog starts licking you, it means that he wants to taste what your skin tastes like. Especially often, pets will resort to such an action when the smell of their owners has changed somewhat, for example, after a hearty dinner or a run. Either way, dogs simply love the smell of people, so they will want to taste it. Whether you encourage this behavior or not is up to you.
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What might a dog want to “say” when licking a person?
A dog can lick even an unfamiliar but pleasant person by touching his hand or tongue. This is more typical for kids, but adult dogs sometimes indulge in this to show friendliness. Scientists believe that this is how the dog “remembers” a new creature, as if introducing its taste and smell into a kind of database. Active, sociable and well-socialized representatives of some breeds invite you into their company and offer to play. Children, who receive affection more often than others, enjoy special sympathy.
The dog licks your face and hands
Most often, this is how the pet shows that it is hungry.
He often receives tasty rewards from his hands, and his face always smells like food to them. If the dog is not bored and tries to greet the person, then it is worth checking its bowls of food and water.
“Foreign” odors could remain on the hands and face, which the dog is trying to eliminate
Is it worth weaning your pet from this habit?
Here you should rely on your feelings. If you are disdainful and prefer other ways of showing love, start adjusting your behavior.
Puppy
Puppies learn about the world through licking, so you should not stop this behavior in the first 3-4 months. Let your baby get used to you - and only after that begin to set the boundaries of what is permitted. Don't scold him and be sure to leave at least one accessible body part. If the choice falls on your arms or legs, then stop licking your face with a sharp clap or the command “Ugh.”
What to do if your dog tries to lick his owner too often
The habit of licking can cause irritation. You should not scold a puppy who has just begun to explore the world if he uses his tongue every now and then, so as not to cause him to feel insecure, lost, or resentful. As he grows up, you need to let him know that this is unpleasant, make a sharp sound (clap your palms, command “Ugh!”). Soon the dog will forget about the unpleasant habit.
It is worth contacting a veterinarian if the habit appears suddenly or cannot be weaned from it. Specialists will be able to understand the animal’s behavior problems, determine whether a lack of attention or something else is bothering the pet, and suggest correction methods.
Video - Why dogs lick their owner
When to sound the alarm
To determine the disease that caused the vomiting, you need to conduct an external examination. You should be concerned if you notice an uncharacteristic smell from the mouth:
- Ammonia or urea, which is a sign of kidney failure. A sharp manifestation may indicate heavy metal poisoning.
- The smell of acetone, which may be a sign of diabetes.
- Putrid odor, indicating diseases of the intestines or oral cavity.
Typically, these dog health problems are chronic and should be treated by a veterinarian. He performs a full range of diagnostic measures, prescribes treatment and the right diet.
Obsessive licking of the carpet and/or floor covering also occurs in other diseases:
- Stomach upsets. To solve it, you should let the dog starve and change the diet.
- If the dog begins to lick the carpet pile in fits, against the background of poor appetite, this indicates signs of chronic recurrent gastritis or ulcers.
- Incorrect amount of food consumed. Food that has not had time to digest wanders through the stomach and is excreted back. Usually, after vomiting in such cases, the dog can feel good and cheerful.
- Aggressive reproduction of worms entering the stomach.
The dog senses your mood
For centuries they have been accompanying humans everywhere, dogs have learned to sense a person’s mood and his attitude towards them. They are very loyal to some, most patiently tolerate children's pranks, but there are people who cause pathological aggression in dogs.
Fear has a special smell, this has already been proven. If a person is afraid or hostile, the dog detects this instantly. And he won’t be slow to respond.
Defenselessness and friendliness make these animals want to patronize, protect and protect. By covering his face with his hands and pretending to be crying, a person can easily force his pet to show remarkable care: he will make every effort to spread his fingers with his tongue and get to the eyes and cheeks, worrying, whining, trying to call other family members for help. Only a cheerful laugh or affection from the owner can calm him down.
How a dog sees the world - and what do dog kisses mean
Dogs see the world completely differently than we do.
Any dog lover should accept the fact that dogs are not small, peculiar people, they are creatures that see the world completely differently than we do. This applies to both physiology and lifestyle features.
| Human | Dog |
| Cognizes the world through the organs of sight, hearing, and only then smell and touch | First smells, then hears, touches (tastes, licks), and lastly looks |
| Having smelled the smell, he will turn around and find the source with his eyes to make sure that he is not mistaken. | Doesn't trust her eyes, she rushes to sniff the object to avoid mistakes |
| Capable of obtaining a large amount of information even from a picture | A dog is not interested in an immovable and odorless object. |
How to get a dog to stop licking
Licking is another way to make sure that there is a person in front of the dog: not only the smell, but the taste of the secretions of the sweat and sebaceous glands is unique for each person. By licking the owner or family member, the dog “identifies” him.
They love the taste of your skin
A dog may lick its owner simply because it likes the taste of his skin. Human sweat has a salty taste, which is very pleasant for animals. They associate it with food.
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Your dog may also like the taste of your cosmetic products. But this can be a problem, because creams contain a lot of chemicals that can harm the animal.
Licking as an expression of love and care is inherent in dogs by nature.
The mother takes care of the puppies from the first moments of birth, carefully licking them. She remembers them, so she doesn’t always accept other people’s “children”, she makes the smell of defenseless babies elusive - this is inherent in nature to save the offspring. With her tongue, the mother massages the puppy’s muscles and belly, teaches him to move, and comforts him. Puppies, growing up, quickly learn to act the same way; they identify members of their pack using their tongue, lick each other, showing trust.
By licking puppies, the dog remembers them
Life with humans did not destroy the basic instincts of animals; it taught them to treat bipeds as members of a pack. Therefore, when accepting dog affection, owners should analyze the reasons for their occurrence in order to recognize problems in the behavior or health of their four-legged friend in time, take timely measures on their own or contact a specialist to solve the problems.
