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Why Do Dogs Lick You
By Víctor Rosario MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Read on for our guide and learn why dogs lick you.
If you’ve ever even casually interacted with a dog, you’ve probably noticed that dogs lick people they know. Some dog owner’s first interactions with dogs as children probably involved some sort of licking behavior. But why do dogs lick people and what can you do to curb what can sometimes be a dog’s excessive licking? Read on to explore the variety of reasons dogs lick you.
Why does my dog lick me so much?
It’s a sign of affection
Dogs lick as a greeting or to comfort you. Dogs get licked as puppies by their mother to clean them so they associate licking with showing affection and care. A dog loves licking as it releases endorphins and creates a network of positive reinforcement between it and its pet parent.
They like the taste
This may sound odd but you just might taste good to your dog. According to the Kennel Club, a dog’s sense of taste may be particularly attuned to want to taste our sweat for its salty and acidic qualities. A dog’s sense of smell might also catch the odor of something you recently ate when licking your face.
They want attention
Just as licking may be a dog’s way of showing affection, an attention-seeking dog might lick you to get you to cuddle up to it or pet it. A dog feels emotions similar to humans and often seeks the attention, love and care of its owner.
It is anxious
Although it is a rare phenomenon, dogs can get obsessive-compulsive disorder and excessive licking may be a sign of it. You can try to curb your dog’s behavior and get it to stop obsessively licking you by allowing it to expend energy on positive activities such as taking a walk or doing its dog training exercises.
If your dog is partial to behavioral issues or extreme separation anxiety and also tends to lick when anxious, it might be worthwhile to speak to a vet or a behaviorist on the subject.
Why do dogs lick you FAQs
Should I let my dog lick my face?
Should I let my dog lick open wounds?
What can I do to get my dog to stop licking me?
Víctor Rosario is a Staff Writer at Money Group, where he writes and edits a wide range of topics related to personal finance. He is also a frequent contributor to ConsumersAdvocate.org, having reviewed hundreds of companies in everything from home warranties, credit card companies and pet insurance to television streaming services, antivirus software and gold IRAs. Victor is passionate about demystifying personal finance, inspiring financial confidence, and helping people make good financial decisions which pave their way toward a more secure and prosperous future. Víctor has a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico. When he’s not working on finance-related content, Víctor enjoys blogging about his local music scene and reading postmodern fiction. His pipe dream is owning a grindhouse movie theater.