Why Do Dogs Lick You (and What To Do If They Don’t?)
Dogs can be a great source of companionship and love, but they also come with some quirks. One of those quirks is licking you. Sometimes dogs lick people to show affection, sometimes as a form of greeting or playtime activity, and sometimes because they are giving you “love bites.” If your dog isn’t licking you enough though (or at all), then it’s time to do something about it! Here we’ll discuss why dogs lick us and what we should do if our canine friends just aren’t interested in the practice.
Why do dogs lick you? It’s a question that Animal Planet and even Wikipedia can’t seem to figure out. I mean, we all know the obvious: they like the taste of your skin. Dogs kind of think it tastes like chicken, but not quite.
The best answer I could find is that licking releases endorphins into your system.
But it’s even more than that, isn’t it? When your dog licks you, he is sharing with you the most intimate part of his being: his spit. And this act of ultimate trust goes both ways. You also share back your own saliva when you kiss them on the mouth or give them some chicken broth to lick.
Also, I read on Wikipedia that dogs lick to show their submissiveness. It’s like if your dog licked your face, you’d be like “OMG! He totally worships me!” And then you’d give him some chicken broth or let him sit in the front seat of the car.
Dogs lick for a variety of reasons. However, the most common reason that dogs will give you affectionate licks is because they are showing you love and trying to communicate in their own way. All mammals have scent glands on various parts of their bodies, including your dog’s tongue! When he sticks his tongue out and gives you a few licks, he’s giving you a little bit of information about himself.
The glands on his tongue leave behind some hints about what part of the country (or planet) that your dog is from as well as some other details about him! In addition to showing affection though, dogs will also give their humans licks as a form of play. Sometimes dogs will lick you because they’re playing, but other times it’s more like an attack!
When your dog is roughhousing with you and all of the sudden gives you some affectionate licks (or even just one), he can be trying to apologize for his bad behavior or show that he loves and forgives you.
Don’t Forget To Do Your Research!
If your dog isn’t giving YOU enough licks, then it’s time to do something about that as well. If your pooch just doesn’t seem interested in showing affection with his tongue and never seems to want to give you a lick no matter how much he loves and adores you, then it’s possible that your dog just isn’t a big fan of people.
In this case, the best thing to do is to get in touch with a professional and have them work through some issues with your furry friend so he can feel more comfortable around humans again. This way, when you want him to give you a lick or two, he will be more than happy to!
If your dog is giving you too many licks either as an act of aggression or affection (or both), then it’s time to do something about that. If this happens on a regular basis there is usually some underlying problem going on and the best thing for us humans to do would be to get in touch with a professional and see what it is that might be bothering your dog. In the mean time, just avoid any rough play or affectionate licks from dogs who may have been acting aggressively towards you!
If your pup isn’t giving you enough love bites, then make sure to do something about that as well. If this happens on a regular basis, then there may be some underlying problem going on and the best thing for us humans to do would be to get in touch with a professional and see what it is that might be bothering your dog. In the mean time, just avoid any rough play or affectionate licks from dogs who have been acting aggressively towards you!