Why does my dog loves to lick me

The dog is indulging in his favorite pastime again – licking my face. Of course I love my baby but her wet sloppy kisses as well as the raspy tongue that laves my nose, face, ears with her icky drool is a less than pleasant show of affection. Licking is a normal behavior of dogs but with the way my pet is licking me every time it gets the chance, this pooch is probably the world’s greatest licker.

Licking is a normal behavior of dogs. Mother dogs would lick the puppies clean. The puppies will be licked clean by the dam after they have pooped and peed. Experts tell us that mother dogs would instinctively lick puppies to aid their digestion and circulation processes. Puppies that want to nurse would lick the mother dog. Puppies will be seen licking the mouth of the dam to encourage regurgitation. You can be sure that your pet loves you because licking is done to show affection. The instinctive licking of the mother dog to a pup that has crawled away is a visible sign of affection. Puppies will be seen licking the dam and the littermates.

Dogs would normally show their affection by licking. Because of the affectionate nature, dogs are considered as members of the family. The mother dog and the littermates that were once the recipient of the dog’s wet tongue are now replaced by the human family. This is one of the reasons why your pet licks you. It will be noted that dogs that do not receive the same care and affection from their owners would not have the inclination to lick their owners.

Dogs are pack animals. Dogs would need to have a well defined hierarchy and you are recognized by the pet as the leader of the pack. Your pet recognizes you as the leader of the pack because licking is a sign of submission. Licking is one of the ways by which a dog can have the approval or the attention of the master. This need for attention is often seen in households with more than one pet. Licking can be a dog’s tactic wanting to get the favors of the master.

Licking though can be a less than pleasant habit of a pet that also has the inclination to eat feces and other things considered disgusting by humans. The licking habit of the dog would be even more annoying if you see the dog lapping the water in the toilet bowl. Train the dog to develop another way of showing its affection as you really need to stop his licking habit.

Learn more about why dogs lick at Sarah’s Dogs.