October 30th, 2020 by Amy Varley

Have you ever wondered why your pooch likes to lick you? Do you return home to a wagging tail and a doggy desperate to give you “kisses” on your face? The majority of us see our dog licking us as a sign of affection – but this may not always be the case. Here is our handy guide to why dogs like to lick their owners.

Instinct

Typically, the first thing a puppy will experience when it enters the world is being licked by their mum, who will lick them to help clear their airways and encouraging them to start breathing in some air from their new world. Doggy mums use their tongues to groom their puppies, encourage them to go toilet and to show affection - so it’s no wonder that licking is an instinctive behaviour in our dogs. Puppies return the gesture to their mother, by licking their mother’s lips to request care and food. It’s believed that this licking behaviour has been passed down in the dog’s DNA, and when we take on the parent role (or owner…whichever you prefer) of our pooch, this could be why they instinctively want to lick us.

Affection

The majority of humans see a dog licking them as a sign of affection, a way our dog shows us they love us. This might be because when our dog hasn’t seen us for a few hours, they want to greet us with a lick as if to say “I missed you!” Not only is a dog lick seen as a sign of affection, but it can also be interpreted as a sign of approval. Has your dog ever licked you when you were stroking them, or perhaps rubbing their belly? This could be your pooch’s way of saying they are enjoying what you are doing – and for you to carry on!

Exploration

It’s common knowledge that dogs use their mouths to explore the world, and this includes their tongues as well as their teeth! Dogs like to lick things that they think smell nice (even if we don’t agree with them!), or anything that is new that makes your dog curious. When greeting a new dog, we often put our hands out for them to sniff, and this sometimes results in the dog licking your fingers. Your dog may lick you if you come home smelling strange (of another dog!) or you bring something new home you may notice your dog licks the new object or you – to try and figure out what it is using their senses.

Attention seeking

Most of us enjoy when our dog comes to us for a fuss and licks us – so we reward our dog with more fuss, a head pat or an ear scratch, or even a belly rub. When a dog puts two and two together and figures out that by them licking us, we reward them – they will start to do it more. Dogs are social creatures and love being with us, so don’t be surprised if your dog licks you when you aren’t paying them any attention – they know exactly what they are doing!

Communication

Dogs not only use their mouths to explore but they also use their mouths to help them communicate with us. Your dog may be licking you to tell you something, it’s just a shame we can’t always understand what our dog wants! If my dog has drunk all of her water, she sits in the kitchen looking at the sink until I catch on to what she wants. Licking is just another way our dogs may try to tell us something – when we return home, we may get a lick that means, “hello” or “come and look what I destroyed while you were out!” Dogs sometimes lick as a form of submission, so they lick to say they know you are in control and the leader of them, you may see this among other dogs, those who greet others with a lick is usually their way of saying, “let's be friends, but I know you’re in charge!”

Feeding Time

When puppies are almost finished weaning but not quite ready to start on puppy food, they lick their mother’s mouth to tell her they would like to be fed. In the wild when pups do this, the mother will often regurgitate whatever she’s eaten to offer it to her young.  So your dog licking you, especially if they lick you on or around the mouth, this may be a sign that they are hungry and ready for feeding!

Conclusion

There are many reasons why our dogs might lick us, to show their love, or maybe they just think our skin tastes nice. Some people enjoy dogs licking them, whereas others think it’s a bit gross – after all our dogs may be fond of licking their bottoms and god knows what else! Everyone has a different relationship with their dogs, and every dog is different, but as long as your dog is healthy and happy, it's nothing to worry about.