Why do dogs lick faces
Does your dog jump up and immediately start licking your face when you walk through the door? It may not be the loving sign of affection that most people perceive, but it certainly isn’t sinister either. It is a completely natural response to a “member of the family” for the dog. One thing is for sure, people generally either love it or hate it. The key is to understand it and decide what to do about it.
I RESPECT
Although there are several secondary reasons for face licking, it is primarily a way of showing respect. In the wild, and even among your household pets, if you have more than one animal, a submissive dog lower in the pack order will lick the “big dog” face. Of course, size has little to do with it. You could have a 95 pound Doberman that is strong, powerful, and very protective of home and family, yet completely submissive to a 6 pound little Papillion. So if your dog licking your face doesn’t gross you out, just take out your Aretha Franklin record and get all the RESPECT you deserve, and consider it a great honor for your dog, you are top of the heap.
Under investigation
Of all the other reasons that dogs lick their faces, the most important secondary reason for this instinctive action is to investigate. Dogs have powerful tongues that can extract a lot of information from the scents and flavors of their fur. They can tell you where you’ve been and probably what you’ve had for breakfast. They can also tell you who you’ve been with, but don’t worry too much, your best friend will keep his secrets well.
The laws of attraction
The last of the instinctive secondary reasons for face licking is attraction. This sounds a lot like the love reaction that most people assume is face licking, but it’s actually more chemical than that. People (and other animals) produce pheromones that are released through the skin and it is an attractive scent for other animals. Your dog is just taking it all in.
The spice of life
You may notice that when you’ve been working hard and you’re all sweaty, your dog just can’t resist. That’s not love; you are just perfectly seasoned. Your dog loves the salt that sweat brings to the surface of the skin and can’t get enough of it. It may sound “gross” to him, but he loves it! From their perspective, it’s you, only better.
Hey sometimes we just know right
Finally, sometimes humans just taste good. Your dog is looking for morsels of food that might be stuck in the corners of his mouth and he can relish the lingering smell of what he ate hours ago. That may sound a bit disgusting, but it is a natural instinct, and cubs in the wild will immediately start licking their mother’s face and mouth when they enter the den to get food from her.
What to do with licking your face
Well if you like it you don’t have to do anything at all. There is nothing harmful about it and it satisfies a basic instinct of your dog. You don’t even have to think about the real reasons your dog licks your face, if you like it. Just keep thinking it’s a sign of affection and bask in the glory of your drooling sweethearts.
On the other hand, if your dog licking your face is a real blackout for you, there are ways to slow down the constant action of his tongue. The first thing to remember is that there is no bad behavior for the dog. Everything is natural. The second thing to remember is to be fair and consistent. It’s not fair to your dog if you love something one day and then yell and punish him the next day for the same thing. So when you bring your new dog home, decide early on which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. These behaviors can range from kissing on the face to sleeping in bed. Many offensive behaviors are ignored at first, especially when the new dog is a puppy, because the obvious concern is breaking and entering and the puppies are so cute too. They can, and often do, get away with it. However, that little pup who rushes to greet you at the end of the day and jumps on your leg may be as cute as straws, but he may not be as cute when he’s a 200-pound Great Dane and grown up. An adult mastiff drooling all over his face may not be as much fun as a puppy, either. So here are some tips to help you stop your dog’s tongue lashing right from the start.
• Be firm: speak in a low, firm tone, and tell your dog “no” when he is doing something you don’t want him to do.
• Be nice – there is never a reason to hit or shake your dog.
• Acting Hurt – This is especially helpful with puppies, but it even works with older dogs and of course only works with contact behaviors like licking or jumping. Your dog is not licking your face or jumping on you to hurt you. If they think they are, they are likely to stop immediately. When your dog licks you or jumps on you, let out a high-pitched cry and back off quickly. If you’re an actor at heart, go all the way and groan a bit. Your dog will come to rescue you, but will quickly realize that licking or jumping is not okay.
• Make sure your dog has what he needs: Give him plenty of food and water, and don’t forget to give him attention and love. Dogs are social creatures and simply giving them food, shelter, and water is not enough. Even if you don’t want him to lick you and jump on you, you have to give him many other types of affection to satisfy his needs.
• Get plenty of exercise – a shitted puppy won’t be as interested in jumping on you. Take your puppy or senior dog for a run, a play fetch in the yard, or anything that takes all the power out of his system. It will also make you both healthier.