Why does your dog lick you

You may love your dog, but not all of us like “kisses” from our furry canine friends. Most pet parents believe their dogs lick them to show affection, but why do dogs really lick us? Does it mean something different if your dog licks your face, hands, ears, or feet?

Why Do Dogs Lick People?

Licking is a natural instinct in dogs. Studies have shown that licking releases endorphins in a dog’s brain. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that make dogs (and us!) feel calmer and more relaxed. Dogs lick people for a variety of reasons, including affection, communication, grooming, exploration, attention, and taste.

Learning to Lick as Puppies

Dogs learn very early that their tongues are useful tools in communicating and interacting with the world around them. Mother dogs lick their pups to clean and stimulate them as soon as they are born. For the first few weeks of their lives, puppies are also licked by mother dogs to prompt them to urinate and defecate.

In wild dogs, puppies lick their elders to communicate submissiveness, but also to induce the regurgitation of food that the older pack members ingested while hunting. Pups will lick one another to show affection and also to comfort themselves and their littermates.

Licking People for Taste

Licking also enhances your dog’s sense of smell. Like us, dogs can taste bitter, salty, sweet, and sour, but due to their small number of taste buds, they actually use their sense of smell far more than their sense of taste when deciding what to lick or eat. This is likely why dogs enjoy licking areas of our bodies that tend to have strong tastes and smells: our faces, ears, feet, and hands.

To understand why dogs really enjoy licking certain areas of our bodies, we need to take a quick look at the anatomy of human sweat. People have two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine.

Eccrine glands secrete a thin, odorless, clear fluid made of salt, protein, etc., and are found in large numbers on the soles of the feet, the palms, the forehead and cheeks, and in the armpits.

Apocrine glands secrete a thicker fluid that reacts with the bacteria on your skin to create body odor and are found in the armpits and groin, but also in the ear canals, eyelids, and nostrils.

Why Do Dogs Lick Your Hands?

You use your hands to touch everything, and your dog wants in on the action! As you move through the world on any given day, your hands collect smells and flavors that your dog wants to investigate once you come home.

You might touch other people or animals. You very likely touch food. And think of all the other fascinating things you touch when you’re away from your dog! Your hands are like a roadmap for your pup that tells the story of your day, and they want to taste and smell every “destination” your hands visited. The palms of your hands also sweat, leaving a salty residue on your skin for your dog to enjoy.

Why Do Dogs Lick Your Face?

Other than your hands, your face is the area of your body that gets the most exposure to the world, so it picks up a lot of interesting smells and tastes. Also, you’re likely to touch your face regularly,  giving your dog even more reasons to lick your face!

As mentioned before, your face contains both types of sweat glands. Eccrine glands on your cheeks and forehead leave a salty flavor dogs are certain to enjoy. But your eyelids and nostrils contain apocrine glands, which give those areas a mild but distinct odor easily identified by your dog’s super-powered nose.

Thanks to the food you eat, your lips and mouth contain all sorts of attractive smells and tastes for your dog, which may explain why some pups really want to plant a slobbery kiss right on your lips!

Aside from all the scents and flavors your face offers, licking your face is likely an instinctual behavior for your dog. Dogs lick each other's faces for mutual grooming, affection, and submissive communication, so licking your face is also a true sign of endearment.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Ears?

The apocrine glands in your ear canals secrete a thick fluid that creates an odor when it mixes with the natural bacteria on your skin. Combined with the ceruminous glands, which create earwax, your ears offer a collection of enticing smells and tastes. As if that wasn’t enough, dogs lick each other’s ears to show affection, so your dog may be licking your ears just to show you some extra devotion.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Feet?

All of those eccrine glands on the soles of your feet create lots of sweat, and that sweat creates lots of salt. Your feet and toes offer a salty treat for your pup, and if they are ticklish, it also makes for a fun game between you and your dog.

When you smile and laugh as your dog licks your feet, you’re giving them positive reinforcement. If you continue laughing each time they lick, they quickly learn that licking your feet gains them positive attention from you.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Legs?

If you’re fresh from the shower, your dog may want to lick the water droplets from your skin. They may not be thirsty but interested in all of the smells and tastes you’re bringing out of the shower with you.

Shampoo, body wash, shaving creams, etc., all leave an interesting scent and taste on your skin. If the leg-licking has nothing to do with shower time, it could be a lotion you applied or simply salt on your skin after exercise.

Even though your dog is attracted to all sorts of scents, the reason they lick you likely also has something to do with showing affection to their favorite human.

Featured image: iStock.com/Art_rich

There are many reasons why a dog would lick someone, licking is an instinctive behaviour that dogs are born with. Many people think that every time their dog licks them it’s out of affection but it could be because of a variety of reasons such as affection, taste, communication, for a reward/attention, to show submission, a medical reason, enjoyment, grooming or simply to investigate.

Dogs love to lick people and many dog owners think they’re giving kisses and affection, but that’s not the only reason they do it. The amount a dog licks people varies from dog to dog, some love to lick and some aren’t as communal with their tongue. Just keep in mind excessive licking in the same spot might be a bigger issue that you should consult your vet about. Read on to find out some of the reasons why dogs lick people 👅

As a sign of affection

The first thing a mother does for her puppy when it’s born is lick it to clear its nostrils so that the puppy can breathe, this will also stimulate the blood flow when they are born. Often, the litter will lick the puppy too which will improve their packs bond.

Both puppies and adult dogs naturally show affection by licking both people and other dogs.

Taste

Dogs tend to use their nose and mouth to pick up a lot of information and because of this, they will sometimes lick another dog's urine or faeces as a way of understanding what they're smelling more. Probably one of the biggest factors is that you taste good. Our skin can be quite salty or have some residue on it from the food we’ve just eaten and dogs love this. It’s an interesting taste that dogs love to explore.

Communication

In the wild, wolves would lick their mothers face when they wanted to feed as the mother would regurgitate food from their hunt. Dogs nowadays will often lick the mouth and face of dogs they meet as a form of communication. They may lick their owners or the face of a stranger or other dog to figure out their intentions too. This is not just for dogs either, you'll often see dogs lick the face of people too to try and work out what their intentions are or to show submission.

For a reward/attention seeking

When a dog licks us, we’ll tend to respond in a positive manner often paying attention to the dog and giving them a pet. Even if you’re just trying to get them off you, it’s more encouragement for the dog. To further this, when a dog licks it releases endorphins which makes the dog feel calm and comforted.

For very similar reasons as the communication section, as puppies instinctively lick their mother’s mouth for food, licking other’s mouths is used as a form of interacting with other dogs and letting them know they’re superior to them or they mean no harm. A very subtle, but effective, way of communicating as a dog.

For a medical issue

If your dog is repeatedly licking the same spot this may be something more sinister. This could be something like anxiety or something a bit more serious like sensitive skin or an allergic reaction. If you see your dog doing this, it’s best to consult a vet and get a proper diagnosis. These can often be figured out and treated quite well, for example, sensitive skin or an allergic reaction can be very much down to diet.

Enjoyment

Dogs can get bored or lonely and licking can provide a little bit of enjoyment from the endorphins released but also brings whoever they’re licking into the situation. It brings them attention and gives them something to do.

Grooming

Your dogs have a much better sense of smell than us humans, they may lick you to get some dirt or something smelly off your skin. Similar to how a mum will lick their finger and wipe your face before you go out, a dog will lick you to clean you too.

Investigation

Dogs are naturally inquisitive, and their tongues are packed with sensors. Their sense of taste and smell are very much connected and work in tandem with each other. You'll see them on a walk running around smelling and tasting everything. They are able to taste and smell a huge range of things after they lick you including where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing.