A common habit of the dogs is that, they love to lick your face, hands, and feet. Why do they do so? Should you stop your dogs from licking or not?
When you own a dog, you can better realize that dogs like plentiful licking and they do so for various reasons.
Here, I am going to give the best explanation that why do they lick you?
What Does the Licking Show?
When your dog licks you, it is a sign of various things. It may be a way of showing affection. The same way, as you
name your dog to get effective responses, the dog licks you to get your affection.
Additionally,
Sometimes, when your dog is facing anxiety or stress, he may start licking you as well. And sometimes, the dog licks you to get your attention in fact.
Why Do the Dogs Lick?
Thus, there are various reasons because of which your dog licks you. But, the dogs do not lick the same area of your body always.
Sometimes, they like plentiful licking of your face. On the other hand, sometimes, they like to lick your hands or your feet. Here are some of the reasons that explain the causes of dogs licking.
Licking is an Innate Part of a Dog!
The first and the foremost thing is that licking is an innate part of all dogs. When a dog is born, his mother usually licks him for various reasons such as to let him breathe easily or to keep him clean.
Later on, as a puppy grows up, he also develops this habit of licking even when he is living among human beings.
Why Do They Lick Your Face?
Sometimes, you may have experienced plentiful face licking by your dog; why do they do so? When you find your dog licking your face excessively, it is an indication that he needs to eat food or he is feeling hungry.
Little puppies also do the same, as they start licking the faces of their mothers when they need food.
Why Do They Lick Your Feet?
Usually, the dogs are seen licking the feet of their owner. Your feet are a little bit dirty and also the dog may find an unusual smell releasing from your feet. Also, there are sweat glands in your feet. So, the dogs love to lick feet to taste the dirt and the salt released from sweat glands or to enjoy the unusual smell of your feet.
Why Do They Lick Your Hands?
Sometimes, the dogs lick your hands excessively. What does it show? Firstly, a dog licks your hands for showing love or affection for you, as an owner uses his hands mostly in order to pat his dog.
Another reason is maybe that, dogs lick hand to enjoy the taste as they may also find some traces of different foods on your hands.
Should I Allow My Dog to Lick Me? – Concluding Notes
Licking is an innate habit of dogs and they will surely love to lick you. However, if your dog licks you excessively, it may prove to be unhealthy.
The disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans, is called as “
zoonotic”.
Pasteurella is a bacterium that is found in the mouth (saliva) of the dogs. It can cause infections in humans.
Salmonella, Campylobacter , E. coli, and
Clostridia are the intestinal bacteria of the dogs, that can be present in their mouth as well (as some dogs lick their anus), so they may cause infections in humans.
There are some parasites (worms or parasite eggs) that might be present in the mouth of the dogs, which can cause skin problems, brain malfunctioning, blindness or intestinal disorders in humans.
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Thus, if your dog licks you, it may result in the transfer of bacteria and germs in your body which may make you ill.
About the Author:
Robert is professional dog trainer having an experience of almost 8 years now. And I love to contribute to the pets blog to enjoy my passion. I write free of cost for the pets blog, are you pet blogger? Just ping me.
