Does Your Dog Have a Licking Problem?

OK, so you have a dog that just licks you whenever they can. Drive by lickings on the hand, lick lick lick lick. I've got a really "licky" dog (Hannah) that just can't seem to get enough licks in. Sometimes I give her attention back, let her lick my face, pet her, play with her - but sometimes I don't want a wet hand or knee or foot. Sometimes I just like to be dry. Why does she feel the need to do this all of the time? Why do dogs lick?

I used to shove her out of the way, or retract my hand when I just know she is going in for a lick. That is, until I learned why she exhibits this behavior.

Dog licking is a communications tool. They lick to tell us something. Sometimes this licking is just to show that they love us. When you pull your hand away, they will often go in for an even more aggressive kiss - mostly to get their point across. They love us, and they need to show us that they love us, so they "will lick us", one way or another.

Dogs also lick to show submission, and that they care for you. It's grooming. It's taking care of you, because you are the alpha. This is also a good sign, and preventing this can build up resentment, or you may even lose the alpha status. It's the natural job of the alpha to allow licking and grooming from the lesser of the group.

Lastly, dogs lick because they just need your attention. Sometimes it's a strange noise that scares them. Hannah likes to lick during thunderstorms. She is deathly afraid of storms. Sometimes they are trying to tell you something. Hannah will almost always tell me she has to go outside by licking first. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't - at which point she will go and scratch at the door. It's always the very persistent licks that I can now tell that she has to go outside.

So, as a dog owner, you should just relegate yourself to being licked on occasion. It's a great communications tool that is a whole lot quieter than barking, and in the right context probably easier to understand as well. I will no longer deny Hannah the option of licking me - I'll just start paying closer attention, because as with most good relationships, the real value is in understanding the small subtleties.