Why dogs lick?

Some find it adorable while some may dislike the slurps of our furry friends, but have you ever wondered why dogs lick. Most of us like to believe that dogs lick you out of affection and love. That might be true  but it isn’t is the only reason dogs behave this way. Dogs can lick for many different reasons.

As it is not possible for our dogs to voice out how much they love us the only way they can communicate that to us is my licking us. Licking its owner also calms the dog down. It is the same feeling we get when we hug or kiss each other. Dogs can also lick you if they feel you are sad or upset. It is their way to cheer you up. Mostly people tend to start laughing or giggling the minute a dog starts to lick them. This makes them believe that you enjoy them licking you, so it might also be an act to please you.Licking can also mean that the dog is being submissive to you.They might also do this to seek attention.

Dogs have a keen sense of smell and taste which they use to explore. They use this to identify and distinguish different people and objects.They might also lick to equate with new people or figure out where you have been or if you met any other dog.

We mostly feel that if a dog is barking it is trying to communicate with us but licking is another way that they communicate.If a dog is constantly licking you it might mean he is hungry or needs water.

Dogs use their saliva if they are hurt. They lick the wound constantly to fix it.They might use the same technique if the feel you are hurt or unwell.They have a gifted sense of smell that allows them to identify diseases.In a lot of cases dogs are used to detect even cancer.If a dog repeatedly licks a certain body part of you it is time to visit a doctor.

Like cats they also like to lick and clean themselves so it is not surprising that if they think you are dirty they would want to lick you and clean you up. They might also enjoy tasting the salt of your skin so if you are sweating, there are chances of them licking you.

A dog licking might mean a lot of things. We need to be observant to know what our pooches are trying to convey to us.