Imagine the situation. You have come home and you hear your dog barking from the other side of the door. He is delighted that you are back and all he wants is for you to remove that obstacle. And when you do he pounces on you and starts licking your face. Does it sound familiar to you?
This behavior that dogs often do and which is a form of communication with you, is sometimes well received and sometimes not. But should you let your dog lick your face? Let's talk about it.
This seems very harmless, you put your dog nose to nose while talking to him, the tea licks his lips or cheeks with his tongue or when you come home from work you bring your lips to your dog to say hello.
This can feel like a show of affectionBut when you want to give him these kisses, experts advise against doing it. ¿What is the damage?
Why do dogs always want to lick your face?
For a dog, a lick, a lick, is a form of communication. With this, what he is doing is telling you that he is your friend and that he appreciates you. In addition, it is a behavior that they acquire from a young age. For example, when a female dog gives birth to her puppies, the first thing she does is lick them to clean them, and also to warm them. That is why they learn it very quickly. As they grow up, they also use that behavior with their mother, with their siblings and yes, with you too. Because hasn't a puppy ever tried to lick you?
Now, in addition to having a meaning of affection, it is also curious. They do not explore the environment with their hands, nor do they touch everything they see to find out what it is. They use their mouths for that. Hence they lick, bite, and other behaviors. For them it is a very useful tool that they use every two by three, because it gives them a lot of information, not only about the object itself, but also about many other things.
For this reason, a dog is delighted to lick the mouth, the hands or even the feet, because for them they are sources of interest, of a lot of information. In fact, this way they can know your state of mind, or even if you are sick (remember that there are many cases where people have known that they were sick due to their pet, who would not stop licking or trying to bite to tear off a specific area of her body).
Denying that behavior is not good, but neither is leaving it to your own free will. For this reason, you must always find an intermediate point so that it is not annoying, and at the same time give your dog that information or that possibility of showing you the affection he has for you.
Problems of kissing a dog that does not receive all the necessary care
El Dr Neilanjan Nandi who is the medical assistant at Drexel University School of Medicine and is located in Philadelphia, said in an email that most dogs' mouths have a large number of bacteria, fungi and viruses. This doctor says that a dog's saliva has some protein that can help in cleaning or also help heal wounds although he wrote a letter entitled "Why not give your pet kisses?".
He noted that there are unique organisms in dogs that humans cannot fight or tolerate. Some bacteria that are in the mouth of dogs known as E Coli, clostridium, camplylobacter and salmonella, can cause these serious diseases in the intestines and stomach of human beings.
The truth is that we do not have to let our dog lick our face, since when the dog's saliva touches intact human skin and especially of a person who leads a healthy life, it is not very likely that he will have problems because of this, although the dog saliva and pathogens can be absorbed easily through the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes and nose and although diseases transmitted in this way are not common, Dr. Kaplan recommends prevent the dog from licking certain parts of the face.
On the other hand, Dr. John Oxford from Queen Mary University of London who is an expert in microbiology said that a dog should never be allowed to lick people's faces, because it is not only what carry saliva but also they snout in unpleasant places and even smell the excrement of other dogs, so your mouth is full of viruses, bacteria, and germs.
What other diseases can be transmitted?
In these cases, other infections such as worms and / or hookworms can be seen that can be transmitted in a practice that receives the name of coprophagia, where dogs eat other people's feces or lick the anuses of other dogs, this was said by Dr. Nandi. Dr. Joe Kinnarney who was president of the American Veterinary Medical Association and from a study showed that a puppy can have between twenty million worm eggs in his intestinal tract In a single week, we can even put the case of a boy from North Carolina who lost an eye to a worm infection.
¿There are other dangers? Dr. Neilanjan Nandi says that people need to be aware that not all dogs want to be kissed and hugged. Commonly people do not know when dogs are afraid, aggressive or under stress and if you are not careful and put your face close to a dog this could cause a serious bite.
And the cats? It is unlikely that humans will be infected by cats because they do not eat feces, although the mouth of cats can find the bacteria called Pasteurella, which can cause lymph node and skin infection, this disease is known as cat scratch fever.
To avoid all this, experts recommend avoiding that your pets kiss you, you should also make sure your pet is up to date with all its vaccinations, you must keep your pet away from feces and you have to wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
So is it good that they do?
The truth is that there are many for and against a dog licking your face. And the truth is that, if you review a little, you will know that there are both "benefits", as well as "problems" that can have negative consequences. So, is it good right?
You have to take into account that a dog does not maintain good hygiene of his mouth or his nose. Inside the mouth and teeth there are bacteria that can infect you in that lick. But that doesn't mean that you can't think about your dog licking you.
In fact, As long as the dog is well cared for, has all vaccinations, is dewormed and is in good health, there should be no problem. However, it is also important that, if it licks your face, you carry out good hygiene. That is, wash your face and hands after that lick, in order to eliminate possible problems.
It should not be a behavior that we encourage, as dogs will soon learn it and will always want to do it, but as long as your pet is well cared for it should not pose a problem. Of course, even so, you must be careful.
The good thing about your dog licking your face
If you have had a dog, surely from time to time you have approached him and he has licked your face. At that moment you may have had a good reaction, that is, you don't care and you even like me to do it; or bad, pushing it away and washing your face because that behavior makes you nervous.
Well, as we have told you before, there are many who are for or against. But what are the arguments of each one?
Here you will meet what are the advantages of letting a dog lick your face. Do you agree with these statements?
1. It is protecting you from allergies
Believe it or not, it is so. The immune system we have is strengthened when you are with a dog and let it lick your face (as long as it is healthy, of course). The reason is that, as you are in contact with an animal, it helps your defenses to be higher because they are always prepared for any harmful agent. In fact, experts comment that it is ideal to avoid allergies or even asthma.
If you ask a doctor or professional about whether a child is better raised with a dog or alone, the vast majority tell you that a pet can help the child to have a stronger immune system, in addition to socializing better, and having other advantages. So he refutes this claim.
2. He cares about you
What do bitches do with their puppies? They lick them constantly when they are small to provide warmth, to clean them, to give them warmth ... Well, something like that does with you. What he wants is for you to be well.
3. You are the boss
In order to 'keep the peace', dogs are encouraged to lick who they consider to be the boss, a submissive behavior so that they understand that they not only care but also recognize who has the power in that relationship.
4. Improve your mood
You are right. When you come home stressed, not wanting to talk or have others say anything to you, and your dog comes up to you and licks you, even if you don't like it, it can change your mood and make you smile. And that gets it increasing your dopamine and serotonin levels. A simple lick is capable of doing this (and producing the same sensation as when they kiss you).
5. You also give him defenses
Just as he helps your defensive system, so do you help him, because the microorganisms that we have make your immune system benefit too and be always active against external agents.