Have you ever gone to the park and noticed that there are a couple of dogs kissing each other? OR Have you noticed that your dog does it with another dog? It may seem strange behavior on the part of canines and some even see it as a symbol of friendship and affection, however in this article we are going to reveal the mystery of why dogs lick the mouths of other dogs.
When two dogs meet, the shyest dog between the two will simply lower his head, avoid eye contact, and finally proceed to lick the mouth of the other dog, who is much more dominant and inspires more confidence.
What does one dog want to say to another when it licks its mouth?
Basically, when a dog licks the mouth of the other, he is saying "hello friend, I come in peace." It may seem unpleasant, but this behavior is the translation of a handshake or a kiss on the cheek, for human beings.
These "canine kisses”They are also frequent among dogs that already know each other or are friends, because they are transmitting to the other that they are going to take care of themselves forever. When puppies meet other puppies, they give each other these kisses to show affection and friendship.
Of course, this behavior indicates that between dogs there is no hierarchy, because once they meet and make their "peace treaty”, They are promising that they will take care of each other and that they trust each other.
Canine kisses also indicate alertness
When a dog starts to licking each other's mouth excessively, it means you have a tumor, a cut, or some other wound or condition that needs attention. That is why you must be very aware the behavior of your dogs, as they may be signaling you that something is wrong.
The puppies they also give canine kisses to their mothers, but although it seems strange, in this case the kiss does not mean affection. What happens is that, when dogs stop being breastfed and begin to digest normal foods, then they lick their mothers mouth waiting for you to regurgitate some food for them, as happens with newborn birds.
If you have very small puppies, then you must be attending the veterinarian so that he can advise you on how to feed your dogs well and thus these are well nourished, so that they do not look for their mothers to feed them. Remember that going from milk to food is not an easy process, so your vet should tell you how to make the change.
What if my dog obsessively licks other dogs in the mouth?
It may happen that you have a dog that, as soon as it sees another, runs and does not stop licking it. Like a very "kissing" person, in dogs there is also this type of behavior and far from meaning what we have mentioned, it becomes heavy, and could even end up with a good bite from the other dog.
So does that mean that you have to separate them if this behavior occurs? Yes and no. In general, the animal must learn by itself what is right and what is not. For example, when it is a puppy it is known that they lick other dogs much more, and even humans, because they are curious, because they are happy to have people and dogs that pay attention to them, etc. Now, everything has a limit, and the mother herself is the one who is in charge of teaching it; as well as the reactions of other dogs.
Of course, this does not mean that if you see that the other animal gets angry or bites you, you have to leave it, but you do have to intervene as little as possible.
Many times, this obsession with licking so much comes because they are overexcited, or because there is a lot of stress that causes them to have an exorbitant reaction to "canine kisses."
If you see that he does not learn, or that his behavior is maintained, or even goes to more, you may need the help of a canine educator, or an ethologist, that helps to correct that behavior, not to eliminate it completely. On many occasions, the behavior of the animal is given by a cause and, by eliminating it, you get everything to be solved.
Besides the mouth, what other parts do dogs lick each other?
If you have a dog, surely you have realized that this, when it gets together with others, is not only dedicated to licking the mouth of others. In fact, many times it doesn't. But it does lick other areas, right?
Licking is a very valuable tool for dogs (and yet in some cases they don't use it). In addition, it is a form of communication. And they do it not only to lick the face, but also for the back, the ears, the eyes, the legs, and yes, also the genitals.
In general, we could say that It is a form of approach to the dog, and of grooming, since, as you know, licking is a way of maintaining their hygiene, and doing it with others is so that they see that they care about them.
They are also prone to licking wounds, not just from dogs, but from humans as well. Their saliva is very beneficial, because it helps wounds heal quickly, but not those of humans, but between dogs. So if you lick the wound of another dog, what you want to try is to improve the situation and alleviate the possible pain so that it recovers as soon as possible.
Reasons why a dog does not lick
Before finishing, we want to talk to you about an assumption that can occur in a dog: that it does not lick others. Not even you. We cannot say that it is a serious situation, because it really is not, but it is striking in that we are talking about a behavior that they usually have from puppies and that they maintain in their adult stage.
However, there are reasons why a dog may not lick. And they are these:
A trauma from the past
Sometimes when a dog does a wrong thing, we get angry and scold him. But when it is small, or when the reaction we have is excessive, it can cause trauma that will accompany you throughout your life.
The same would happen if, instead of a person, the one who caused the trauma was another animal.
Hence he learned "the hard way" that he shouldn't lick.
Too shy
Another reason why a dog does not lick may be because it is very shy, and it is difficult for it to approach other dogs, either out of fear or lack of socialization, etc. In this case, You do not have to force it, but hope that little by little it will gain the confidence it needs.
Relationship problems
Although many might think that we talk about the same thing as before (being shy), we do not go there. We refer to those dogs that have difficulty connecting with the world. For example, they do not like to go out, they do not want to go to areas with other dogs, or they simply do not show interest in anything around them.
In other words, we are talking about animals with difficulties in relating to their environment. They do this not only with sight and smell, but also with taste. And that's where the lick comes in. For them, licking is also a way to obtain information and to know smells, fluids and even to get their senses to activate (for example, to know if you are sad, happy, angry ...).
But if they do not, it is as if the dog is abstracted from what is around him, and that is not a common behavior in dogs.
Remember that if your dog is very shy, you should help him make friends
You have to look for dogs that are patient to play with him and so on a little little by little he will become more sociable. You don't even need to play with many dogs at the same time, as just one to help him get out of his shyness is enough to get him ready.
You can also take your dog to special training classes. This will not only help you to be more polite and obedient, but it will also give you the opportunity to live with other humans and other dogs. In addition, in these courses the instructors are in charge of working on the socialization of your dog and especially if it is quite shy.
Remember you must not interrupt a "canine kiss", since you can generate hostility in the dogs or some negative reaction towards you. If your dog is not very sociable, reward him every time he is nice or nice to other dogs.
So you know that being with other dogs is not harmfulbut it brings benefits and rewards. Do not force your dog to be sociable, as you will only make him more shy. Little by little he sees his number of playmates increasing, as well as the people who interact and play with him.