Why Does Dog Lick You? Here is why
Why does my dog lick me when it sees me? Actually, when a dog licks a person, there are several reasons, and it may not necessarily mean that the dog likes you. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons below.
Common Reasons Why Your Dog Licks You
Reason one: Licking briefly and then leaving or trying to know you – If you want to know why your dog is licking you, you can observe its body language. If it just licks you briefly and then leaves, it might mean that it only wants to get information from your smell, because dogs can bring the information they lick into their noses in this way. If it licks you repeatedly, it may be for other reasons.
Reason two: Wants your help / trying to apologise – Sometimes, when a dog likes something, it may seek your help, such as wanting you to help it get toys or food. It will express this desire by licking you. In addition, if it comes to licking your hand after being scolded, it means that it is trying to apologise to you. It does this because it knows that you have hurt it, but you are angry, so it hopes to calm you down by licking you.
Reason three: Learned from its mother’s behaviour – Because a mother dog licks and cleans her puppies, this loving act is one of the first behaviours that dogs encounter and has very positive associations. Because the mother dog licked it, the puppy will lick you too, following its mother’s example.
Reason four: Smells something on you – When a dog detects the smell of food on your hands, it will keep licking you and try to get some residue from it, and it may also hope that you will give it some food. However, it is not recommended to give snacks to your dog frequently, as it may develop bad habits. Treats should be used in training, as a reward for good behavior.
Reason five: Likes you – If a dog licks you repeatedly and its body appears soft and it is twisting, it means that it really likes you. You can stroke its head or back and use some encouraging words as a reward so that it will like you even more!