# Is a lick a kiss/sign of affection?



## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

I have always heard that they are licking the salt from our skin. Not too sure if I believe it or not though. Jazzy will sit with her face really close to mine and ever so gently reach out and give me a little lick. She does this all the time. Sunny is not too much of a kisser unless you have make-up or lotion on - she loves the taste of make-up and lotion. I would think if Jazzy were licking me to lick the salt from my skin, she would continue to lick. She doesn't - she just gives these little slurps. Then for a hug she puts her cheek next to my cheek and usually I get a little tongue swiping my ear, but just once or twice, she doesn't continue to lick. 

I'm sure some kind of research has been done on this. Maybe I'll try to find some

Jazzys Mom


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## PeanutsMom (Oct 14, 2007)

I firmly believe it is a kiss!:smooch: I know that because the bashful look I get from my Peanut before leans up and gives me a sweet ,gentle , quick sugar.He's not one of those that soaks your face with kisses.You have to earn Peanut kisses.Buddy on the other hand loves to sneak up on you and smother with kisses.Peaches used to give kisses pretty sparingly but now we decline the kisses.:no: LOL


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

We teach ours not to lick though River will come over and bend her head so you can kiss her between the eyes but that is about as much effection as is shown.


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

From the humane society:
Licking
A dog lick is generally considered more of a tribute than an attempt to solicit food. A dog who licks your face is reaffirming his subordinate status and saying that he loves and respects you. "He's telling you that you're the most wonderful thing that ever walked this Earth," says Dr. Nichol.

From SeeFido.com:
Dog licks because its the only way to express itself with people their own breed . He does it in the morning and as a greeting . he does it for quite some time and is very determined with it. Interesting subject and there's many theories. Of course, the answer I'm providing doesn't specifically answer this because Dog Licking Human Faces is universal to all dogs - no matter what breed or Sex. Dogs lick for a lot of reasons. Licking is a submissive social signal, first of all, allowing dogs to show deference to dominant "pack members." Puppies lick to solicit solid food from their mothers when they're weaned, so a young dog may lick to request its dinner. Some dogs lick as a substitute for puppy mouthing behavior. They've been trained not to put their teeth on people, so they lick to occupy their mouths. Licking may be a sign of affection, your dog's way of showing you that he's enjoying spending time cuddled on the couch with you. Or, he may just like the taste of your soap! 
Though it's usually harmless, licking can be a problem if carried to an extreme. All dog lovers have seen how a dog greets either its owner or another dog by wagging its tail, pulling its lips back in a grin or licking the face of the welcome friend."​
The licking of the face is an intriguing gesture, coming directly from the instinct of the wolf. When the mother wolf ha 
s returned from the hunt, her pups will lick her face to stimulate the mother to regurgitate food for them. In this way, they are weaned from milk to solids. Little do most dog owners know that when their dog gives them a kiss on their return home, it is actually asking them to regurgitate some food!" I know that face licking is usually more vigorous than other licking purposes, but is there anything a dog will not lick? In addition to their own parts and our faces, I have seen them lick toys, walls, carpet, rocks, and dirt. With this in mind, I think we can lower our requirement for a reason why they lick our faces. I would say a combination of cleaning instinct (they do the same thing to puppies, sometimes for a very long time), a standard greeting, exploratory purposes (mouth and toungue are their primary method of manipulation, and a nice salty human face should leave us asking why a dog wouldn't want to lick people. Dogs like salt, as do most animals, and perhaps this is why they lick your face. I know that my dogs will lick my bare arms and legs in the summer.
The other reason could have to do with regurgitating food as posted by someone else, but I'm not sure on it.

Jazzys Mom​


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## Luvinmygoldens (Jul 16, 2007)

TheHooch said:


> We teach ours not to lick though River will come over and bend her head so you can kiss her between the eyes but that is about as much effection as is shown.


 
My hubby loves the pups but he doesn't let them lick/kiss him. Cooper still tries to sneak a couple kisses in for him though!


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## rosemary (Jul 7, 2007)

well i hope so cos out goes my early morning slobbery wash if they aint kisses lol


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## EddieME (Nov 25, 2007)

With all the puppy chewing, a lick is a joy!


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

I pretty much think I have spilled food which brings on licking. Mine show affection with head butts and leaning in.


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## DelmarvaGold (Mar 7, 2006)

Depends on whether they ate a pile of poop first :yuck:


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Daisy won't lick my face but she likes to lick my feet.

Does that mean something different?


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

Sophie is a "licker" and Sidney is a "leaner"... I believe both are behaviors to get attention as well as a show of affection... however Sophie's not too particular about what all she licks... she loves feet (between the toes even... ack!) and arms just as much as faces and she will sometimes lick until you need to get a towel because you are just sopping wet ...and she will also lick Sidney's big lips which in turn will then start him licking her back, its actually quite cute to see (we call it smooching).


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Mine are lickers except for Beau. He only does it every now and then. And when we get one, it makes us feel very special. I do think that they are showing affection. When one goes to the vet or is gone for any length of time the other kiss them right when they come in the door.


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## Luvinmygoldens (Jul 16, 2007)

BeauShel said:


> When one goes to the vet or is gone for any length of time the other kiss them right when they come in the door.


Mine do this too!


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## lovealways_jami (Apr 17, 2007)

Diesel will also bend his head for me to kiss the top of his nose... I believe that when Diesel wants to kiss me, he touches my face with his nose which he does more often than licking. Maybe it was a trait learned from the way a human kisses, I dont know. But its nice to think I mightve taught him something!?


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

I don't let our dogs lick our faces, but Bo licks my hands and arms... as long as I can stand it, that is...

The other night I had Bo on the bed with me, and for some reason he started licking my comforter and my pillow. By the time I noticed what he was doing, everything was so wet, it felt like a glass of water had been dumped on it.

I had to wash everything!

Oh, and my wife tells me he dressed my son again yesterday, pulling pants and shirts into the living room for him to put on, and even got one of my wife's blouses and brought it to her.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

Charlie will not lick your face unless you say the word "kiss". I would always make him give me a kiss before he eats and now I don't even have to say it. I'll put his dish in front of him and he won't touch it until he gives me one. No matter who says the word, even by accident, he'll come up and give you a smooch  and right on the lips too.


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## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

Penny is a kisser and has been from day 1.

She can give soft, little butterfly kisses: barely a touch. And then she can get really serious, turn her tongue into sandpaper and lick until it hurts.

I'm not big on face kissing, but she still tries to sneak one in on me. She loves my squeals of No No, No kisses. She licks hands, toes, knees...whatever is handy.

I take it as a sign of nuturing and caring: doggie love.


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

Either Carson really likes kissing me....or I taste really good....


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