Are Dog Licks the Same Thing as Kisses?
When a dog licks you, its not necessarily a show of affection. “What people consider dog kisses (licking), dogs more typically use as appeasement or deference signs,” says Shojai. “When they lick another dogs mouth and eyes, they say, Im no threat, youre the boss of me. In a similar way, they target peoples mouth and eyes, or lick hands,” Shojai continues.
An appeasement signal, sometimes called a calming signal, is a subtle form of body language that many dog experts believe dogs use to calm themselves and other dogs. Appeasement gestures may be used to deescalate a situation and prevent conflict between dogs. Examples include yawning, sniffing, scratching, sneezing, lip-licking, and licking others.
Shojai tells us that dogs “dont identify licking as a sign of affection,” but may lick us to seek attention. Basically, when dogs learn that we return their licks with attention and affection, it encourages them to lick us even more.
Of course, we needed to know if our dogs ever lick us to show love and affection (because deep down we really want it to be true). Shojai tells us its possible. “In a word—yes, dogs CAN learn what pleases us and adjust their behavior accordingly.,” says Shojai. “Dogs are very observant and accommodating, and often willing to put up with our foibles—or even learn to like them.”
So, if you kiss your dog and he responds by licking you, it could really mean a few different things. There are subtle clues in your dogs body language that can help you decipher the message.
Are Kisses Sending the Wrong Message to Dogs?
If the answer to ‘do dogs know what kisses are’ is no, what do kisses mean to dogs? Dogs may take eye contact as a challenge, or a sign of aggression. The same is true of greeting them head-on, and getting up close to their face. Dogs wouldn’t naturally behave like this to one another if they’re trying to appear friendly and relaxed. A lot of our affectionate behaviors don’t translate well to dogs.
Although it’s true that some dogs can learn to like kisses, trying to kiss an unfamiliar dog on the head can come across as an act of aggression rather than affection. When greeting unfamiliar dogs, it’s better to learn about other ways to show your affection.
Now, this sheds a little confusion on our main questions: do dogs like being kissed and do dogs understand kisses? There is some evidence that dogs learn to understand and enjoy kisses. The most groundbreaking of these studies took place in 2012. Ten female owners of male Labrador Retrievers were told to interact for sixty minutes. During this interaction, ten blood samples were taken from each human and dog. Specifically, the blood sample was analyzed for levels of oxytocin and cortisol. Oxytocin is associated with happiness and affection while cortisol is associated with stress.
The study discovered many things about human-dog interacting. But, the most prominent discovery was the rise of oxytocin levels in dogs that were frequently kissed by their owners. In other words, dogs that were kissed by their owner had higher levels of the “feel-good” hormone. This means that dogs likely both somewhat understand and enjoy kisses from their humans.
It Will Depend on the Dog
Of course, not all dogs will enjoy kisses. If you want to kiss your dog, the best way to show them that this behavior is affectionate is to pair it with something else they like – like a treat. This can help your dog learn to love receiving kisses from you. Over time, they may begin to associate kisses with the attention and closeness of their human companion, which makes them happy.
You should always keep a close eye on your dog’s body language when you try to kiss them. If they are tense, have their hackles raised, are showing their teeth, or appear nervous in any other way, it might be better to stop kissing them. Not all dogs enjoy kissing, and there are plenty of other ways you can show your dog affection without stressing them out.
When you kiss your dog, you might try to hug them at the same time. But, a lot of dogs don’t like being hugged. Especially not a big, tight bear hug. Many dogs, when hugged, will show signs of distress such as turning their head away, showing whale eye, lowering their ears, and licking their lips.
There’s a chance that some dogs may like hugs. Especially if you pair the action with a nice treat. But, many dogs will not enjoy being hugged. If your dog shows signs of stress when you hug them, it’s best to stop.
As you probably know, dogs lick. There are some dogs, like mine, that seem to want to lick your hands, face and arms constantly. Other dogs don’t ever really lick at all. This seems like a version of dog kissing, but what do dog “kisses” mean?
There are three main purposes of licking: Firstly, dogs lick to self-groom. They get dirty, and then use their tongue to clean themselves up. Sometimes this behavior also takes the form of social grooming, where dogs will groom each other in order to improve their bond and mesh their scents. Secondly, mother dogs also lick their puppies in order to groom them and stimulate their bowels. Thirdly, young dogs also lick the mouths of older dogs as a form of greeting that also encourages the regurgitation of food. This is simply a convenient method to transport food to the younger, less capable pack members.
The reason pet dogs lick is probably consequential of the third reason. Furthermore, the behavior is reinforced by a process called habitual learning. Basically, the dog licks his owners face first as a greeting or in an attempt to get food. Then, the dog is given attention and/or food by the owner. This encourages the dog to lick, which he or she does increasingly in order to get the reward of attention or food.