Why do dogs lick your arm when you pet them?
French Bulldog lick my arms so much!
As we pointed out above, licking is perfectly normal behavior for our canine friends. It’s an instinctual behavior that allows them to survive after being born.
For instance, you’ll notice the mother dog spending a lot of time licking each and every one of her puppies after giving birth to them. This act of licking her puppies is crucial because it helps clean up the mess and nurture her puppies at the same time.
Just like a nurse would advise a mother to put her baby on her chest to establish that skin-to-skin contact and build the bond between the mother and baby, the same applies to the mother dog and her puppies.
When a mother dog licks her puppies, she’s creating that bond. Since puppies can’t eat right after they are born, they heavily rely on their mother dog. They will try to find their mother’s mouth and lick it to get some food.
Sometimes, you’ll find puppies licking their mother’s body and this is a way to keep them warm.
As we can see, licking is not only for survival during puppyhood but also a way to create that special bond between the puppy and the mother dog.
As the puppy grows older, that licking behavior stays with him. If you have other pets in the house, your dog may also lick the other dog. Licking is one of the ways they communicate with each other.
If your dog suspects the other dog is dominant or dangerous, he may lick the other dog’s snout to show submission or deference. This is a behavior that dogs learn in order to communicate with each other.
Similarly, your furry friend may lick your arm to communicate with you, to show that he loves you and appreciate you, or to show submission. But are there are reasons why dogs lick your arm? Let’s find out next.
Dog licking my arm to get my attention
The next time your dog licks your arm, observe carefully the timing of this behavior. If your precious pooch starts licking your arm after you’ve been away for an extended period of time, then he or she is trying to get your attention.
Your dog wants to have some playtime with you. I love to bake and I’ll sometimes sit down on the kitchen floor to watch how the pie is doing inside the oven. When I sit down, my Chihuahua would quickly run over and lick my arm.
My Chi is probably telling me that I’m spending more time and attention on my pie and should be paying attention to her. So I would sit with her, play a little tug of war, and give her a cuddle while we both wait for the pie.
Why did my dog lick my arm when I pet her?
Licking is normal behavior for dogs. It starts as soon as they are born. You will see how dog mothers spend a lot of time licking their puppies to clean up any mess as well as being a way of nurturing them.
Puppies will then lick their mothers’ mouths in return for food and also lick their bodies for warmth. These long hours of slow licks between a mother and pup are an important bonding experience, and this behavior stays with them as they get older.
When your dog becomes an adult, arm licking can be a way of communicating with you, they do this with other dogs. For example, when a dog licks the snout of a dog, they consider dangerous or dominant, it is a sign of deference and submission.
So, we know it’s learned behavior when dogs lick other dogs. But what does it mean when they do it to a human aside from the obvious communication signal it has to be?
Most people think of long, slobbery dog licks as their way of giving kisses, and in many ways, that’s correct. This is their way to show you love, and that they’ve missed you, and they want to know where you’ve been.
When my dog licks my arm, I think it’s his way of expressing affection. So of course, my natural response is to shower him with more love – I rub his stomach more vigorously and loudly praise him using silly baby talk.
This is why your dog licks you when you pet him or her.
In return, he licks any body part of mine he can reach, and the cycle of affection continues. I guess my dog thinks that by licking my arm constantly, he’s paying me back with love.
After a few rounds of this, I realized I’ve inadvertently trained him into licking my arm all the time he wants belly rubs.
Take note of the timing of your dog’s arm licking behavior. If they only do it after a string of hours without your attention or if you’ve been away, it is their way of asking you for some playtime.
When I’m sitting on the kitchen floor and watching over what I just put in the oven, my dog sometimes comes over and gives my arm a lick.
I always assume it’s to say hi, and I always give him a little cuddle while we both sit.
¿Why Does Your Dog Lick Your Hands?
If your dog has been licking your arm a lot, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about them.
So, why does my dog lick my arm? Possible reasons why your dog licks your arm are that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded, it wants extra attention, boredom, it is being affectionate or that it is excited.
Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the main cause, it should become easier to get it to stop.