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Have you ever noticed that your dog licks other dogs’ faces? To humans, this mannerism seems a bit odd since licking someone else’s face is the quickest way to get a stern slap. For dogs, however, face-licking is a natural form of social communication. Puppies lick their mother’s face to solicit food and attention, and as dogs grow, this behavior often evolves into a way to show respect, submission, or affection toward other dogs—and even toward humans.
Currently, experts believe there are several possible reasons for this behavior. Many of these reasons go back to how puppies interact with their mother and siblings. These reasons also explain why your dog likes to lick you and other humans! Read on to learn about this behavior and what you can do to deter it.
The 4 Possible Reasons Why Your Dog Licks Other Dogs’ Faces
1. Hunger Pains
If there’s one thing true about dogs, it’s that most of them love a good snack and meal. Many experts believe that a dog’s tendency to lick another’s face can be traced back to behaviors shared with their wolf ancestors, particularly how wolf puppies express hunger in the wild. Although your dog is not a wolf, they share much of the same evolutionary background.
Whenever wolf puppies are first born, they wait for their mother to return from a hunt. Much like baby birds, wolf puppies cannot digest solid food yet, so their mother must digest it first. After the mother hunts, she swallows and digests the food and regurgitates it back for the puppies. For the puppies to express their hunger, they often lick their mother’s face to express their hunger pains.
Because wolf puppies expressed their hunger pains by licking their mother’s mouth, many experts believe that the behavior is ingrained in all dogs, even as they age. That is not to say that you are starving your dog or that your dog is hungry every time they lick another’s face. It simply means that the behavior may have been biologically programmed in them from an early age.
2. Soliciting Attention
Even though face-licking behavior in dogs is biologically rooted in early hunger-related behaviors, many dogs use it in other ways as they age. Most notably, dogs seem to lick other dogs’ faces, as well as human faces, to solicit attention.
Much like the first reason for the behavior, this reason also goes back to your dog’s ancestral roots. Whenever puppies want attention from their mother, whether it be from hunger or otherwise, they would lick their mother’s face. Many puppies continue this behavior well into adulthood, but they would do it to other dogs, not just their mother.
If your dog mainly licks faces during play or when seeking interaction, they’re likely doing it to solicit attention. Many dogs use face-licking as an effective way to engage others, especially if it consistently gets a response. If you respond with praise or attention, even unintentionally, you may be reinforcing the behavior and encouraging it to continue.
3. Sign of Appeasement or Submission
Another reason dogs may lick each other’s faces is to communicate. This behavior also has roots in early puppy interactions, where licking a mother’s face helps signal need and appeasement. As dogs mature, similar face-licking behaviors can be directed toward other dogs as a way to express submission or reduce social tension.
It can be helpful to think of face-licking as a canine signal of appeasement. Similar to saying “I mean no harm” or showing respect in a social interaction. Licking another dog’s face often places the licking dog in a more subordinate role and can help encourage calm responses, tolerance, or reassurance from a more confident or socially dominant dog.
You may notice this behavior in multi-dog households where one dog consistently defers to another, especially during moments of excitement, uncertainty, or social interaction. Similar may happen in case of anxious or stressed dogs as a way to calm and reassure themselves, making it a displacement behavior.
4. Their Face Smells Good
Another simple reason some dogs lick other dogs’ faces—or their humans’ faces—is scent. Dogs have an extremely strong sense of smell, and faces can carry food residue, natural skin oils, or other scents that dogs find appealing. Even trace amounts of food can be enough to attract a dog’s attention.
In some cases, dogs may also be drawn to unusual odors caused by skin irritation, discharge, or minor wounds. While this can explain why a dog might lick another dog’s face, licking irritated or infected areas can make the problem worse and should be discouraged.
How to Stop Your Dog From Licking Dog Faces
Because face-licking behavior in dogs is often rooted in early development, it can be difficult to eliminate. In most cases, this behavior is harmless and serves as a form of social communication or appeasement, which is why many owners choose not to discourage it.
That said, if your dog is licking excessively, it may be worth addressing. While you may not be able to eliminate the behavior, there are steps you can take to reduce how often it occurs and encourage more appropriate ways for your dog to seek attention or interact.
Distract Them
The most effective way to get your dog to stop licking at other dogs’ faces is to distract them. Find their favorite toy or treat to simply draw their attention away from the other dog. Once you get your dog’s attention, your dog may start licking you more than other dogs.
Train Them Otherwise
When it comes to eradicating an instinctively programmed behavior, training may be challenging, even with a dog that is generally easy to train. You can try to train your dog to stop the behavior, but be forewarned that the task may be difficult.
Since dogs often repeat behaviors that get attention or rewards, the key is to redirect their focus. For example, you can teach your dog that coming to you for praise or treats is more rewarding than licking other dogs. Every time your dog approaches you instead of licking another dog, reward them with attention, treats, or play. Over time, this will help your dog learn that engaging with you brings the outcomes they’re looking for.
Keep in mind that redirecting face-licking may cause your dog to lick you more, so it’s important to set boundaries for acceptable behavior. Consistency is key, reward the behaviors you want and gently discourage and redirect the ones you don’t. While you may not completely eliminate face-licking, you can manage it so that it occurs less frequently and in appropriate situations.
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Final Thoughts
Pet dogs seem to lick each other’s faces because of their ancestral roots. Most likely, your dog is licking a dog’s face in order to solicit attention, but it could be a way to communicate appeasement, submission or from hunger pains, too, mainly more common for puppies.
You can try to reduce excessive licking by redirecting your dog’s attention or using training techniques, but it’s important to remember that face-licking is instinctive and deeply rooted. Completely eliminating it is unlikely and may not be necessary.
In general, face-licking is considered normal and socially appropriate behavior that helps dogs interact and communicate with one another. Unless your dog is obsessively licking, there’s usually no need to intervene. Overly restricting this natural behavior could interfere with your dog’s social skills and interactions with other dogs.
Featured Image Credit: punghi, Shutterstock
