Dog Lick

[zman99]

Does a dog lick its owner as a way to show affection or is it only because he/she is picking up a food scent?

[lv4dogs]

I think is a combo. of both. My dogs will "groom" eachother & my ferret & me. Sometimes when I have yummy food scent on my hands I think it is because of the food but otherwise I think that it is because they love me!

[lovemyshiba]

Abbey licks us (and everyone else she can get her tongue on) all the time. She will lick my brother for an hour--he lays down on the couch and just laughs while she licks his face. She curls up in bed with us and licks til we stop her, because we want to sleep.
Kito on the other hand, is a snob. He will give kisses sometimes, like when we come home, but otherwise, only if we've just eaten something he likes the smell of.

[ceejay]

I agree that dogs lick to either get food off our skin and they also lick to show love.....
But as we all know all dogs are different.... I have two dobermans in the house and they are definatly LOVE lickers. But I have an Aussie outside and she is a FOOD licker.. And then my husband has a mix breed from the pound and she will not lick anyone ( No matter what)... But that may be due to her previous owners.
I have never owned a Doberman before so Id like to comment on them a little bit... Growing up dobermans were" bad dogs". Everyone said they were mean and vicious...But having these two babies in the house has totally turned around my thinking of the breed. These are the most LOVING dogs I have ever owned.. They love to be with people and are more like people than anyone could ever imagine. and Sooooo smart.. anywhere I go they are with me at my side. They like to sit on laps( they are 9 months old and about 90 pounds). When I wash dishes they sit on my feet... Im a painter and as Im painting( sitting in a chair ) My boy doberman, Baron, will lay his head in my lap.. Same as when IM eating... SO AMAZING..... And the other one is a" white doberman" actually she is a off white with pure whit markings and Blue eyes.. Absolutely georgous...!!!!! People on the net sometimes say" negative" things about the white doberman, But owning one, Id like to tell ya how great she is.. my babies were both born exactly the same day but came from different familys!! So we call them the " twins" even though they are complete opposites.. at 9 months old.. they sit, lay, stay ... turn on lights.. Open doors.. shake hands and dance. and a few other choice tricks. Any how.. they are KISSERS and LICKERS... Not a mean bone in their bodies, ( unless its protecting the family)

[Dixieland Dancer]

Dixie is a love licker with my husband! She will lick his feet, his arms and his legs for hours if you let her. He loves it when she licks him.

On the other hand she trys to lick me occassionally but I don't like to be licked all over like that so I stop her. She has other ways to show me she loves me. It is written in her eyes when she looks at me. I personally like doggie kisses, not licks.

Dusty doesn't lick but he is a good kisser!!!

[dukedogsmom]

Duke is a love licker. I'll be scratching his belly and his neck and then he'll lick my hand. He likes to smell my breath sometimes. Does anyone else have this? I've heard it's bred in them from the wolves when the mother wolf would regurgitate food for puppies. So, I guess he maybe does it without thinking?

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
Duke is a love licker. I'll be scratching his belly and his neck and then he'll lick my hand. He likes to smell my breath sometimes. Does anyone else have this? I've heard it's bred in them from the wolves when the mother wolf would regurgitate food for puppies. So, I guess he maybe does it without thinking?

i read that when they lick ur face it means they want food, but i think it can be a love thing too...i also heard that they like to taste the salt from ur skin..but my dogs r all lovey dovies...

[primabella]

whenever mickey licks my fingers, i say it is because he loves me but i know its because i just ate a tasty apple and he likes to taste but he has licked my mom a few times on the face...that is affection. well, i'm done