Friday, June 24, 2011

Yuck - Fido licked my Face Again

By Jerry Welsh


Dogs can be one of the most sweet animals. This is one of the reasons why dogs are branded as man's best friends. Dogs are as well branded as Velcro pets because these animals have the tendency to be the shadow of their favorite people. Dogs are indeed well loved because humans would commonly hug and kiss dogs. Dogs also form close bond with the family thus the pet would bestow their own brand of kiss...licking the face of the master.

Does your dog lick your face too? Some pet parent would not mind the pet's licking habit. Dogs are known to drink from the toilet bowl and has the habit of eating feces thus owners that are licked by the pet on the face will naturally be disgusted. Whether the owner is disgusted or not by the pet's habit it would still be necessary to understand why the dog likes licking faces.

The dog that is licking and washing your face with its saliva is simply showing you its affection. Licking is a natural behavior learned by dogs from their mother. Mother dogs would lick newborn puppies to remove the afterbirth and also to stimulate circulation so that the pups would breathe easily. This maternal licking strengthens the bond between the dam and the puppy. Dogs treat the owners as its family. Licking the face is therefore done by the pet as a sign of affection and appreciation for the care given by the human family.

Dog behaviorists believe that when the dog licks the master's face, it is showing deference and submission. Dogs are pack oriented. In the wild, dogs would show submission to the dominant dogs. Licking the face of the leader of the pack is done by dogs lower in rank to show submission. Dogs lick the face of the human family as in the eyes of the dog they are the pack leaders.

A lot of dog owners consider the pet as their babies thus the saliva that covers the face when the dog licks is ignored. However, the licking can be an unsanitary habit given the dog's habit of raiding the trash and eating feces. Licking faces would be even more dangerous if the pet has turned its attention on children. Kids and dogs form a close bond and the kid will be seen hugging the dog and the dog will be seen licking the kid's face. Allowing dogs to lick a kid's face is dangerous because of the bacteria in the dog's mouth that can be transmitted to the kid..




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