[rizzo]

Alright, I haven't been on in a while due to some major computer problems. I just wanted to update everyone on the dog situation!

I took Sadie and Susie to the vet, got their shots, and got Susie some medication for her ears. They are both doing very well, and the three of us are very happy. I am very proud of them because training has been going very very well. They have almost completely stopped the barking. I used a water bottle and sprayed them with water when they barked and eventually, they caught on. They are listening to me a lot

My question is this (lol kinda weird and random) - When dogs lick your face, what does that mean? Why do they do that? At night, when the girls come to lay down with me, they jump on my pillow and try to lick my face, and when I come home they jump on my lap and try to do it, too. Is it a friendly gesture, sort of like wagging the tail?

[lovemachichis]

i too have wondered what that means, my dogs do the same thing, when we go to bed, and sometimes ill just be sitting on the couch and theyll just randomly start lickin my hands and my clothes. its kind of annoying but i figured it was just some sort of positive gesture that dogs do, so i try to ignore it.

[sillylilykitty]

I think that is a submissive gesture. I do believe it is something dogs do to the Alpha dog in a pack situation. So they are just doing what dogs do when they know you are the Alpha in the pack.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

I think its submissive also, but I call them kisses. If I tell my dogs "gimme kisses" they lick me. My moms a vet tech and she says they are just showing love. Like we kiss people, its their way of kissing.

[rizzo]

Originally Posted by Amaya-Mazie-Marley

I think its submissive also, but I call them kisses. If I tell my dogs "gimme kisses" they lick me. My moms a vet tech and she says they are just showing love. Like we kiss people, its their way of kissing.

I know what you mean...if I start using "baby talk" with the dogs, they get excited and start licking me. It's pretty funny

[DogAdvocat]

Wild dogs, wolves etc., regurgitate food for their puppies, which is encouraged by puppies licking the parents' mouth. Domestic mother dogs lick their puppies for bonding and cleanliness, and puppies copy their mother's actions. When puppies do it to their human, they usually receive encouragement and learn that it pleases their human. With their strong sense of taste and smell, they probably also find leftover tastes from their humans' last meal. They may also lick humans for the salt taste. For whatever reason they begin to lick as puppies, our encouragement is the same as training, especially when we give a name to it, and ask them to do it - "give mama kisses".

Enjoy, but make sure you know what your dog licked just before s/he licked you.