If you have a dog at home, we are sure you have noticed that your furry friend often licks your feet. Many people associate dog licking with kisses, but this is not always exactly the case. This behavior has an explanation, according to experts in animal behavior.

This behavior is performed by all dogs regardless of age or breed and they usually do it as a means of communication with their human owners. The messages that your furry friend may be wanting to convey can be varied from anxiety to need or for any other reason.

One of the experts best known for being a specialist in animal behavior is Dr. Elizabeth Stelow from the University of California. She claims that dogs lick as an important means of communicating, either to transmit or to acquire information. The licks of dogs do not have a single meaning, but it has several.

For example, when a dog has her puppies, she tends to lick them frequently, especially when they are just born since it is a way to clean them by removing any residue from their nostrils and stimulating the digestion of her puppies. When they are older and receive licks from their mother, they also tend to lick her as a form of submission.

Licking also helps the animal to release endorphin, which is an act that makes the animal feel better. But what is the reason why dogs tend to focus on licking our feet?

The Professional Stelow affirms that each dog can do it for a particular reason but that without a doubt if the dog licks your feet constantly it is because he needs your attention.

In this way, below you will find different reasons why your dog licks your feet:

• Dogs don’t only use their sense of smell to know or recognize something or someone, they also do so through their sense of taste, that is, licking. As you well know, each person has a unique smell for the dog, as it is the same with taste. Through licking, the dog can detect your state of health and your state of mind since they can perceive your horns, among other substances impossible to detect for humans.
• Another reason why dogs lick their owners’ feet is often that they want something. According to professionals, this act can also be associated with acquiring something in return, for example, caresses and your attention. The dog associates your attention each time he licks you, therefore, he will continue to do so until he decides that it is enough.
• Animal behavior professionals also admit that dogs associate people with scents. In this way, being close to you and smelling you, they feel the need to lick. On the other hand, if your feet are soaked or wet, they will want to lick you to clean you.
  
• Another reason is usually anxiety. Many times anxious dogs, for example, if they haven’t seen you for several hours, will tend to lick your feet to make themselves feel better. Dogs do not tolerate loneliness so having another furry friend would be a good idea to calm that anxiety.
• Yes, many times licking can be translated as kisses, so if your dog licks your feet it can also mean that he loves you very much, and licking you is a way to show it.
• Dogs often lick feet when they want to show submission to their owner. Sometimes if the person is angry, the dog tends to lick to show obedience and respect, and also, they believe that by doing this, they will alleviate your anger.
• Licking is also a communication signal, so if your dog licks your feet, he may be trying to convey that he is hungry or that he may not have water and is thirsty. On the other hand, the dog may have found something stuck to your skin and wants to lick it because it tastes good.
• Your dog wants to heal you. It has been proven that dog saliva contains some antibacterial components, which is why when they have any pain, they tend to lick themselves to heal. Therefore, if you have a wound on your feet, your dog will notice it and will want to lick you, to heal you and prevent it from getting infected since he considers you as part of his family.

How to Prevent Your Dog From Licking Your Feet?

Although dogs lick their owners’ feet as an act of love and communication, there may be people who do not like it. If that is your case, first understand that the dog does not do it in order to annoy you, it makes it instinctively so you should not get angry about it, so here there are some tips that you can follow to avoid it.

• You can distract your dog with a toy or a treat for dogs. This can help divert his attention and put that behavior aside. On the other hand, it is possible that the dog later associates licking with one of these activities.
• You can always re-educate your dog, regardless of age. You can associate a treat with the action of not licking you and this way he will know that if he does not lick you, he will be able to receive a prize.
• Giving him orders that he shouldn’t do can also help; it’s another way to educate your pet. When the dog licks your feet, you say “no” in a firm and sure voice so that he understands the order but never hit him.
• In case you think that your furry friend licks you much more than normal, it is advisable to take him to a professional who knows about animal behavior, such as an ethologist. It is possible that he is suffering from an episode of anxiety so it is important that you seek help for your furry friend.

Remember that to train a dog (or any other animal), patience, practice, and perseverance is very important. The dog under, no point of view should learn to fear in between, each dog has a specific learning time, so it is important that you give him time, you will see that little by little, your dog will understand and stop doing it.

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Veterinarians say that licking is like barking, it is part of the body language of dogs to communicate with us and thus be able to convey different emotions.

If you want to know what some of the reasons that influence this common behavior in our pets are, then find out in this post.

Dogs use licking as a form of communication that can express very different sensations or needs, so here we tell you 6 reasons why your dog licks you.

There are many things about dogs, those best friends of man that we still do not know. Dogs are one of the best companions for people, but to coexist properly with them, we need to understand their forms of communication, such as barking, howling, moaning, and licking. So that you can learn more about furry animals.

1. As a form of greeting
   The first meaning that why your dog licks you is because he wants to say hello to you. It is quite typical that when you get home, your dog gets excited and starts jumping on you, barking, and of course, licking you. Dogs normally use this medium to get to know people due to their keen sense of taste.

   The taste of a person transmits a lot of information to the dog: his chemical composition, his state of health, and even his state of mind. Consequently, the dog always tends to lick his owners or any new person who comes into his environment.

2. Because of your taste or smell
   A very basic reason why your dog licks you is that he likes your taste or smell, probably linked to food. It may also happen that your dog likes the cream you are using or even, it may be that he likes your sweat, no matter how unpleasant it may seem to you, it is salty for him. And in fact, on many occasions, your dog licks you because he wants to clean you.In this way, by licking, your dog will obtain information about whether you have eaten something or if you have even touched another dog this way, it will assimilate the molecules of your smell and flavors, if your dog likes your smell, then, he will want to lick you a lot.
3. As an act of submission
   Also, having your dog lick you can mean submission. In fact, if he licks your hands or feet while sitting, this means that your dog respects you. They also do it with each other, in such a way that when they lick each other means that they accept and respect each other.
4. Because of a negative feeling
   The above reasons are linked to something positive; however, your dog may lick to try to calm some type of negative sensation such as anxiety. Licking an object, himself, or a person can be a way of distracting himself or trying to calm something internal that you are feeling. In this case, if we perceive that our dog experiences anxiety, we must go to the vet to try to avoid this situation.
5. As a token of affection
   In the same way that it could mean respect, it also means affection and caring. This behavior is something that dogs inherit from their mothers while dog mothers lick their puppies to clean and stimulate them. In this way, when you are being affectionate with your furry, he will surely return the show of affection with a lick.The truth is that in most cases, those so common licks are usually signs of affection towards their owners. An example: he can lick your hand when you walk into the house and caress him. It is a way of welcoming you by showing you their love and their joy at having you home again.
6. He wants to play
   Dogs are very intelligent creatures and they know how to associate certain actions with others, for example, they know that if they lick you, they can get something in return such as being your attention. Thus, they know that if they lick you they will get a caress, a treat, or even play. Depending on how you react, they may associate it with licking and in case you give them a toy or throw the ball, they will lick you since they will be associating it with that action, which could become a habit for the dog.

As the veterinarian explains, dogs can lick for many reasons, not just to express joy or affection. Licking can sometimes be accompanied by a low position of the ears and tail, in this case wanting to convey an attitude of fear or submission. And they can also act by licking us excessively to attract attention or in situations in which they are nervous, since through licking dogs release endorphins, which can help them calm down.

Some people have doubts about whether it would be advisable to correct this behavior and veterinarians suggest that only do it in those situations in which the act of licking towards the owner is excessive or compulsive, outside of a normal daily situation.

How should we act, then in front of a dog that licks us all the time?

If an exaggerated licking behavior is perceived, it is necessary to set limits and stop this attitude. In these cases, it is advisable to go to a specialist in animal behavior for more specific advice depending on the case.

It is another of the doubts that may arise and the answer of the veterinarians is that, in general, the licking of a dog should not be considered a risk as such transmission. However, contact with the mucous membranes should be avoided so that the dog cannot transmit germs that can develop as diseases, although intestinal parasites are transmitted primarily through feces, if the dog has licked its anus before and licks the human’s face soon after, it is possible that it is transmitted in this way.

Dogs can also transmit various bacteria, such as Pasteurella multocida. Affected dogs show no symptoms of the disease, but they can infect humans. At worst, it can lead to blood poisoning or meningitis, but it is very rare for an infection to occur. However, as you may know, you have to wash your hands after touching your dog, and even if he has licked you when you will cook, eat something or touch your face. This is very important for those with immune system problems and small kids.

Also, the most important thing is to take adequate hygiene measures after contact with the animal and to carry out a correct and complete program of both internal and external deworming.

Specialists who study animal behavior also rely on assumptions after closely observing the behaviors that exist between dogs, wolves, foxes, and coyotes, all animals of different species, but that are genetically related, therefore, they are similar in their behaviors. Wild cub wolves have been observed to lick her mother’s face and mouth after she returns from hunting. This is because the mother regurgitates the food that she hunted for them to eat.

In this way, it is likely that your dog, when you get home, will receive you with licks on the face to give him food, taking into account his natural behavior related to wolves. But specialists also confirm that licking is a welcome gesture as well as remembering or having learned from their mother to lick as a means of cleaning. In this way, as mentioned above, your dog may want to clean you to fill you with the scent of her again as well as, he is greeting you.

According to the American Kennel Club (a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States), licking can also mean that your dog is going through a moment of anxiety. When dogs lick a certain thing a lot (be it your hands or a toy) they may be anxious. Specialists recommend that in this case, you distract him by making him play more, especially that you take him for a walk and play outside the house. Also, you can train him with some tricks so that he stops doing it.

Remember that you can always count on the help of an animal behavior specialist to help your dog feel better in case of anxiety. However, licking is their way of communicating.

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