What Does It Mean When a Dog Licks Your Face?

Dogs will licks your face; it’s one of the cutest things you’ll ever see. It’s easy to think that they love you and can’t help themselves when they stick out their big pink tongues, but there may be more to it than that. Let’s find out what it means when a dog licks your face…

It’s a sign of affection

A dog licking your face is usually a sign of affection. Dogs lick other animals, including humans, to show their love for them. Some experts believe that dogs were domesticated as pets because they would lick their human hands as an act of submission, which shows that they trust humans more than other wild animals.

Regardless of the reason, a dog licking your face always indicates that he loves you and wants to be close to you!

It’s a way of tasting you

Dogs have a fantastic sense of smell, but they also have an incredible sense of taste. Unlike humans, who can only taste four flavors, dogs can taste up to 10. That’s because they are constantly tasting their environment with their tongues! So when your dog licks your face, it tastes you and shows affection simultaneously.

It’s a way of smelling you

Generally, when dogs lick people’s faces, it’s a sign of affection, but sometimes it can also mean they’re hungry. Dogs have around 300 million sensory receptors on their nose, and many are located in the area that makes contact with the ground. This means that when your pup sniffs or licks you, he smells where you’ve been and what you might have touched.

A dog will also lick to show submission to a human or animal who has social dominance over him, so don’t be alarmed if your dog does this while greeting someone new.

It’s a way of communicating

Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, so your dog may be trying to detect some scent or taste. However, a more common reason for dogs licking faces is as an act of affection. Dogs lick their mothers’ faces to stimulate them while nursing and lick their human owners to show that they like them. A dog may also lick your face if he finds the taste or smells there appealing.

It’s a sign of submission

When you see your dog lick you, it is usually their way of showing submission. They are submitting to you as the pack leader. If they lick you and then run away, this is a sign that they are trying to avoid conflict by giving in to what you want. If your dog licks itself right after licking you, this could be because they are trying to clean off its mouth or body part that was in contact with yours. Sometimes, dogs lick other dogs or humans out of excitement or happiness.