Puppy face licking is a behavior many owners experience, often causing both affection and frustration. Understanding the roots of this behavior requires looking into a puppy’s deep-seated instincts and sensory perception of the world. The impulse to lick is a complex communication method that serves various purposes in a dog’s life.
Instinctual and Social Reasons
The behavior is rooted in ancient, instinctual communication patterns inherited from wild ancestors. Young canids lick the faces and muzzles of adult pack members returning from a hunt. This action is an appeasement gesture intended to stimulate adults to regurgitate partially digested food for the pups.
While domestic puppies no longer rely on this food-seeking mechanism, the behavior persists as a social greeting and a sign of deference. Licking is a way for a puppy to show submission to a perceived pack leader, often the human owner. This action expresses trust and affection, strengthening the emotional connection between the puppy and its owner. Physical contact, including licking, releases pleasurable endorphins in the puppy, which helps solidify the bond.
Why Your Skin Tastes Good to Them
A puppy’s face-licking is also driven by sensory attraction to certain tastes and scents. Human skin naturally contains traces of salt and minerals, particularly from sweat, which are palatable to a dog’s tongue. The face is a prime target for this gustatory exploration.
Residual scents are another motivator, as the puppy uses its tongue to gather information about its environment. If a person has recently eaten, the face may carry enticing traces of food the puppy is keen to investigate. Additionally, scented products like lotions and creams can contain appealing flavors and odors that encourage licking.
How to Manage Excessive Licking
To reduce the behavior, avoid reinforcing the action with attention. Puppies often lick for attention, and any response—even negative attention like scolding—can be perceived as a reward. Owners should ignore the licking completely by standing up, turning away, or walking out of the room until the puppy calms down.
Redirection substitutes the unwanted behavior with an acceptable alternative. When the puppy attempts to lick, gently guide its attention to an appropriate chew toy or a short training exercise, such as a ‘sit’ command. Rewarding the puppy with praise or a treat for engaging with the toy or performing the command teaches it a better way to interact and seek attention.
Consistency is required for any management technique to be successful, as changing an ingrained behavior takes time and repetition. Establishing clear boundaries, such as a “no-lick” rule or a limited “five-lick” rule, and applying them consistently helps the puppy understand the new expectation. The goal is to provide more affection and attention when the puppy is not licking than when it is.