For dogs, licking is so much more than a sign of affection. Here are just some of the ways our canine friends communicate through licks, writes StanleyCoren
Kissing on the face and lips is not a universal sign of affection for human beings, and the same goes for dogs.
What does it mean when a dog licks your hand? Mothers explain this behavior to their young children with words like"Look dear, Lassie is giving you dog kisses." Unfortunately, this explanation is often not correct. Licking behaviors can mean many different things, depending upon the context, and dog licks cannot be interpreted simply as kissing and affection.
, nor even necessarily as an overt sign of affection, but rather as part of a greeting behavior. Kissing often has no more significance than a handshake in this situation and this is often the case in dogs as well.For dogs, licking can communicate information about relative status, intentions, and state of mind but it is most frequently a peacemaking or pacifying behavior. We all know that after conflict, to pacify a situation, human beings often"kiss and make up.
As the puppies grow older they begin to lick and clean themselves and their litter mates. This mutual licking and grooming serves several social functions. Obviously, it helps keep the puppies clean, but in the process it helps to strengthen the bonds between the puppies. A puppy can thus have companions who get at those hard-to-reach places like ears and backs and faces, and they pay them back by licking their littermates in their own inaccessible regions.
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