Licking is a behavior that represents and also helps maintain the high degree of affective bond between the dog and its guardian, so it's not uncommon to see a dog lick your hand, as well as your face, feet or any other part of the body.
However, sometimes this behavior even becomes obsessive, causing their guardians to wonder why my dog licks my hands. Therefore, in this article on our site, we will try to answer this common question.
Why do dogs lick you?
The origin of the licking behavior is innate and somewhat derived from the behavior of wolves which, although they are not their direct ancestors, they did have a common ancestor.
One of the main social characteristics of wolves and that has been transmitted to dogs is that of going out hunting in groups, as we explain in this other article on How do wolves hunt? In fact, canids are group hunters and not solitary like felids. These Group hunting parties can lead them to travel long distances, away from the den where the pups of the group were sheltered. The latter anxiously await the arrival of adults. When the group has had a successful hunt, the animals eat ravenously and take in as much food as possible. This ancestral behavior can be carried out thanks to the anatomical particularity of the stomach of the species that allows said organ to act as an internal market bag, being widely dilatable and expandable.
When the pups notice the arrival of the group of providing adults, they rush out of the burrow excitedly and begin to compulsively lick the snouts of the adultshunters. These incessant licks generate in the adult animal a nervous reflex that stimulates a certain area of the brain that induces and causes vomiting and the consequent regurgitation of the previously swallowed food, and that is when the puppies begin to feed. It's easy to imagine how quickly this habit becomes fixed in puppies' brains.
Finally, this behavior of licking when the animals are no longer puppies is maintained as a form of respect and submission towards members of more high hierarchy of the group. This is the real origin of the “ kiss” of dogs A behavior that demonstrates submission, respect and affection.
Why does my dog lick my hands?
Knowing the origin of the licking behavior of dogs does not fully explain why they do it with some certain people and not with others. The answer is so simple that it becomes somewhat complex. It is a mixture of inherited behavior that the animal stores somewhere in the back of its brain and learned behavior that was taught, often unintentionally, by its human caretaker. Let's see what it means when a dog licks your hands:
- He loves you: One of the main reasons why a dog licks your hand is to demonstrate the emotional bond he feels towards the human guardian of him. Although they do not feel that it is a "kiss", as we humans understand it, they do know that it is a behavior that we like, so they will continue doing it.
- Wants to get your attention: a reason somewhat related to the previous one. If your dog feels that you like him to lick you, he will do it whenever he wants to get your attention. In this other article we show you other things that dogs do to attract attention.
- He is afraid of you: When the lick is weak and careful, it can also mean that he is afraid of you, so he shows you his submission in this form.
- It cleans you: dogs are very clean animals, and the way they clean themselves is through licking. If your hands are dirty, your dog may lick them clean as a show of affection on his part
- Wakes you up: If you have fallen asleep and your dog needs something, like going for a walk, he can try to gently wake you up licking your hand, face, or ears.
Anyway, whether or not a dog licks its guardian's hands is not a parameter to take into account when wanting to assess a dog's emotional involvement with its human companion. Obviously, the dog that licks his handler's hands has a high degree of bonding with him, but the most important thing is that if he doesn't do it, he doesn't want to express the opposite
On the other hand, if the licking is excessive, we advise you to read this other article on My dog licks me a lot - Why and what to do?
How to prevent my dog from licking my hands?
In this case, the behavior of the animal must be taken as something to be corrected and then the work of making the dog unlearn what it has learned must begin. It's not an easy task, but it's not impossible either.
You should start with do not reward that behavior in any way, yes, never punish them, since that type of reprimand will not benefit our dog nor will he understand why we are scolding him. Instead, it is better to opt for the positive reinforcementto get him to redirect his behavior little by little
If your dog continues to lick your hands after a while, we advise you to go to an ethologist specialized in dog behavior.
