I'm sure that whenever your pet greets you at the door of the house when you arrive he starts wagging his tail, jumping on your legs and licking your hands, and you want to return that affection by caressing him and giving him kisses but then a question goes through your head… is it bad to kiss my dog?
In this article on our site we will reveal this question of whether it is good or bad to kiss your dog and we will explain the reasons why you have to continue or stop doing it to see if this habit is harmful or not our he alth. In any case, it is clear that when a dog licks you he is communicating with you and that is his way of letting you know what he wants or what is happening to him at that moment.
How do dogs kiss?
The way dogs show us their love and affection is by licking our faces or hands, so we can compare their licks with our kissesor caresses. Thanks to all the time these pets have been accompanying us and evolving by our side for centuries and centuries, dogs are able to detect our mood and try to improve it with their signs of love, support and understanding, which are nothing more and nothing less than licking us with his tongue.
According to a study conducted by anthropologist Kim Kelly, from the University of Arizona, it has been scientifically proven that people who live with dogs are happierthan the rest of the population, and their affective body language has a lot to do with this.
In addition to using their tongue to make us feel good, dogs also lick their pack leaders when they are offended or to show submission (whether they are humans or canine companions) or their puppies to clean them up and keep them warm, because dogs have thousands of nerve endings and chemical receptors on their tongues as well as on their snouts, which make them very sensitive to any external contact.
Improve your bacterial flora
Apart from the thousands of nerve endings it contains, the dog's mouth is also a great source of bacteria and microbes So what? is it bad to kiss my dog or to let him lick your mouth? The answer is no, as long as it is done in moderation and care.
Although it is true that our dog friends usually smell and lick everything they catch on the street or at home, and as a consequence the microorganisms or bacteria that they have can spread them to us when we kiss them and produce some infection or disease, fueling the topic that dog saliva is bad, the study mentioned above has revealed that the microbes present in their stomachs have a probiotic effect on our body. This means that thanks to the co-evolution they have developed alongside us, the microorganisms that can enter our body improve our microbiota (group of microorganisms that normally coexist in our body) and encourage the growth of good bacteria, thus reinforcing our immune defense system.
Obviously, it is not advisable to continually kiss them and let the dog's saliva come into contact with us with continuous licking, but now we know that if this happens, nothing happens and it will even improve our microbial flora. In addition, humans catch more bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases from not washing our hands more than from what a dog can lick us to show us that he loves us.
Recommendations for kissing your dog
But are all the microorganisms that dogs have in their mouths good? The truth is that no, and some of them can cause us oral or parasitic diseasesThat is why it is convenient to take a series of measures whenever possible to continue enjoying the affection of our pets and avoid unnecessary risks:
- It is recommended to have the dog's vaccination schedule up to date
- Deworm the dog often and/or put a flea collar on him
- Get your dog used to brushing his teeth a few times a week.
- Brush and bathe the dog when necessary, depending on the breed and pertinent care of it
- Avoid licking directly in the mouth
So, now you know that it's okay to kiss your dog, that it's okay to let your dog kiss you lick your mouth, and that the saliva of dogs contains good and bad bacteria just like ours and that of all living things.
