Why Is My Dog Obsessively Licking Other Dogs?
Why do dogs lick other dogs—and sometimes way too much? Find out what causes this behavior.
Does Your Dog Constantly Lick Other Dogs?
In the vast repertoire of dog behavior, some behaviors make us laugh, others can be quite annoying, and others simply leave us baffled—like when dogs obsessively lick other dogs. Whenever I see it, I can't help but wonder what on earth dogs are thinking.
Whether you own an adult dog or a puppy, obsessive licking is out of the norm. Yes, the occasional lick is often witnessed among some groups of social, friendly dogs, but what if all your dog wants to do is lick? What if he doesn't engage in other behaviors other than licking? At this point, you may be wondering if you're dealing with the canine version of an obsessive disorder.
In This Article
- How to Handle a Dog That Licks Other Dogs Too Much
- The Area Your Dog Licks and What It Means
- Licking Another Dog's Mouth
- Licking Another Dog's Ear
- Licking Another Dog's Privates
- Licking Can Be Normal, But Not When It's Excessive
- Dogs That Lick Obsessively May Need Help From a Behavior Professional
How to Handle a Dog That Licks Other Dogs Too Much
As you can imagine, not all dogs like to be repeatedly licked. So, if you notice your pup continuously licking another dog, make sure it's alright with the dog being licked.
Separate the Dogs if Annoyance Brews
If the object of your dog's attention tries to move away, you may want to intervene before things escalate. Depending on that other dog's temperament, he could respond in several ways, some of them not so pretty.
If moving away doesn't work, the other dog may growl. If that goes unheeded, trouble is definitely brewing, as the next step could be an air snap, an inhibited bite, or a bite that causes damage.
Even if the other dog appears to have the patience of a saint, it's really not fair for him to sustain all that repeated licking. Even the most tolerant dogs may have a breaking point after some time, and even though they may not react as we would expect them to, they may resent being around other dogs due to the negative associations.
What if the Behavior Persists After Separation?
Separating the dogs probably won't totally solve the problem. Once they're back together, the licking dog may lick even more enthusiastically, almost as if he must catch up for lost time.
So, what's going on with this dog, and most of all, how can you reduce this annoying behavior? Let's find out!
If you notice your dog licking excessively, here are some things to consider.
The Area Your Dog Licks and What It Means
When you observe your dog licking other dogs, pay close attention to whether the licking is targeted towards a specific body part. Interestingly, there may be some explanations based on what area your dog focuses on:
- The mouth
- The ears
- The private areas
Licking Another Dog's Mouth
Encouraging regurgitation: Licking other dogs' mouths is a behavior that comes from early puppyhood, when puppies used to lick their mother's lips. The behavior was meant to encourage the mother dog to regurgitate food for them.
This may sound odd, but when puppies were being weaned in the wild and no longer depended on mother's milk, mother dogs would eat and regurgitate semi-digested food. This helped the pups transition from a milk diet to one based on meat from prey.
Greeting: As pups grow, they may still lick faces to greet other dogs and people. When dogs jump on you, they are simply trying to come near your face to say hello.
Offering peace or friendship: You may see a dog lick his lips or mouth to communicate to others his peaceful intention and friendliness, explains author and dog behavior expert, Arden Moore. A dog may lick another dog's mouth after playing rough to communicate peaceful intent or to offer an apology.
Why It Becomes Obsessive
A dog who does this obsessively, though, may not have been properly socialized. As a result, he may overuse this stereotypical behavior because he doesn't understand how to approach dogs.
Some dogs will go as far as licking inside the other dog's open mouth. My female Rottie used to do this to my male when they were pups; we called it "dental treatment time," and my male dog didn't seem to object.
In some cases, though, a dog who obsessively licks another dog's mouth senses something out of the norm. The dog being licked may have a mouth infection, bleeding gums, a piece of rawhide stuck between their teeth, or even a tumor.
What Should You Do?
Observe your dog's behavior and interactions. If your dog licks briefly and the other dog is friendly, that's normal social behavior. But if your dog insists on licking and it starts looking like an obsession, it's time to intervene. When he's done licking once or twice, step in, call your dog, and redirect him to a different activity.
Licking Another Dog's Ear
And then you have dogs who are obsessed with other dogs' ears.
Playing with the ear: Often, this is a puppy who finds the floppy ears of other dogs fun to play with. The more the other dog moves away, the more appealing the ears become as they get more mobile.
Luckily, many adult dogs are tolerant of puppy behavior, but not all dogs will grant a young one the "puppy license" to act this way. They may growl or even correct the boisterous pup.
Grooming: Ear licking can also be part of a dog's grooming repertoire. Dogs who live together may lick each other's ears when they're napping close together.
Because dogs cannot groom their own ears, having them licked by another dog may be welcomed and even reciprocated. This can also signal a close bond between the dogs.
Smelling the ear: And then, just as you have dogs licking mouths because of interesting smells and food remnants, there are dogs who lick ears because the smell of earwax lures them—I know, yuck.
But we all know about the discriminating sense of smell and taste Fido is blessed with, so it shouldn't be a surprise. If another dog has an ear infection or a bleeding wound, the other dog may also be attracted by that.
Emitting pheromones: Interestingly, it appears that the skin around an adult dog's ears may emit pheromones that make them attractive to younger animals, explains veterinary behaviorist Dr. Cam Day.
This may play a role in dog social communication and cohesion, suggests Nicola Ackerman in her book The Consulting Veterinary Nurse. A dog may lick the ears briefly to signal peaceful intent or to apologize after playing rough.
What Should You Do?
As with mouth licking, carefully observe your dog's behavior and the interaction. If your dog licks briefly and the other dog is friendly and doesn't seem to mind, that's normal social behavior.
If your dogs enjoy ear-licking (grooming) behavior, that's fine, too, as long as all parties agree to it. But if your dog insists on licking and it starts looking like an obsession, it's time to intervene. When he's done licking, redirect him to a different activity.
Important Health Note
Keep in mind that excessive ear licking will make the victim dog's ears moist and provide "a nice environment for yeast and bacteria to flourish," explains Dr. Pike.
If your dog doesn't typically lick ears and now suddenly can't take his mind off the ears of your other dog, consider having that dog's ears checked out. Veterinarian Dr. Marie claims that almost every time a dog (in a two-dog household) wants to lick the other's ears obsessively, it's because of some medical issue going on with the other dog's ears.
Ear licking can also get out of hand.
Licking Another Dog's Privates
Emitting pheromones: Normally, when dogs meet for the first time, they'll show some interest in each other's private areas. The dog's body has apocrine sweat glands scattered over its entire body that emit pheromones. Dog pheromones are highly concentrated in their private and rear-end areas, explains Stanley Coren.
Therefore, it's only natural for dogs to be drawn to these areas. When dogs sniff these areas, they learn a lot about the other dog, such as their age, health, gender, and even mood.
In an ideal social greeting, checking the private areas should take place for just a handful of seconds. If one dog persists in licking, the other dog may eventually communicate a need for the other dog to move on.
Just as you may object to a person shaking your hand for an indefinite period of time, a dog may decide he has had enough by either moving away or emitting a growl.
Why It Becomes Obsessive
As with other forms of licking we have seen, a dog who suddenly becomes obsessed with licking another dog's privates may be communicating that something is amiss health-wise with the other dog.
The licked dog's private area may have some discharge in the form of drops of urine or pus. There may even be some irritation or wound.
What Should You Do?
As with other licking behaviors, carefully observe your dog and the interaction. If your dog licks briefly and the other dog is friendly and doesn't seem to mind, that's normal. If your dog insists on licking constantly, it's time to intervene and redirect your dog.
Have your licked dog checked out by a vet to ensure there's nothing medical going on. If the licked dog has a clean bill of health, provide more stimulation to the instigator to keep his mind off the licking.
Positive interruption: Use a positive interrupter to prevent him from rehearsing the behavior repeatedly, and then invest in differential reinforcement of non-licking behaviors. Punishment may seem like a tempting solution; however, punishment is prone to fallout down the road and will only cause your dog to learn to lick your other dog when you're not around.
Consider also that, like ear licking, continuous licking of the other dog's genitals may make them vulnerable to annoying local irritations and infections.
Licking Can Be Normal, But Not When It's Excessive
Licking can be normal, social dog behavior, but, as with other behaviors, when done excessively, it may signal some problem that needs investigating. A good place to start is to have the licked dog evaluated by a vet to rule out medical problems. Dogs have shown an uncanny ability to recognize medical problems.