One of the things I am most proud of in my life is my ability to speak dog. To be clear, there are many trainers that say they speak dog, but most of them use the term to mean that they can teach a dog commands in a quick and easy way. I cringe at the use of the term commands together with speaking a language. We do not learn a language to command other people, we learn another language so we can better understand and communicate with the other. We learn another language so we can better residents of this planet. We learn a different language because we want to learn more about someone that is different from us. I speak five languages, the fifth being dog. The fact that I am able to communicate with a being that belongs to a total different species the me, makes it even more special. It teaches me that the human way is not the only way. Yes, we are beings that possess a hyper developed brain, that has a sense of self and is able to solve unbelievably complex problems. However with that also comes a sense that we have all the answers and that other beings are “less” than us; which I believe to be completely wrong. Being able to speak and understand dogs has made me an infinitely better human being. My intention is to be able to share this knowledge with the largest amount of humans that I possibly can. Answering questions about different behaviors and finding ways to close the communication gap is my passion so let’s start with a very common question that is why do dogs lick?
Dogs lick for a variety of reasons. A mother dog licks her new borns to clean off the afterbirth. She also licks them to stimulate them going to the bathroom. She licks them to provide comfort and/or calm them down. These behaviors are instinctual, even first time mothers know how to do it. The pups then learn that it feels good and start imitating the behavior by licking each other or the mom. Wolf pups lick the adult around their mouths to stimulate them to regurgitate food. That is how wolf pups start eating after being weaned off milk. Licking is also a way for dogs to clean and rid themselves of things stuck in their fur. Dogs, like many mammals, also like the taste of salt, hence dogs will lick when a human is sweaty simply because we taste good. Licking of wounds is a common theme in many mammals, it is believed that saliva has blood clotting properties and licking it is a way to try to make it better. Science is still debating that.
Nevertheless I believe that the main reason people ask why dogs licks is when the behavior is directed towards them and is incessant. Dogs that are constantly licking human’s faces or feet. Instinctually these owners realize that something is not right but they can’t pinpoint what it is. These types of licking can be either a sign of submission, appeasement or nurturing. The easiest way to address this type of licking is to go back and pinpoint the state of mind the dog is in. Is the dog in fight, flight or avoidance? Since a dog that is in a surrender state of mind won’t be licking. A dog that is in flight is usually a nervous dog, that doesn’t trust – the licking is to appease the other, to show that the dog is not a threat, a submissive liking. These are the dogs that shake while they are licking or do it in a “cowering” position. A dog in fight (forward moving) that is licking, is most likely trying the calm the human down, like the mom dog, this type of licking aims to relax the human, to help them to breathe a little easier. These are usually the dogs that will jump on your lap and start licking. A dog in avoidance is very similar to a dog in flight, the licking is a sign of respect, of submission, the body is usually tense showing that the dog is licking because they don’t feel comfortable.
The beauty of speaking dog and working with dogs in dog psychology is that one realizes that it doesn’t really make a difference in the WHY the dog is doing what they are doing. Dogs don’t ponder their behavior. Everything they do is instinct alone. If we want to help a dog change an unhealthy behavior what we should focus on is the HOW we are going to get there. The why is a human answer, that matters to the human alone. A dog that is constantly licking the other is showing they are unbalanced, how we bring them back to balance is how we can help switch it to a healthy state of mind. The easiest way to achieve that is to take them on a long traveling walk (meaning human and dog are walking together, human leading the way, dog following) to burn out all the excess energy. Then asking the dog relax in a set place away from the human (a bed, towel, or crate). By giving the dog a job (staying put and relaxing away from the human) we are giving them a purpose that helps to raise their self-esteem. We are also showing them that we can give clear direction, hence we are not weak and don’t need reassurance. It is a win, win not matter the reason the dog feels the need to lick. Our response makes sense to the dog, we are speaking their language, helping them in a way that they would do to each other. That is the beauty of speaking dog: even if the behavior does not make sense to us, we can learn how to assist them in a way that makes sense to them. That, in my book, is the true meaning of love.
Happy training.
