You’ve had a long day at work and the only thing you’re looking forward to is coming home to get a kiss from your pup! Most of us interpret licks from our dogs as signs of affection because this is the closest they can get to kissing. But is this really the case? After all, haven’t we all had our dog lick a random stranger in the park which has left us baffled?
This is yet to be determined!
In the wild, dogs will lick the face of their mother on her return to the den after a day of hunting to encourage her to regurgitate her food for them.
In addition, it might just be because you taste nice to your dog! You may have noticed your pooch gives more licks after a sweaty exercise than a shower? They might just be licking for salt rather than giving affection.
There is evidence that licking is also a sign of affection. Licking has now become a greeting for many dogs. There is research which shows some wild dogs will lick returning pack members on their return to the den… just to welcome them home!
In addition, in the litter, dogs would have been licked by their mothers which would have given them comfort. They could be transferring this comfort to you.
So those daily kisses really might just be your dog expressing his happiness to see you!
There are a couple of times in your pet parent journey where you may need to switch your dog’s food to a new one. The best way to transition dog food is to gradually mix increasing amounts of the new food with decreasing amounts of the old food until the old food is transitioned out.
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