Is there a purer expression of love than when your dog licks your face?
Well … yes, there can be. emotional support dog
Over time, dogs have associated licking with getting more of something, often food, said Dr. Patty Khuly, an award-winning, Miami-based veterinarian.
“That’s why humans can be forgiven for translating licks as ‘kisses,’” she says. “They do, after all, seem to happen more when our dogs are relaxed at home and in situations where they’re most likely to be displaying affection.”
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t an affection component, too. In fact, there’s a lot that goes into why your dog licks your face. Here are 5 of the most surprising facts about dog kisses, as well as a few unexpected reasons why you might be covered in slobber right now.
#5– Dog Kisses Indicate Social Status
Khuly said that dogs kiss other dogs to indicate that they, the kissers, are “lower” than the kiss recipients.
“These social cues are important for dogs in a pack setting to help establish a solid social structure with minimum strife,” she says, adding that canine-human relationships mirror canine-canine relationships in this way (and other ways, too).
Head over to the next page ( Dog Kisses Date Back 10,000 Years)