# Dog Kisses **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829 "2003-03-28T17:54:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Igloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Igloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Igloo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/1 "2003-03-28T17:54:36Z")
Do dogs “kiss” (slobber/lick) out of affection or are they just being shallow? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/2 "2003-03-28T17:57:15Z")
Affection. Dogs are pack animals and you are the alpha. Your doggie wubs yoo. Yes he does! Yes he does! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/3 "2003-03-28T17:59:11Z")
I believe that their lick indicates that they feel they need you. All together now, “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!” ---
**Author:** ![Igloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Igloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Igloo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/4 "2003-03-28T18:02:48Z")
I am laughing. Partly because I’m such a weirdo that it actually makes me feel good to think it’s out of affection…I’m a good dog mom! She loves me!! Also, my darling pup “watches” Animal Planet. Is this possible? I can be watching any tv show and she pays no attention. If I flip on Animal Planet and there are animals, she perks up, goes to the end of the bed, and stares at the television. What is up with this? ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/5 "2003-03-28T18:23:27Z")
“Awwwwwwwwwwwww”. I wuv puppies. BTW…my kitty Abby watches the Animal Planet all the time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/6 "2003-03-28T18:30:20Z")
I’m not sure what a kiss means (with my dog I always feel it means “See mommy? I’m a good girl!”) but here’s some interesting stuff about doggy kisses and other doggy facts: [Secrets Your Dog Wants You to Know](http://www.grandtimes.com/dogs.html) ---
**Author:** ![Arturas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Arturas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arturas)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/7 "2003-03-28T18:32:35Z")
Just be careful of worms, I think it is, if they kiss you on the mouth. But of course they love you, just they understand the world slightly different than people do. For example, if you say ‘come’ but act like you intend to hit them or have in the past when you say ‘come’, they will not come because they understand you according in what your words say you intend to do not the artifical meaning you give the words. But if you think dogs do not understand language, just introduce your dog to a foreign language. The first times our dogs heard Lithuanian, they were out to get that cassette. Someone we know who married a Finn had the same the problem when the dogs met her new husband. Returning to the previous pargraph, dogs lick for many reasons, like to say, ‘glad to see you’re back’ ‘please don’t be upset’ etc. If you have a good relationship with your dog and someone threatening comes around, even if you don’t sense it, a good dog will protect you, even though it is normally a coward. So there are ways to show stronger affection. Also some dogs are friendlier than others, just like people. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/8 "2003-03-28T18:48:51Z")
I always thought it was because in a native habitat, dogs will lick other dogs they like as a grooming procedure (“I like you, here let me clean you to show you how much I like you”). My friend’s cat watched nature TV. He will ‘stalk’ birds on the screen, too funny. Esp. when you change the channel, he gets all confused looking for the birds. My dog doesn’t seem to care too much. ---
**Author:** ![Igloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Igloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Igloo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/9 "2003-03-28T20:30:51Z")
:eek: You can get worms from dog kissing? This surpises me (not that I don’t believe you) because my little shnuggly wuggly had a Worm Issue (let’s just say the worm that came out of her butt had to be sent away to be identified). I came clean to the vet and told her that my husband and I kissed her all the time (and were kissed back all the time) and asked if we could catch anything. She said no. Was that false info? ---
**Author:** ![Igloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Igloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Igloo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/10 "2003-03-28T20:37:11Z")
Thanks for the site ZiperJJ! ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/11 "2003-03-28T20:54:52Z")
I don’t think it is grooming thing with dogs - see this link.[link](http://www.hsus.org/ace/Article_Printer_Friendly?Content_ID=16321) I think it is more of just a dog way of saying “I recognize you as one of my pack and welcome in my domain” as they lick the mouthes of any other wolf regardless of rank as a greeting when the other has been away. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/12 "2003-03-28T21:01:55Z")
It’s probably a little bit of both affection and pack-hierarchy grooming behavior. My dog licks my head (especially the ears) like a _madman_ whenever he can–sometimes it’s just spontaneous when we’re sitting around (as if grooming), and sometimes it seems like it’s in response to something nice or reassuring I do for him. He’ll also lick my head if he thinks he’s hurt me (he’s still a puppy, and has occasional issues with bit inhibition–he’s not too bad, but often when I feel teeth I’ll “screech,” and he looks upset and tries to make up by licking). As to the worms issue, since dogs most often get worms by eating or licking something infested in the environment (soil, feces, etc.) ([cite](http://www.petplace.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=4864)), or by licking themselves after coming into contact with infested materials, I could see how it’s plausible that there could be eggs/worms in and around a dog’s mouth (the primary entry point for such things). **Igloo** , it depends on what kind of worm it turned out to be. Some worms are only infectious through insects, etc. [Tapeworms](http://www.petplace.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=803) egg packets won’t result in an infection, as they need an intermediate host like a rabbit, flea, or louse to develop. If you eat the infected rabbit, rat, flea, or louse you could develop an infestation, but the eggs themselves aren’t harmul. Other parasites are spread through things like fly and mosquito bites, but I’m not sure if any intestinal worms are spread that way. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/13 "2003-03-28T21:05:36Z")
I’m pretty sure the worms thing is an old wives tale. I’ll do some searching. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/14 "2003-03-28T21:19:54Z")
Actually, I’m fairly certain that humans can indeed catch hookworms from dog kisses. It’s far more common to get them from feces, though. Contact with infected feces can lead to subcutaneous infestation, which is really, really gross. Even by my standards. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/15 "2003-03-28T21:28:07Z")
[This page](http://kingsbury.petplace.com/articles/artshow.asp?artID=216&s=features&c=dogcare), which I got to from my vet’s website, mentions briefly: > [@](#): > > It should be emphasized that some parasites – especially roundworms and hookworms – can also affect people, especially children. Nothing specific about kisses, but again considering the method of infection (ingestion through the mouth of eggs), I wouldn’t think it implausible that you could come in contact with them by kissing your dog who may have been eating infested soil or who-knows-what. Now, **CCL** , subcutaneous infection: that’s something I hadn’t heard of before, and you’re right. That must be really, really, _really_ gross. Thinking about _any_ organism under the skin makes my. . .uh. . .skin crawl. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/16 "2003-03-28T22:06:47Z")
I thought this was common knowledge. Domesticated dogs are just wild dogs arrested in a subservient immature status. You are the dominant adult of your own little pack. In the wild, young dogs prompt the returning adult hunting packs to give them a share of the hunt by licking them in the face. The adult then vomits up a portion. I’m sure it’s all engrained instinct rather than deliberate, but what your dog is saying when it greets you with a ‘kiss’ is please throw up. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/17 "2003-03-28T22:13:21Z")
But, **Futile** , _my_ dog doesn’t usually lick me on the face or mouth. He licks the back of my head and my ears. My cat also licks me all over the place (arms, forehead, hair–which she will lick for hours if she could). Maybe that’s why I’m not throwing up 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Arturas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Arturas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arturas)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/18 "2003-03-28T22:17:28Z")
If it is not worms, would it be possible to become infected with some other unpleasant pathogen? In the book, American Guerrila in the Phillipines, as I recall, the author writes that his wounds healed faster because the local dog licked them daily, which speed he attributed to the healing enzymes in saliva (human included). Towards this argument, pain from cuts and blisters doesn’t last long in the mouth. On the other hand, we had a cow that seemed to have died from blood loss from a sore on her tongue (she died of anaemia and that was the only wound we could find.) Thought I should balance the icky story. Thanks for the information. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-kisses/164829/19 "2003-03-28T23:07:47Z")
I’ve only ever seen pictures, but apparently you can see the larvae moving around under the skin. Beyond foul. It’s also worthwhile to note that not only do dogs root around in the dirt, poop, and other assorted nasty things, they lick their own butts. Frequently and at great length. Just one more way to get parasite eggs in the mouth.