Kiko is a 3 year old castrated male. Before we met he was a street dog.
I have taught him not to lick my face. But he licks everywhere else. I am not real fond of it. But, I don’t want to deny his investigation of the world.
So, why do you think he likes to lick me? Maybe it is the salt of my perspiration? I realize his sensory perception is limited. He doesn’t have opposable thumbs, and his mouth is probably a source of information.
I know it is difficult to walk in his paws, and determine why he does it. But, you dopers are smart, and may have some insight.
Well, my dog, if allowed, will lick any and every available surface on a person’s body (and this includes clothed surfaces). And he will continue licking and licking and licking, long after any salt or perspiration is gone. It seems more like a pathology than anything else.
This tell reasons why dogs lick people faces and one is to tell you they’re hungry which I was thinking . Wolves do this with mothers so has to be an
instinct that dogs still have.
His sensory perception is considerably better than yours. Practically every other mammal on the planet has better hearing and odor detection than humans do, in addition to decent eyesight and sensitivity to touch. (And I only added that practically to head off the inevitable.)
But you’re right that animals, in general, are like toddlers in using their mouths to explore their world.
As far as the licking goes, some dogs are more into mouthing things than others. Some will lick their paws or carpet or a pillow. It can be related to both nerves and/or boredom.
