If the answer to “do dogs know what kisses are” is no, what do kisses mean to dogs? Dogs may make eye contact as a challenge or sign of aggression. The same goes for greeting them directly and getting close to their face. Naturally, dogs wouldn’t act this way to each other if they are trying to appear friendly and relaxed. Many of our affectionate behaviors do not translate well to dogs.
While it is true that some dogs can learn to love kisses, trying to kiss a strange dog on the head can come across as aggression rather than affection. When greeting strange dogs, it’s better to learn about other ways to show your affection.
Contents
- Do dogs understand kissing?
- Do dogs like to be kissed?
- Why do dogs lick your face?
- Is it dangerous to kiss a dog?
- When is it okay to kiss a dog?
- Does my dog love me?
Kissing is not a natural part of dog behavior, although many people learn to enjoy it. When dogs lick your face instead, it’s not always a sign of affection. Dogs licking can mean many things, from showing affection and relieving stress, to showing submission. Let’s take a look at whether kissing your dog is sending them the right message and what your dog’s kisses in return might really mean.
Understanding Dog Communication Methods
Dogs are complex creatures with unique ways of communicating. Dogs have evolved significantly since their days in the wild. While we use words to tell each other how we feel, dogs don’t really have that luxury.
Of course they can bark and whine all they want, but that doesn’t mean they’re talking, even if the barking is directed at another dog.
How can we say that?
In fact, the best way to know how an animal is feeling is to observe its behavior. How will she act if she enjoys showing our affection? She should be relaxed and not tense. The ears should be forward and the tail high. If Coral likes our kisses, for example, she shouldn’t move away and try to avoid being kissed. If we stop kissing her and she wants us to continue, we would expect her to move towards us and display behaviors that have worked in other contexts to get what she wants, such as pawing at us or lean against us.
Coral rarely “asks” for more kisses. But she often asks for more petting by pawing at us, or just putting her paw on our arms if we stop petting her. If we pair kissing the top of her head and rubbing her ears, Coral will often move closer to us and position her head so that we can more easily reach behind her ears.
Kissing is such a natural thing for many, yet have we considered what this gesture means to our canine friends?
In many cultures, kissing another person is primarily seen as a sign of affection or, for some cultures, it is simply a positive gesture. For many pet owners, giving puppies kisses and cuddles comes second nature, but what about dogs?
Dogs cannot punch or pout their lips. They can move their lips somewhat but don’t have the lip muscles or lip movements that people do. Just like they can’t chew food with their mouth closed like we can. If it’s not natural or native to them, like many gestures humans make, they need to figure out what it means. Is it good or bad?