Quick Navigation
- Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because It’s in Their Nature
- He’s Showing His Affection
- Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because He Craves Your Attention
- As a Form of Submission or Resistance
- Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because He’s Trying to Tell You Something
- Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because Inside Your Mouth Tastes Good
- Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because It’s a Learned Behavior
- Should You Let Your Dog Lick Inside Your Mouth?
- Conclusion
The inside of the human mouth beyond the lips consists of many parts, but most people immediately think of the teeth and the tongue.
The tongue is very important for talking and moving food around the mouth.
So, why does your dog lick inside your mouth?
He knows it’s where you process food, and he’s always after a morsel.
It doesn’t matter to him that the human mouth contains billions of bacteria.
Nonetheless, if your dog has the habit of licking inside your mouth, you may be wondering why and indeed, you’ll want to know what you can do about it.
Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because It’s in Their Nature
When dogs are young, one of the first ways to explore the world is by licking and sniffing things.
If your dog is still a puppy, he is just curious about licking your mouth.
The habit of licking things remains with a dog as it matures.
You will find your dog naturally licking you quite often.
When puppies are born, they are thoroughly licked by the mom.
This licking also cleans them and stimulates their digestive systems.
It’s also a form of bonding, and the puppy responds by licking the mother’s face.
Licking the mother dog’s face and mouth familiarizes the puppy with the smells and tastes of its mother.
Your puppy sees you as his new caregiver, so it wants to lick your face and inside your mouth as it would in the wild.
It also wants to get a sense of what it will be eating.
This mouth-licking behavior is also reminiscent of a dog’s undomesticated state.
The parents would return to the den with food.
The puppies would stimulate the adult dogs to regurgitate a meal for them.
This licking of the mouth is inherent in dogs.
He’s Showing His Affection
A kiss on the mouth from your dog is him showing you affection.
Of course, he also checks if you taste good to him in the process.
Because if you do, he’ll show his affection more often.
Little licks around the mouth may well be him gathering information.
When he licks around and inside your mouth, he is essentially getting a good sense of things about you.
He could also be finding out things such as if you have just eaten.
Licking is something immensely pleasurable to dogs.
He will also attempt to do it as often as he can.
As his pack leader, he may just be attending to you and paying attention to you.
It’s how it is in nature and in the wilds.
The subordinate dog licks the alpha on the mouth to learn things and show submission and respect.
Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because He Craves Your Attention
Why does your dog like to lick inside your mouth?
He knows he gets a reaction from you.
As suggested, dogs aren’t fools.
They are smart.
If you don’t normally give your dog too much attention, licking inside your mouth might get the attention he craves.
If you give him attention when he does this, then if needs be, he’ll do it again and again.
You got your dog for a reason, and he didn’t ask to be your companion.
Dogs are social creatures, and it would help to give them attention.
If you’re not there to give him attention during the day, ensure he has things to amuse himself with.
Make your homecoming something to look forward to.
He will soon have his attention diverted away from your face and mouth.
As a Form of Submission or Resistance
Dogs may lick around your mouth as a sign of submission.
Dogs in the wild have always licked the mouths of the top dog as a sign of submissiveness.
It lowers its body even to make itself appear smaller.
Chances are, you are the top dog in your house.
Your dog is licking your face to acknowledge that.
But then again, a slobbery kiss on the lips could be similar to a Judas kiss.
A lick like that may appear to be one of affection when in fact, it is a warning.
It can be a way of getting you to get out of his space.
Some dogs don’t like to have your face near theirs because it shows dominance.
There are these codes of conduct in the canine world.
Therefore, you need to learn your dog’s body language.
He may kiss you on the lips as a token of affection before biting you.
Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because He’s Trying to Tell You Something
Mouth-licking behavior in dogs may well be your dog communicating with you.
After you’ve had your dog for a while, you may know what he’s trying to communicate when he licks you in your mouth.
Maybe he’s letting you know that he’s glad to see you.
Perhaps it’s his way of telling you that he’s hungry.
He could be communicating pure excitement at seeing you.
You will know his body language.
Some dogs turn around in circles or leap into the air with excitement.
Some bark and whine while others leap at you and try to lick you on the face and in the mouth.
Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because Inside Your Mouth Tastes Good
You know your dog and how he licks things that taste good.
He licks something because he likes the taste.
And how often don’t we have food particles in our mouths that our dogs can taste?
Whether you’ve eaten something salty or sweet, it makes no difference to your pet – he enjoys all flavors.
Dogs are clever, and they’ve already learned that our mouths are used to eating food.
So he may start licking your face with affection, but then it becomes hunger.
A sample of what you’ve eaten maybe tantalizingly on your lips.
He may turn forcefully, trying to lick inside your mouth for more of what was on your lips.
Dog Licks Inside Your Mouth Because It’s a Learned Behavior
So, why does your dog lick inside your mouth?
It could be because you are showing him that his behavior is alright.
A dog’s behavior can be encouraged simply by you accepting it.
So if a dog licks your face and inside your mouth, if he gets any attention from doing it, he’s not going to stop.
But why does your dog like to lick inside your mouth?
He’s observed you eating and learned to lick you after you’ve eaten.
Licking on and inside the mouth is your dog’s natural way of showing affection.
Do you want to encourage this behavior?
Set boundaries for your dog if you don’t want it to continue happening.
Should You Let Your Dog Lick Inside Your Mouth?
It’s one thing for your dog to lick inside your mouth and another when you just let it.
Perhaps the question is whether you should let your dog lick inside your mouth.
As much as you love your furry friend, you should also consider how a dog’s saliva is home to various microorganisms that could make you sick.
If your dog licked your mouth where you could’ve prevented it, there’s no need to panic too.
Just remember that making it a practice and a routine is not advisable.
Conclusion
Why does your dog lick inside your mouth?
Dog loves licking, and the mouth is a tasty part of your body.
He loves to lick you on the whole face, knowing full well that beyond your lips are many flavors.
He wants to lick your face for many reasons, from affection to respect to just being a typical dog.
Licking your face is one thing but licking inside is another.
Dogs can transmit several viral and bacterial diseases to humans.
Therefore, it is best not to allow French kissing from your pet.
As a responsible dog owner, it’s up to you to make your dog understand that your mouth is out of bounds.
A passionate content creator on pet behavior, nutrition choices, and health, Mike is an experienced pet expert. He has been writing on multiple websites to compensate for his passion for cats. Mike grieves around plenty of pets in his parents’ house. At the start of his career, he had a sturdy intention to be a part of pet care by any means.
With his affiliation to Purrfect n’ Pawesome, he found a way to satiate his craving to participate in pet health, wellness, and behavior analysis. He has been a significant part of our team and a major contributor in equipping our site with useful, authentic, and research-backed articles.
“I love pets as much as I love to travel to explore multiple places and lifestyles. I have been attached to this pawsome platform for many years, and my experience regarding pets has enhanced significantly by using various devices to write articles. I believe in writing my thoughts and experiences, so I try to write down the experience and learnings for my readers no matter where I am and what my mood is.”
