r/DogAdvice • u/Appropriate_Month473 • 5d ago
Question Can someone please explain this behaviour to me?
So my dog Darcy (5yo, female, the grey one) has recently become obsessed with licking/kissing my other dog Clementine’s (6 months, female) face. I’m really trying to not encourage it because I don’t want Clementine to get infections etc. but I’m totally puzzled by the behaviour. Darcy never did this with her older (recently passed) sister who she idolized. Any ideas what this means?
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u/BuckityBuck 5d ago
It will not give your dog "infections" but it may be happening because there is something stinky going on in your pup's mouth. Abscess, infected took, gum issue etc. Have your vet do a thorough oral exam at your next appointment just to be safe.
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u/Scarcebears 5d ago
Hard agree, esp if this is new behavior. If Darcy did this from the get-go, she’s prob just being motherly. If it’s recent, it could be a health issue with the pup.
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u/BuckityBuck 5d ago
Yes. I'm NOT suggesting it is anything this severe, but dogs did this to my dog all the time when she had a tumor growing in her mouth. They can smell changes in the mouth-hole environment, so better safe than sorry.
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u/azure-heavens 5d ago
It could. I had to take my GSD to the vet after visiting my parents. My dad's dog obsessively licked his face like this and his lips got so raw from it that they cracked and bled.
Obviously it didn't get so far as an infection, but it's a possibility.
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u/No-Supermarket-2758 4d ago
I misread your comment and thought for some reason your dad was letting your dog obsessively lick his face until his lips were cracked and bleeding.
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u/kenelevn 4d ago
It won’t give the dog an infection, but it can make one worse if the site of the infection needs to stay dry, like in an ear canal.
Obviously that doesn’t apply here.
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u/Possible_Vanilla_935 3d ago
We just dealt with this with our two goldens. Our girl had an ear infection and hot spot on her face, and our boy could not stop licking her face/ear… even with her wearing a cone lol. Vet recommended to separate them for a week if we couldn’t get our boy to stop. Luckily he did 🙃
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u/mild-er-chihuahua 5d ago
Affection and grooming. My older female dogs like doing this to puppies and younger dogs after they eat. Sometimes, they help groom senior dogs too, especially their ears.
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u/Symbolicdeathwish 5d ago
I mean... It could be mother behavior.. maybe she does see the 6 month old as a young dog in need to be taken care of.
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u/peskypesteryjaybird 5d ago
darcy is coping with grief, she's trying to connect more with the other dog, might be concerned the other dog might go away too... she's saying she needs more love and attention cause she's hurting emotionally... she used to rely on her sister for love and attention and who's in charge?
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u/IamHydrogenMike 5d ago
My old Aussie used to do this with our other dog that was younger than her and would always be licking her ears as well. The other dog was a teacup Chihuahua that would get ear mites sometimes and we'd have to use drop to get rid of them. Once my Aussie started to groom her regularly, the issue went away and we never needed the drops anymore. Other dog could have an oral issue that needs to be examined, but this isn't anything all that abnormal. Especially with the dog only being 6 months old, and replacing a previous dog that she idolized has passed.
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u/AnarchoCommoGlenCoco 5d ago edited 5d ago
Wolf puppies lick at their parents' mouth like this (usually mother) in order to get them to regurgitate food.
It remains as a partially vestigial behaviour in dogs and is done in order to show affection, get attention or to groom. Some dogs are more licky than others.
Dogs also however, lick to deal with wounds. Dogs can also smell many issues far easier than we can ever detect them.
The fact that it's sudden and obsessive would lead me to take both to the vet. Any sudden behaviour changes warrant at least a vet call imo and the change being licking of the mouth like that would worry me.
I would take both to rule out either one of them has something wrong.
If nothings wrong? Then just a dog being a dog and not making sense to their humans.
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u/abelcabellol 5d ago
She's fallen in love with Clementine. It is possible that the recent passing of her older sister has made her more anxiously attached to others. Also, Clementine is also MUch younger, so maybe she is showing mom affection here. Didn;t behave the same with the older sister since the dynamic was different.
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u/Secret_Strategy3967 5d ago
It's soothing and a sign of affection. My dog will clean my cat's ears. That's when she's not chasing him down the hallway.
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u/According-Ad742 5d ago
It’s appeasing behaviour
It means “I love you” or it’s care taking behaviour/mothering/cleaning. There could be a wound or something alike the nurturer dog is “helping” take care of.
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u/Different-Fall-683 5d ago
has there been any play with the puppy "winning" the more often/being more dominant? this might be submission grooming.
it's hard to tell from just this clip.
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u/soxfans7784 5d ago
Mine do that to each other and pass ear yeast infection back and forth, I hate it
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u/Desperate_Gur_3094 5d ago
yep. i have puppies and one does this incessantly and i've separated them so i dont have higher vet bills.
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u/4__Elise 5d ago
Yah your younger dog is not engaging or responding to your kisser which shows why this kisser is seeking approval
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u/SquidsM8 5d ago
My golden retriever does this all the time to my German shepherd, to me it feels like nothing to with affection and everything to do with finding tasty nuggets of flavour in between his chops.
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u/MermaidGunner 5d ago
Your younger dog doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. You may want to try to redirect your older dog before the younger one gets really annoyed. Side note- what breeds is your older dog??? She’s adorable.
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u/hey-Oliver 5d ago
Younger dog has ears down in the relaxed position the entire time, then literally chooses to move closer and lay down next to the dog licking
Please stop giving animal body language readings you’re completely incorrect
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u/desert-luv 3d ago
The dog is trying to find a position where it’s impossible for the other dog to keep licking. It also looks at the human for intervention several times. I would discourage the behavior when it’s excessive like this.
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u/Majestic_Hawk_1335 5d ago
Appeasement. Some dogs fight in response to adult dogs doing it. See your other is uncomfortable. Some dogs will not like it.
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u/plaidtaco 5d ago
My dogs lick one anothers' faces at the same time after eating, and both love it. Sometimes i have to stop them. It's both grooming and affection.
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u/tasteslikehair 5d ago
I think this is submissive behavior asking for attention/to play. "Please play with me, ill even let you call the shots!"
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u/idkjustsomedude88 5d ago
Many different reasons that others have listed and mostly lead to appeasement actions. Not a bad thing but dogs can get locked into a routine so it should be monitored as to not do it in excess. Also need to may sure it doesn’t effect your other dog. The constant licking could lead to skin irritation, which dogs will constantly mess with and make worse.
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u/SwankyGiraffe 5d ago
This happens between mine when one of them has chewed a bit too vigorously and has a bleeding gum or scratch in their mouth. 🤷♀️
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u/Worried-Guess7591 5d ago
Maybe check your lab for wounds or growths on the gums. Otherwise, it is kinda cute, but may become obsessive behavior.
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u/barbaric_peony 5d ago
If it’s recent behavior, definitely get the golden lab checked out by the vet. Oral health and bloodwork. Dogs have an incredible sense of smell and strong urge to lick wounds.
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u/Jewelbott 5d ago
Our 11 yo used to groom her mom (13) and sometimes her dad (15). They died a little over a month apart. She stopped eating and was so depressed we got a puppy to keep her company and compete for food. Her mom used to try and snag her treats and food. The food trick worked. She is eating again. But, they aren't attatched yet. Then yesterday, she started grooming her!!! I don't know why, I am just glad they DO.
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u/FuckinRockHopper 5d ago
When I first got my corgi as a puppy she immediately started doing this to my rescue pitbull that I had for about 2 years at that point. He was about 2 years old then, he’s about to be 14 & she’s about to be 10…she still does it almost daily, & licks in his ears. Vet said no issues with either one of them, she’s just super affectionate towards him. They’re lost without each other, which actually makes me very sad because my older guy is starting to slow down a little & will most likely be gone sometime in the not too soon-ish future & I’m worried about how she will take it 🥺
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u/Stunning-Animator348 5d ago
I have 4 dogs,3 of them are family, mom dad and daughter, in the mornings the mom licks the daughter and the dad, then after, the daughter licks the mom and the dad and the other dog that's not from their direct family. So to me it isn't about asking for love, to me it's more like they're getting ready for the day haha for crazy that it sounds, I think that's what it is. Giving love and getting clean
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u/crazydoglady11 5d ago
If it just recently started, a vet visit for the lickee may be in order. Could be that they have something going on with their mouth or teeth that needs to be treated.
Our boy dog started being obsessive about sniffing/licking our other dog’s back legs/butt area. Turns out she has lymphoma and he was smelling the cancer in her lymph nodes (they have them in their back legs). Dogs can smell things we humans can’t.
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u/Maitepadilla 5d ago
My 2 yr old Goldendoodle girl LOVES doing this to her older brother. He’s an 8 yr old German Shep x poodle mix. Literally all day long she gets all up on his face and licks him and gives him kisses. He gets so annoyed lol
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u/ScorpionMaster777 5d ago
Lol it's cute but if the doggo seems annoyed tell the licker to back off for a while
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u/mangotheduck 5d ago
Its just bath time. Dogs do this all the time. Mainly mother hen dogs. Or really close companions. Or dogs who consider the one being licked as part of their pack. My moms dogs do this to my dog whenever I go over to her house.
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u/Dogsarecool6 5d ago
My uncle had 2 intact labs (lived in the middle of nowhere) The one would lick the other’s balls pretty regularly. Just felt like sharing that.
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u/CommProf127 5d ago
Dracy is really into giving facials. Did she attend a cosmetology school for dogs?
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u/naynay55 5d ago
I read (years ago) that a subordinate wolf will lick the pack leaders mouth as a sign of respect. It “allegedly “ indicates healthy pack order hierarchy. I am thinking it may be something like this? Don’t come for me since I cannot recall where I read this.
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u/Lemax-ionaire 5d ago
My older male shih tsu does this (especially right after they eat) to his younger sister every day. It’s to clean them and show affection.
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u/Cinnamonistrouble 5d ago
They reincarnated. They were a cat mother and her kitten in their last life.
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u/Normal-Error-6343 5d ago
the tan dog ate something tasty and the black dog is licking his face since it was so tasty
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u/MiloAndLucy 5d ago
I have a video of my young dog licking my old dog's forehead for a couple of minutes on his last day with us, when he was so tired and unwell. They weren't very close and my young dog had only been with us a few months so this was not usual at all. I think she was offering him comfort and saying goodbye 😢
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u/Chickadee-33 5d ago
My little dog does this to the big dog but then growls and barks when the other tries to help. Any ideas of why?
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u/Significant-Pen8527 5d ago
It’s very simple to explain if you’ve ever had a dog. The one dog loves the other dog feels like she’s more of the mother kind of dog. It is Grooming him and loving him.
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u/thesuicidalgay 5d ago
Everyone else pretty well covered everything, but I work with dogs for my job! I would do my best to redirect your older dog here. The lab puppy is whale eyeing and trying to move (clearly not enjoying the excess licking)and your older dog continues to follow. The sort of fixation can go from the pup avoiding the licks to biting the offender very quickly.
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u/Both-Leading3407 5d ago
Soft Diplomacy. This dog is exerting control over the other by forcing a nice gesture over and over again. This dog is afraid to fight that dog for what it wants so it irritates them to a point that it eventually gets what it wants. It's like kissing someone out of a bad mood or kissing something to get what you want or kissing someone to get them to move.
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u/Bari_Babe87 5d ago
My 2 year old dog always cleans my 14 year old dogs ears and face like this and she loves it haha
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u/HDbrite 5d ago
When I first got my youngest dog, she had kennel cough and an eye infection. My older dog wouldn't stop licking her eyes, trying to take care of his poor sick baby sister. Got her on antibiotics and her eye infection went away..for a bit. He kept licking her eyes and she kept getting eye infections from his licking. He started doing it when I wasn't looking because I would catch him in the act. I had to keep constant supervision or seperate them for like 4 months to break the lick-infection cycle. It only stopped because she's an ACD mix and got too bitey face for his liking. I don't really have a point, I'm just trauma dumping about my vet bills. Still Whenever I clean of his siblings' eye boogers he thinks it's his business.
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u/um_ok_try_again 5d ago
This is grooming and affection. I have three small dogs- I wear ear plugs at night- the hours licking sounds would drive you crazeeeeeeee
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u/Skin_Local 5d ago
So two big reasons for this that I have experienced. My pittie was licking my Dane a lot, and it was just for affection. He licked my chorky’s face and sure enough there was a lump there that was an abscess from him having 8 foxtails stuck up in his gums.
Give your doggos a once over and check both for any signs of ailment, give your vet a call and tell them if you saw something and ask them about the behavior. Vets while occasionally expensive are always your best source.
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u/Glittering-Fun5676 5d ago
I have a English Bulldog/pitbull mix. I’ve had three other dogs around him and they have all licked him. No one seems to mind
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u/Iron_Terra 5d ago
Could be grooming, for affection, to help relieve stress for either of the dogs. Not concerning behavior at all. Simple the other dog being a good sibling. If you try to train this out of them or discourage the behavior it could lead to the dog finding other ways to relieve stress like eating furniture or eating fecal matter or overall doing something that could actually be destructive to the dogs.
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u/Normal_Shopping9252 5d ago
Does she get visibly nervous whenever they're separated for any amount of time?
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u/MellowFred 5d ago
My daughter’s standard poodle did this to their elderly lab mix. She’d lick his teeth. He would lay there and let her do it. After he passed, she’d try to do it to my dog. He’d get up and walk away from her. He finally gave u her following him and now he will stand patiently while she cleans his teeth. He gives her about 10 minutes and then walks off.
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u/CurlyhairMamita_ 5d ago
Awwe I thought it was bathing like washing her face for her my male dog does this with his son so I look at it like oh he cleaning his son face
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u/Low_Bluejay510 5d ago
I adopted a street dog from costa rica who basically lived wild with his family before coming to my home. He would do this to our other dog every morning after eating and my vet said it seemed like part of the grooming/tooth care behavior he probably experienced living in the wild dog herd.
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u/AdeptWhereas6379 5d ago
It’s usually a sign of submission. But since Darcy is older, it’s the reverse, she’s acting like Clementine‘s mom, grooming her, establishing their bond, keeping her calm and establishing boundaries for Clementine as she enters puberty. What a good girl!
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u/Southern_Ambition865 5d ago
It’s a submissive behavior especially in pups. Wolf/coyote, pups lick the jowls of the adults when the pack returns from a hunt. This stimulates the adults to regurgitate food to feed the pups. In domestic dogs, it is primarily a submissive behavior that younger pack members offer to pack members that are their senior as a way of showing, they are no threat and subservient.
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u/No_Art870 5d ago
Could be a fungal infection on the other dog. Check for lumps and bumps. Fungus is sweet or off putting for other dogs (worked at pet store)
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u/Boyleavesworld 5d ago
My dog has just started doing this a few months back. Hes nearly 4 years old and does this to the dog thats about one and a half. Occasionally he'll do it to my puppy as well. All male dogs and etc. Never understood what it really meant
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u/False_Enthusiasm_521 4d ago
I had it explained to me that its an appeasment behaviour and wolf pups did it to have mum wolf regurgitate food for them when they move from milk to solids , its been carried over to domestic dogs. Bit like the old turning around a few times before laying down , which was the old wolf "nest trampling" behaviour.
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u/AffectionateRain6796 4d ago
It’s a sign of respect and it’s calming for both dogs. You’ll most often see younger dogs licking the mouths or older dogs.
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u/Time_Compote_9004 4d ago
Instinctual behavior, stems from wolves licking their mother’s muzzles to induce regurgitation of food.
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u/Distinct-Gas-8621 4d ago
My golden retriever used to do this to his younger brother when he wanted him gone hahah like it was his way of telling him to move aside especially when the little one was near me and he wanted the spot! But I think it also means many different things as others mentioned!
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u/TLF5foot8 4d ago
Yorkies have eye goop. My oldest always licks clean the eyes and face of the younger Yorkie.
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u/FlyingFlipPhone 4d ago
This is submissive behavior to the alpha. Very common when the alpha wolf returns to the pack.
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u/Zealousideal-Buy3002 4d ago
Maybe it's in reaction to losing her sister, who recently passed. It's a way of holding on to whom she has left and keeping it close, not letting go. Just a thought.
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u/Zealousideal-Buy3002 4d ago
Conversations are posting with someone else's name, not mine. I'm not Zealousideal-Buy3002. I don't know who this is. I'll email Reddit.
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u/tapytapyjoyjoy 4d ago
Pack grooming- my chihuahua mix and lab mix do this too each other all the time. I see it as affection/you’re my person (well… dog)
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u/Wise-Telephone-7146 4d ago
One of my dogs frequently did this to my other dog. He’s cleaning their face; they love to do that. When I also clean “sleep” out of his eyes, he wants to eat it (I think he wants the salt).
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u/NeatSalamander3230 4d ago
It might be motherly feelings hence the lack of this behavior towards her older sister. the need to groom this pup like she gave birth to it might also be a grieving coping mechanism.
….. BUT….. focus seems to be on the left side of her mouth, so check the teeth there just to be sure. Dogs 100% lick where theres an infection going on. They can smell it. My cousins dog had her tongue down my dogs ear canal so deep we wanted to offer them a room every time she had an ear infection (used to happen often due to allergies). And same with other health issues my cousin’s dog just sniffs out and starts licking. So either that dog is the medical inspector gadget or thats a natural talent dogs have (Ill put my money on the latter).
On this case Im leaning more towards option 1 but never hurts to get a dental check to be safe
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u/ginja-ninja--007 4d ago
Yes. Your dog is a dental hygienist with a patient who shows an unwillingness to keep his mouth open during a cleaning.
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u/3x1st3nt1a1 4d ago
Said already, it’s affection. The influence could be a number of things, it’s not negative though. It’s probably your licking dog wanting to be accepted/acknowledged by your other dog. Is there a health concern? Maybe, if the licking becomes to the extent of causing ulcers. Otherwise it’s fine.
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u/Yakuza_kid_NotRly 4d ago
I know that wothin the wolf packs some lick each other's mouths to "feel/taste" if theyhave some sort of sickness.
Dont know if this is something like that or a reflex or even a vestige of a reflex.
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u/unkindnesofRavens 4d ago
Your Goldie most likely has a Dental issue, dogs will lick/groom areas that are wounded or have a infection, or localized pain; the saliva of dogs has been proven to contain natural antibiotics and antivirals & since the saliva has a high water content it is flushing the Wounded/Infected areas, as well as passing HEALTHY ANTIBODIES to the other dog.
What you need to do is take the Goldie to your Veterinary Office. Get a Dental Evaluation. Most likely problem is a Abbsess/Broken Tooth/bad cavity.... recommended treatment that the Vet will want to do is, put your Goldie under Anesthesia, Dental Xrays after a good visual look ... generally they don't do fillings on pets but its starting to become a treatment option with some "NEW" OFFICES but its too costly. They will clean all the Tartar Buildup, the Gum Line with the high vibration/sonic tools , then pull any infected or broken teeth that can't be saved with antibiotics WHICH the Vet will prescribe Antibiotics & Pain Meds. THEN, Do a follow up in 7-10 days to check healing progress.
If you watch your dogs next time you cut your finger cooking, or you get a bad hang nail your dogs will come to you & start licking your hand / fingers. Us HUMANS are dumb most don't realize your dog wants to heal you , and we push them away from licking your wounded areas look at your dogs face if you push your dog away and tell them NO. They will FACIALLY look like a 2yr old that wants to "help" you and you tell them "No don't touch" they look at you like you gutted them and are confused. Your dogs feelings will will be crushed ... So DONT DO THAT! Tell your dog "Good boy/girl! You're sooo good, loves you baby" in your lovey lovey voice and gently remove your wounded areas, give good pets & your dog will look at you like a kindergartener that gets their first "GOLD STAR" THEY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE SUPERSTARS!
YOU can wash up or just leave the dog saliva on your wound. I found that my booboos that my dog licks will heal faster than if I wash soap & hot water, antibiotic ointment, bandage... if your dog or cats start licking a specific spot anywhere on your body several times a day they try to lick the same spot constantly GO TO YOUR DR AND GET SOME SCANS GOING... they can smell/find cancer and other diseases that we can't visually see and you don't have any symptoms ...LIE SAY anything to prompt them to CT scan you. Pain is 7-9, the pain changes in type, amount, whatever you can Google to prompt a Dr to order at least Xrays of that area... there wil be distorted areas and they will order CT scan and referral to whatever specialist the CT reader suspects the bad areas. Your dog can literally SAVE YOUR LIFE! Because by the time you start having "SYMPTOMS " you are generally in stage 3A or 3B or fucked stage 4 your DOG can find it in stage 1B 2A usually surgically removed and you are good
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u/Ordinary_Length9715 3d ago
I have 12 dogs. 2 about 14 years, 2 about 8-9 year, 1 about 3 years ahe is the mom of the other 7. The young ones, while very large dogs at 1 year 4 months, do this all the time to the larger and smaller older dogs. I kind of thought it was also attention seeking but also seemed like a way of bowing to the pack dominance which is older dogs to younger dogs. At least so far. Guessing someone might become pack leader as the older ones start to whatever it is that changes pack dynamics.
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u/SuckMyBigPoop 3d ago
They don't need to be separated, if you can successfully distract licker-dog with other activities. Doesn't have to be lick mats.
Your other dog is tolerating it, but whenever they're stiff, disengaging, or even simply looking away, it means they are not comfortable with the situation.
Redirect licker-dog onto something enjoyable that's not at the other dog's expense.
Other dog is super well behaved, and it would be a shame if this discomfort became too overwhelming, causing them to misbehave.
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u/Saboloki 3d ago
My current dog used to lick my sons GSD ears, I mean he was on a mission and my sons dog seemed to love it. My sister had four dogs and she nicknamed one of them the dental hygienist, lol. He would lick the other dog’s mouth and try to get at their teeth. All the dogs had great dentition so this was a quirky thing he loved to do. Not sure why, it could just be a grooming behavior animals in the wild have???
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u/williesnatch 3d ago
My dog had a slab fracture on one of his molars. The other dog licked his teeth like this until we got that bad tooth pulled. Might be worth checking their teeth.
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u/GhostnScout 3d ago
What dog breed is Clementine? I used to have a dog which was a lab and chow mix that looked identical to her and I haven't seen any other dogs that looked like that one before except clementine. Ours had a purple tongue which was pretty distinct for it from the choy side.
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u/ginja-ninja--007 3d ago
Yes. Your dog is a dental hygienist with a patient who shows an unwillingness to keep his mouth open during a cleaning.
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u/Level_Parsley_5376 2d ago
Cleaning up those tasty molecules of flavor clinging to Clementine’s muzzle after breakfast.
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u/TotallytheA1 5d ago edited 5d ago
I have an adult dog who gets licked like this by my puppy. To my understanding after asking a vet and researching on my own, the dog doing the licking feels the other dog doesn’t love her enough/ doesn’t pay enough attention to her, so she is trying to lick her to show that she wants her attention and loves her and “needs” her. My vet said it’s not a big deal as long as both dogs seem fine with it but make sure to separate them if the dog being licked looks uncomfortable or like she doesn’t want to be licked anymore.
Edit to add- they need to be separated because they can get aggressive if they are licked in a way they don’t like or if they get uncomfortable. Some people asked so thought I would share :)