Everyone knows this dog gesture: But few know what it really means.

Anyone who has a dog has probably experienced that moment when our four-legged friend leans over and licks our face. A warm and wet dog kiss can signal far more than you might think. Many consider this behavior to be an expression of pure love and affection, but in reality, this gesture can mean so much more. Scientists have been studying dog behavior for years. When asked why dogs lick people, they have several answers.

Licking can be a form of communication, an attempt to calm down, an acknowledgement of social structure, or even a response to human emotions. It can be a gesture that is positively tinged, but it can also be a display of some negative emotion or even high displeasure in the animal. What is the dog telling you with his tongue? And how do you know which situation is which?

The psychological response to human emotions

When a dog licks your face, it can be more than just a sign of affection. It is often a response to human emotions. A study examining the behaviour of 17 adult dogs showed that dogs are more likely to lick a human if they perceive a negative expression on the dog’s face. This can be aggression or sadness. In many cases, the dog also responds to positive human emotions, but far more often it is the opposite emotion that is addressed by licking the face.

Licking humans is not just a stress response, but a functional signal, a way of communicating with us and responding to our visual expressions. If you find that your dog licks you in situations where you are not feeling well, he may be trying to calm you down. Or it may also be reassuring itself that everything is okay.

Natural instinct and hierarchy

Face licking also has roots in canine history. This instinct goes back to their wolf ancestors. Puppies used to lick their mother’s face to thank her for bringing them food. This mechanism has survived to this day. In many cases, the dog actually licks its master’s face in gratitude for the food, but other times it is also just a gesture to express affection to the “human member of the pack”.

Communication and information gathering

In addition to the emotional significance of licking, it also leads to practical communication and sensory data collection. When a dog licks your face, it is a way for him to get information, for example through your saliva, sweat, scent molecules. All of which can contain valuable sensory data. Dogs have what’s called a vomeronasal organ that can detect pheromones and other chemical signals. And by licking your face in this way, animals can easily “taste” your moods or physiological changes.

But beyond that, licking can also be a return signal, a form of communication sent by the dog, where the animal tells you that it wants attention or that it respects you. Often, this is not accidental. Dogs are very aware that when they lick a person’s face, they get a reaction. And whether it’s positive or at least some, simply by doing so their desire for attention will be fulfilled.