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Sometimes, our dogs’ affection can ramp up when the night winds down. We settle in for bed, pull the covers up, and, as if on cue, our pets run in for a load of puppy kisses.
While there’s no question that we’ll graciously accept all the love they offer, your dog’s habit of licking your hands and face may leave you wondering if your dog is simply showing devotion or something else is behind it.
Your dog may have a deeper motivation for the night-time ritual. We’ll take a behind-the-scenes look into your pet’s thinking with these five possible reasons your dog licks you before bed.
The 5 Reasons Your Dogs Lick You Before Bed
1. Your Dog Is Self-Soothing
Licking is one of many self-soothing behaviors dogs exhibit to manage a change in emotional state, which might occur when they wake up or get ready to sleep. While they’re winding down, your dog may lick to release endorphins and help them relax.
2. Your Dog Loves, Trusts, and Feels Safe With You
The most straightforward answer to why dogs lick you before bed is that they love you. It’s an affiliative behavior reserved for those they accept and trust, so they’ll be more likely to direct it toward you, the owner.
You are a source of security, and those night-time kisses are your dog’s way of reassuring themselves of your bond.
3. It Evokes Memories
Some believe licking is a way for dogs to connect to their past. Mothers frequently lick their newborn puppies to clean them, stimulate circulation, and help them eliminate, but the ritual carries on for several weeks for grooming purposes and to enhance the mother-puppy connection.
As a pet, a dog may harken back to that feeling of comfort by licking.
4. Your Dog Is Trying to Comfort You
Dogs are sensitive to human emotion. They can read body language, interpret our tone of voice, and even smell stress signals, so they are uniquely in tune with their owner’s inner state, whether positive or negative. As devoted family members, they may lick to comfort you when they sense you’re in a poor mood.
5. Your Dog Likes the Way You Taste
Strange as it may sound, night-time licking behavior could be due to your dog liking how you taste. Dogs have no reservations about getting a lick or nibble of anything they find interesting, including flavorful compounds on your skin.
Your dog may lick you to taste the salts and acids from your sweat. If you put lotions or moisturizers on your body before bed, the aroma may entice your dog to lick you. Be mindful of this, as some cosmetic products may cause nausea, diarrhea, and other adverse reactions if your dog ingests them.
Should I Worry About My Dog’s Bedtime Licking Habit?
Licking before bed isn’t uncommon for many dogs and should rarely be cause for concern. It can be problematic if it’s excessive or accompanies additional signs of anxiety like trembling, yawning, or vocalizing. Depending on the person, it can also be an irritating habit they may want to eliminate.
Redirect the Behavior
A dog’s licking habit can quickly become overwhelming, and it’s not always our favorite way to end the night. Still, we’d feel guilty about pushing them away and hurting their feelings when they come in for goodnight kisses. If you’re trying to reduce the licking but preserve their emotions, your best bet is to redirect them to something equally enjoyable and relaxing before they even start licking. A toy or lick mat can be a good choice to give your dog an outlet for their licking.
Set Firm Boundaries
Getting your dog to ease off on licking behavior can be tricky. Asking them to resist a natural urge is challenging, and dogs generally have difficulty discerning when and where rules apply once they learn the behavior you want.
Owners must be steady, firm, and fair if they’re trying to change their dog’s bedtime licking habits. If you allow it on some occasions and not on others, your dog will be more likely to try it every time. It actually causes the behavior to be more persistent if you don’t reward it every time.
Be strict with creating separation, providing redirection, and rewarding appropriate behavior. Consistency will create clarity. Sooner or later, your dog will lock into the routine and offer the desired actions without your prompts.
Offer Enough Enrichment and Exercise
If your dog licks at bedtime to get attention or relieve anxiety, they may not get enough stimulation during the day. Exercise and enrichment are often the answer to stress. When your dog can work out their minds and bodies in uplifting, positive ways, they’ll have less energy to burn on nervous or unwanted habits.
Provide Positive Reinforcement
Dogs are always learning and building connections between stimuli and responses to navigate their world. You can take advantage of this by passively and actively training your dog to reduce their licking behavior.
Pay attention to how you reward and punish your dog’s licking behavior. If they seek attention, any kind of response is likely reinforcing. The best action in this instance is often to move away from your dog without making eye contact, showing emotion, or otherwise acknowledging them.
The flip side to this is rewarding those moments when your dog doesn’t lick you. Once your dog understands that licking isn’t part of the routine or getting them the desired results, you can provide attention, praise, and rewards when they keep their tongue to themselves to reinforce calm behavior.
Conclusion
Licking is typically a dog’s show of devotion to their caretaker, friend, and family member. While not everyone enjoys getting licked as they settle into bed, any pet parent can appreciate the sentiment behind it. The bond it implies is one of trust and love, a crucial aspect of your dog’s quality of life we must nurture every day.
Featured Image Credit: Melianiaka Kanstantsin, Shutterstock
