14
Oct
Boredom and behavioral issues can cause a number of different forms of excessive licking. The second reason is that theyre grooming you.
Your dog is aggressive.
Why do dogs lick and bite your ears. There are two primary reasons your dog licks your ears. The first and most common reason is that they like the taste. Sounds gross but some dogs love the taste of earwax.
The second reason is that theyre grooming you. Perhaps you have noticed two dogs seemingly relaxed licking each others ears. However in some instances one dog may develop an ear infection due to continual moisture in the ear.
Amy Pike DVM of Veterinary Behavior Consultants in. Additionally if one of your dogs is more inclined to lick the ears of another animal this can cause issues as well. The presence of continual moisture in the dogs ear can be the cause of them developing an ear infection.
Ears are the perfect place to let yeast and bacteria grow causing a higher risk of infections developing. Mites and lice may also reside in the ears leading to excessive scratching of the ears and licking of the paws in an attempt to relieve the itch. Boredom and behavioral issues can cause a number of different forms of excessive licking.
Because dogs often incessantly scratch lick or bite at an area once it becomes irritated hot spots can become large and incredibly sore rather quickly. Dogs nibble their owners for different reasons which could include an attempt to show dominance to signal that the dog is hungry or thirsty or to simply show affection. Dogs characteristically adhere to a hierarchy that reflects the structure of a wolf pack and biting is a way to assert dominance.
Yeast infections which are primarily caused by an allergytend to begin either in a dogs ears or in their paws. If you notice this type of licking in addition to other symptoms like sores redness or a slimy often smelly discharge have your dog checked out by the vet right away. The most common reason a dog may lick their humans ears is as a sign of affection.
Back when dogs lived in packs in the wild they would lick the ears of their packmates to show that they accepted the other as a part of their pack. But sometimes licking is a symptom of a more serious problem. If your dog is licking themselves you or objects excessively to the point that it seems like a self-stimulatory behavior this.
The most obvious answer as to why a pet will lick your ears or your face your hands or any other part of your body is affection. Its simply their way of saying they love you. All dogs are part of a pack.
This can consist of themselves and other dogs or the pack can consist of dogs and their humans. In most cases dogs licking each others ears is a healthy and natural behavior that should not ring any alarms. Sometimes however licking can indicate an underlying medical issue be it with the dog being licked or the one doing the licking.
Bacterial or fungal infections like a yeast infection can cause a dog to scratch at her own ears. Canines can do this to humans as well. This happens a lot if your dog is threatened by the presence of another canine.
Take note that this gesture is a precursor to dogfights and can be a sign of aggression. Your dog is aggressive. Lastly biting another dogs ear.
Dogs will bite and chew at ears in serious fights because ears are easily accessible and its a case of ratcheting up the dominance they often display when playing. Aggression and ear biting could be a result of. When your dog is jumping up at you all the time because hes trying to smell your ear it can become quite uncomfortable.
Worse he might jump up and try to have a sniff of someone elses ear. It might be a child or an older person who is frail and doesnt have good balance. He could knock them over and cause them injury.
There are a number of problems that could cause this behavior. He may have a skin problem causing him to be itchy such as fleas allergies a bacterial or fungal skin infection or skin mites mange. He could also have a problem with his anal glands which are located on either side of the rectum and sometimes become overly full or infected.