So why does my dog lick my ears. I am comfortable with you and accept you as part of my pack.
In some ways similar to when monkeys perform a communal and reciprocal picking through of their fur to remove dirt and parasites dogs lick each others ears as a grooming favor.
Why does my dog lick my ears and hair. Your dog may lick your ears as a way to show that they respect you as a valued and high-ranking member of their family unit. This is especially likely to be the case if you see other classic submissive behaviors such as crouching down low exposing their soft belly and tucking their tail. 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 St. Louis says both dogs could be in danger. If one dog already has an ear infection the other can get it.
So why does my dog lick my ears. Possible reasons why your dog licks your ears are that the behavior is rewarded it likes the taste its looking for attention it is being affectionate it is grooming you or that it is excited. Since there are a number of possible causes it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely.
Ear Licking May Be A Sign Of Submissive Respect. Some dogs may lick their pet parents ears because theyre being submissive. As mentioned earlier dogs might see their parents as the leader of their pack.
In order to properly communicate their respect a dog will lick ears or elsewhere. In the wild dogs ears attract various insects because of the dark warm and moist environment. Dogs also have a powerful sense of smell and hearing much stronger than that of humans.
This means they can smellhear the insects and lick the ears to clean them. Its like a you scratch my back I scratch your back type of behavior. 5 Reasons Your Dog Licks Your Ears.
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. Essentially this would mean that your dog is comfortable.
Dog lick ears because of instinct greeting other dogs grooming submission infection acceptance and love of ear wax. Deeper discussion below Watch the Video or Continue Reading. Dogs have nervous tics also.
One of the most common ways dogs soothe themselves is by licking. Sometimes theyll lick their own paws other times theyll lick other dogs ears. Licking is incredibly soothing for dogs.
If you have an anxious and stressed dog this could be the reason they are excessively licking your other dogs ears. Did you ever notice that when a cat comes up to you it will often rub its ears against you. I used to think that it was just because it felt good to the kitty but then I realized that cats just like humans probably have some scent producing g.
There are six major causes of why your dog may obsessively lick. Allergies boredom dry skin hormonal imbalance pain and parasites. Allergies may be environmental or food-based.
If you are wondering why does my dog lick my ears its because they love you. It is a sign of affection from them and dates back to their ancestral genes when they used to live in packs. They would lick each others ears to let them know that they were accepted into the pack.
A show of affection is the most likely reason why your dog will lick your or someone elses ears. This behaviour has roots back when dogs lived in packs. Licking another dogs ears showed that the recipient dog had been accepted into the pack.
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.
Yeast infectionswhich 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 ears are a place that can get pretty dirty and dogs are unable to groom them on their own.
If you see a dog licking ears whether they belong to another dog a cat or even you he or she is saying two things. I am comfortable with you and accept you as part of my pack. I respect and love you.
A dog licking another dogs ears is basically the only chance theyve got of having a freshen up in that area. In some ways similar to when monkeys perform a communal and reciprocal picking through of their fur to remove dirt and parasites dogs lick each others ears as a grooming favor. Youd help your friend out in the same way wouldnt you.
Dogs lick as a response to positive reinforcement loving the praises or the good reactions humans or other animals may give them. It can also be a way to show their friendliness and want to socialize and gain attention. They can also lick as part of pack behavior licking animals or fellow dogs to show submission towards theyre superiority.
Pluck the hair in a quick and gentle motion. You dont want a hard steady pull or a tough jerk on the hair. It should come out rather easily if it doesnt dont pluck it.
You only need to pluck enough hair to open up your dogs ear canal no need to over pluck. After plucking its a good idea to clean your dogs ears to flush out any powder.