12
Nov
Dogs lick ears for a variety of reasons. Your dog may lick his canine housemates face and your face or other body parts.
A dog licking faces or other body parts can also occur as part of grooming.
Why does my dog like to lick ears. 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.
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. 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.
A dog licking the ear of another dog is a thing dogs do. It means a lot to them. Its their way of integrating into the pack or of passing on a social favor in the form of a bit of friendly grooming.
But just keep in mind although ear licking is instinctual it can evolve into something more and so you need to be keeping an eye on it. Dogs lick ears for a variety of reasons. Whether it is due to social structure grooming behavior boredom an ear infection or a taste for the exotic this bizarre dog behavior is just one more way our pets keep us on our toes.
In general if a dog licks you they are showing affection. Although the primary reason is for grooming more on that shortly there are many other reasons dogs lick each others ears. Dogs dont communicate the same way humans do.
Humans mostly communicate with their words. Dogs communicate with their body language. 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. Your Dog is Licking Ears Because Dogs Can Be Gross Sometimes however ear licking goes back to another innate dog behavior.
Being a little bit disgusting sometimes. Some dogs develop a penchant for the taste of ear wax. Who needs a peanut butter filled Kong when your kitty friend has an ear canal full of wax.
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.
Why Its an Unhealthy Habit. Amy Pike DVM of Veterinary Behavior Consultations in St. Louis Mo both dogs could potentially be at risk.
If the dog being licked has an ear infection and is being treated with topical medication it could cause the dog doing the licking to get an upset stomach due to ingestion of the medication says Dr. Pike although she adds that. She was an outside dog my parents didnt want a dog in the house.
I talked to them about maybe finding a family with younger kids that would have more time for her. They found somebody with 2 kids that were looking for a dog. I never met the family my mom dropped Tippy off herself.
I never checked up on her and I cant figure out why not. Licking can be an appeasement gesture that signals a dogs social deference. It can also be a signal to solicit food more social information a sign of affection or to solicit attention.
A dog licking faces or other body parts can also occur as part of grooming. Your dog may lick his canine housemates face and your face or other body parts. 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.