What Does It Mean When Dogs Lick Their Lips

Licking and lip licking can be normal in some circumstances.

If for example someone is yelling at your pet they might first lick their lips in order to get the yelling to stop. According to patricia mcconnell an applied animal behaviorist dogs generally lick to the side of the mouth when they re expecting a meal. She adds that licking in anticipation of food can also be linked to increased salivation. Dogs may lick their lips when they feel dry a bug hits their lip or face or something is stuck near their lip such as a piece of food or a blade of grass.

Gingivitis can also be the culprit behind a dog yawning and lip licking as the gums may be very sore and irritated. On the other hand some dogs rarely lick. In dogs licking the lips can be what roger abrantes calls a pacifying behavior dogs basically engage in this behavior to diffuse a perceived threat using the lip smacking action as an appeasing signal. The yawning and lip licking may be caused by a loose tooth fractured tooth or abscess.

Face licking in adult canines can be a sign of respect or deference to a more dominant dog. Another normal cause for lip licking is anticipation of food. It can be seen in dogs who are stressed anxious or nervous about an interaction or when there is some type of conflict going on. Dogs lick their lips in response to a threat to signal to the other that they are not a threat rather than act aggressively in return.

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Dogs will do it when they are bored nervous anxious have something on their face or lips or even when they have a dental problem or oral pain. Dogs who are licking their lips are usually sending the message that they are worried. There are dogs that also will even lick the air. They might even see you giving them a scolding for chewing on your favorite sock as a threat.

Most of the time a dog licking their lips is a sign of submission. It s often a dog s way of trying to prevent a threatening situation from escalating. A normal physiologic response to food is for the salivary glands to start flowing in anticipation of a snack. Dogs lick their lips to appease and soothe a person or animal they see as a threat in order to ward off aggression.