Andrea Arden 
Why Do Dogs Lick Their Lips? Common Reasons & Meaning
Lip licking is one of the most subtle yet significant behaviors in canine communication. While it might seem like a simple grooming action or anticipation of food, this behavior often conveys complex emotional states and serves as an important social signal. Understanding the true meaning behind your dog's lip licking can dramatically improve your ability to interpret their needs and emotional state.
Contrary to common assumptions, dogs don't just lick their lips when food is present or when they're thirsty. Research in canine behavior has revealed that lip licking serves multiple purposes, from stress communication to social appeasement. This nuanced behavior forms part of what animal behaviorists call "calming signals" - subtle behaviors dogs use to maintain social harmony and reduce tension.
This comprehensive guide explores the science behind dog lip licking, from physiological functions to sophisticated emotional signaling. You'll learn to distinguish between different types of lip licking, understand what your dog is trying to communicate, and discover how to respond appropriately to this subtle but important behavior.
Understanding Dog Lip Licking
Lip licking is a multifaceted behavior that serves both physiological and communicative functions in dogs. While the physical action appears simple, its meanings can vary dramatically depending on context, frequency, and accompanying body language. This behavior has evolved as part of dogs' sophisticated social communication system.
The Science of Canine Communication
Dogs have developed an elaborate system of subtle body language signals to communicate with each other and with humans. Lip licking falls into the category of what Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas termed "calming signals" - behaviors dogs use to prevent conflict, reduce stress, and maintain social harmony. These signals are often so subtle that humans miss them, but they play a crucial role in canine social dynamics. Research has shown that domestic dogs use these signals more frequently with humans than wolves do, suggesting they've evolved specifically to facilitate cross-species communication. Understanding that lip licking is often communication rather than simply a physical need is the first step toward better interpreting your dog's emotional state.
Lip Licking as Communication
When used communicatively, lip licking serves as a non-threatening signal that can mean anything from "I'm feeling stressed" to "Let's keep this interaction peaceful." Dogs use this behavior to diffuse tension, communicate discomfort, or signal submission in social situations.
| Lick Type | Common Context | Likely Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Stress Lick | Vet visits, unfamiliar situations, tense interactions | Anxiety, discomfort, uncertainty |
| Appeasement Lick | During greetings, with dominant dogs/people | Submission, deference, conflict avoidance |
| Anticipatory Lick | Food preparation, before meals, treat anticipation | Excitement, hunger, salivation response |
| Discomfort Lick | After eating, with nausea, dental issues | Physical discomfort, nausea, oral pain |
Reasons Dogs Lick Their Lips
Dogs lick their lips for various reasons that span physiological needs, emotional states, and social communication. Understanding these different motivations helps you respond appropriately to your dog's needs.
Physiological Reasons
Body Functions
Dogs may lick their lips to moisten dry mouth, clear food particles, stimulate salivation, or respond to nausea. These licks are typically brief, functional, and not accompanied by stress signals.
Normal bodily function
Emotional Reasons
Stress & Anxiety
Lip licking can signal stress, anxiety, or conflict. Dogs often lick their lips when feeling uncertain, during tense situations, or when experiencing conflicting emotions about how to respond.
Calming signal
Social Reasons
Communication & Appeasement
Dogs use lip licking to communicate non-threatening intentions, show deference, or diffuse social tension. This is often directed toward other dogs or people during interactions.
Social behavior
Lip Licking Causes by Frequency
The Stress-Communication Connection
Veterinary behaviorists emphasize that stress-related lip licking is one of the most common yet overlooked signals of canine anxiety. Unlike food-related lip licking which tends to be quick and focused, stress licks are often slower, more deliberate, and accompanied by other stress signals like yawning, turning away, or tense body posture. Dogs use these signals both to calm themselves and to communicate their discomfort to others. Interestingly, research has shown that dogs are more likely to display stress-related lip licking when being photographed by strangers versus their owners, highlighting how sensitivity to social context influences this behavior. Recognizing lip licking as a potential stress indicator rather than simply anticipation allows owners to respond appropriately by reducing environmental stressors or giving the dog space when needed.
Context Matters: Interpreting Lip Licks
The meaning behind your dog's lip licking depends heavily on the context in which it occurs. The same physical behavior can communicate different messages depending on the situation, accompanying body language, and frequency.
Situational Interpretation
Understanding what was happening immediately before and during your dog's lip licking provides crucial clues to its meaning. Different contexts trigger different types of lip licking with distinct emotional underpinnings.
| Situation | Likely Meaning | Appropriate Response |
|---|---|---|
| During training sessions | Confusion, stress, or mental fatigue | Take a break, simplify the task |
| When being scolded | Appeasement, stress, or submission | Use positive reinforcement instead |
| During veterinary exams | Anxiety, fear, or discomfort | Offer reassurance, use calming techniques |
| When food is present | Anticipation, hunger, or excitement | Normal behavior, proceed with feeding |
Reading the Full Body Picture
Lip licking rarely occurs in isolation. To accurately interpret your dog's lip licking, you need to consider the complete body language picture. A stress lick is typically accompanied by other anxiety signals such as pinned ears, tense facial muscles, whale eye (showing the whites of the eyes), lowered body posture, or tail tucked between the legs. In contrast, food-related lip licking might occur with focused attention on food, forward body orientation, and possibly whining or pacing. Social appeasement licks often include submissive postures like lowering the body, avoiding direct eye contact, and possibly exposing the belly. By observing the entire constellation of body signals rather than focusing solely on the lip licking itself, you can much more accurately determine your dog's emotional state and respond appropriately.
Context Assessment Checklist
- What immediately preceded the lip licking?
- What is the overall environment like?
- Are there unfamiliar people or animals present?
- Is food involved or recently consumed?
- What other body language is your dog displaying?
- How frequent are the lip licks?
- What is your dog's overall health status?
- What is your own emotional state and behavior?
Lip Licking as a Calming Signal
Lip licking is one of the primary "calming signals" identified by canine behavior experts - subtle behaviors dogs use to prevent conflict, reduce stress, and maintain social harmony.
The Science of Calming Signals
Calming signals are a sophisticated communication system that helps dogs navigate social interactions peacefully. These behaviors serve both to calm the dog performing them and to send non-threatening messages to others in their environment.
Self-Calming
Function: Reduces the dog's own stress
Examples: During thunderstorms, at the vet
Significance: Coping mechanism for stress
Response: Remove stressor if possible
Social Signaling
Function: Communicates peaceful intentions
Examples: During greetings, in tense situations
Significance: Prevents conflict
Response: Respond with calm behavior
Conflict Resolution
Function: Diffuses tense situations
Examples: Between dogs, during corrections
Significance: Maintains social harmony
Response: Acknowledge and de-escalate
What Happens When Calming Signals Are Ignored
When dogs' subtle calming signals like lip licking are consistently ignored or misunderstood, they may escalate to more obvious stress signals like growling, snapping, or eventually biting. This escalation often follows a predictable pattern: first the dog uses subtle signals (lip licking, yawning, turning away), then progresses to more obvious signals (growling, showing teeth), and finally may resort to defensive aggression if earlier signals fail to change the situation. This progression is sometimes called the "ladder of aggression" or "escalation ladder." Unfortunately, many people punish the more obvious warning signals like growling, which can result in dogs that bite without warning. Understanding and responding appropriately to early, subtle signals like lip licking is crucial for preventing this dangerous escalation and maintaining safe interactions with your dog.
Other Common Calming Signals
Lip licking is just one of many calming signals dogs use. Recognizing these other signals helps you get a more complete picture of your dog's emotional state.
| Calming Signal | Description | Common Contexts |
|---|---|---|
| Yawning | Slow, exaggerated yawn without sleepiness | Stressful situations, tense interactions |
| Turning Away | Head or body turn away from stressor | Direct approaches, confrontations |
| Sniffing Ground | Sudden interest in ground sniffing | Unwanted attention, uncertainty |
| Freezing | Brief complete stillness | Sudden threats, uncertainty |
Body Language Clues
Lip licking is just one piece of the complex puzzle of canine communication. To accurately interpret your dog's lip licking, you need to consider the accompanying body language signals that provide context and clarification.
Facial Expressions
Beyond the Lick
Observe your dog's eyes, ears, and mouth tension. Soft eyes with relaxed eyelids suggest different emotions than whale eye with tense facial muscles. Ear position provides additional emotional context.
Face tells the emotional story
Body Posture
The Full Picture
Note whether your dog's body is relaxed and loose or tense and stiff. A lowered body posture with weight shifted backward often accompanies stress licks, while confident posture suggests different meanings.
Posture reveals emotional state
Other Signals
Cluster Recognition
Look for accompanying behaviors like yawning, shaking off, scratching, or sniffing the ground. These often occur together with stress licks as part of a cluster of calming signals.
Signals rarely occur in isolation
Body Language Assessment
| Body Part | Relaxed/Content Signs | Stressed/Anxious Signs |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes | Soft, relaxed, normal eyelid | Whale eye, wide-eyed, hard stare |
| Ears | Natural position, relaxed | Pinned back, tense, rapidly moving |
| Mouth | Soft, slightly open, relaxed | Closed tight, lips pulled back, tension |
| Body | Loose, wiggly, relaxed posture | Stiff, tense, lowered, weight shifted back |
The Concept of Signal Clusters
Canine communication experts emphasize the importance of reading "signal clusters" rather than individual behaviors in isolation. A single lip lick might be ambiguous, but when it occurs together with other specific behaviors, its meaning becomes much clearer. For example, a lip lick accompanied by yawning, turning the head away, and a tense body likely indicates stress or anxiety. In contrast, a lip lick with relaxed body posture, soft eyes, and focused attention on food probably signals anticipation. Learning to recognize these clusters takes practice but dramatically improves your ability to understand what your dog is experiencing emotionally. Pay particular attention to behaviors that occur in quick succession, as these often represent a coherent emotional message rather than random, unrelated actions. Documenting these clusters in different contexts can help you learn your individual dog's specific communication patterns.
When to Worry About Excessive Lip Licking
While most lip licking is normal canine behavior, excessive or changed lip licking patterns can sometimes indicate underlying medical or behavioral issues that require attention.
Medical Concerns
In some cases, increased lip licking can signal physical discomfort or health problems. It's important to recognize when lip licking patterns might indicate a need for veterinary attention.
| Symptom Pattern | Possible Causes | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Sudden increase in lip licking | Nausea, dental pain, oral discomfort | Veterinary examination |
| Lip licking with pawing at mouth | Dental pain, oral lesions, foreign objects | Immediate veterinary attention |
| Lip licking with difficulty eating | Dental issues, jaw problems, oral pain | Veterinary dental examination |
| Lip licking with other signs of illness | Various medical conditions | Comprehensive veterinary workup |
The Nausea-Lip Licking Connection
Veterinarians have noted that dogs experiencing nausea often lick their lips more frequently than usual. This appears to be related to increased salivation that commonly accompanies nausea in many species. The mechanism isn't fully understood but may involve the body's attempt to protect the esophagus from stomach acid or simply a response to the unpleasant sensation of nausea. If your dog's lip licking pattern changes suddenly and is accompanied by other signs of gastrointestinal upset like decreased appetite, swallowing repeatedly, drooling, or vomiting, a veterinary examination is warranted. Various conditions can cause nausea in dogs including dietary indiscretion, gastrointestinal inflammation, pancreatitis, kidney disease, or metabolic disorders. Early recognition of nausea-related lip licking can lead to prompt treatment and relief for your dog.
Behavioral Concerns
When medical causes have been ruled out, persistent excessive lip licking may indicate chronic stress or anxiety that requires behavioral intervention.
- Frequent lip licking in specific triggering environments
- Lip licking accompanied by other stress signals
- Lip licking that increases with certain people or animals
- Lip licking during training or learning sessions
- Lip licking that prevents normal activities or relaxation
The Role of Breed and Individual Differences
Just as humans vary in their communication styles, dogs also show individual and breed-based differences in lip licking frequency and contexts. Some breeds known for being particularly sensitive or anxious, such as Border Collies and German Shepherds, may lick their lips more frequently in stressful contexts. Individual personality also plays a significant role - some dogs are simply more demonstrative in their communication than others. Additionally, age can influence lip licking patterns, with puppies and young dogs often licking more during learning and social development, while senior dogs might lick more due to age-related discomfort or cognitive changes. Understanding your individual dog's baseline lip licking behavior helps you recognize when patterns change in ways that might indicate a problem. Keeping a simple log of when and where your dog licks their lips can reveal patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dogs may lick their lips when being petted for several reasons. If the lip licking occurs with relaxed body language and appears contented, it might be a mild stress signal that the petting is slightly overwhelming but not unpleasant. However, if the lip licking is accompanied by tension, avoiding eye contact, or attempts to move away, it could indicate that your dog is feeling stressed or uncomfortable with the interaction. Some dogs lick their lips when petted in certain areas where they experience sensitivity or when the petting style is too intense. The context and accompanying body language are crucial for interpretation. If you're unsure, try changing your petting technique - use gentler pressure, avoid sensitive areas like the top of the head, and watch your dog's response. Giving your dog choice in interactions by allowing them to move away if desired can help ensure petting remains a positive experience for both of you.
No, lip licking is not always a sign of stress in dogs. While it's frequently a calming signal indicating mild stress or anxiety, dogs also lick their lips for other reasons. These include anticipation of food (which triggers salivation), physical discomfort (such as nausea or dental pain), dry mouth, or simply cleaning food particles from their lips after eating. The key to interpretation lies in observing the context and accompanying body language. A relaxed dog focused on food who gives a quick lip lick is likely expressing anticipation, while a tense dog in a unfamiliar environment who licks their lips repeatedly is probably signaling stress. Learning to distinguish between these different contexts takes observation and practice but is essential for accurately understanding your dog's communication.
It depends on the context and any accompanying signs. Some dogs are naturally more frequent lip lickers than others, and occasional lip licking is normal. However, you should consult your veterinarian if you notice a sudden increase in lip licking frequency, especially if it's accompanied by other changes in behavior or signs of discomfort. Specifically, be concerned if excessive lip licking occurs with: changes in appetite or eating habits, pawing at the mouth, difficulty chewing, drooling, bad breath, vomiting, lethargy, or avoidance of head touching. These could indicate dental problems, gastrointestinal issues, oral pain, or other medical conditions. If medical causes are ruled out but lip licking remains frequent in specific stressful situations, consulting a certified dog behavior consultant can help address underlying anxiety or stress triggers.
Lip licking during training sessions typically indicates one of three things: stress/confusion, mental fatigue, or anticipation. Stress lip licking occurs when a dog feels uncertain about what's being asked or worried about making a mistake. Mental fatigue lip licking happens when a dog's cognitive resources are depleted from intense concentration. Anticipatory lip licking can occur when a dog is excited about an upcoming reward but must wait for it. To determine which applies to your dog, observe other body language - stress licks usually come with tension, avoidance behaviors, or other stress signals, while fatigue licks might follow prolonged work, and anticipatory licks often occur when rewards are visible but not yet accessible. If you suspect stress, simplify the task or take a break. For mental fatigue, shorten sessions or make exercises easier. Understanding the cause helps you adjust your training approach appropriately.
While humans can't perfectly replicate canine body language, you can use mild, calm lip licking as part of a broader approach to communicating peaceful intentions to your dog. Some dog owners and trainers find that occasionally doing a subtle lip lick when their dog seems uncertain can help calm them, as dogs may interpret this as a calming signal. However, this technique should be used sparingly and naturally rather than in an exaggerated way that might confuse your dog. It's more effective to focus on understanding and appropriately responding to your dog's lip licking than trying to use it yourself as a primary communication tool. The most important communication with your dog comes through consistent, predictable behavior, clear boundaries, positive reinforcement, and respecting their body language signals.
Puppies lick their lips for many of the same reasons as adult dogs, but there are some developmental differences. Like adults, puppies lick their lips when stressed, anticipating food, or feeling nauseous. However, puppies may lick their lips more frequently during periods of rapid learning and social development as they process new experiences and learn appropriate social behaviors. Very young puppies often lick their lips during and after nursing, which may be related to milk residue or early self-soothing behavior. Puppies also have different stress thresholds than adult dogs and may lick their lips more often in novel situations as they learn to navigate the world. Additionally, puppies experiencing teething discomfort might lick their lips more frequently due to oral sensitivity. Understanding these developmental differences helps you respond appropriately to your puppy's needs during this important growth period.
Lip licking upon waking is typically a normal physiological behavior rather than a stress signal. During sleep, dogs (like humans) may experience dry mouth, and lip licking upon waking helps moisten the mouth and remove any sleep-related debris. This type of lip licking is usually quick, efficient, and not accompanied by stress signals. It may be followed by a big stretch and shake-off, which are also normal transition behaviors between sleep and wakefulness. However, if your dog appears tense upon waking, licks excessively, or shows other signs of stress, it could indicate that something about the waking experience is stressful, such as being startled awake or anticipating something unpleasant. In most cases, though, morning lip licking is simply part of your dog's normal wake-up routine and nothing to be concerned about.
Free Printable "Dog Lip Licking Guide"
This quick-reference guide helps you interpret your dog's lip licking and respond appropriately. Print and keep it accessible for easy reference.
How to Use This Guide
This lip licking guide provides a quick reference for interpreting different types of dog lip licking based on context and accompanying body language. Keep it in a convenient location to help you better understand your dog's communication and strengthen your bond through improved interpretation of this common but complex behavior.
Dog Lip Licking Interpretation Chart
| Lick Type | Context Clues | Likely Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Stress Lick | New environments, tense situations, accompanied by tension | Anxiety, discomfort, uncertainty |
| Appeasement Lick | During greetings, with dominant individuals, when scolded | Submission, deference, conflict avoidance |
| Anticipatory Lick | Food preparation, before meals, with focused attention | Excitement, hunger, salivation response |
| Nausea Lick | Without food present, with swallowing, other illness signs | Nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort |
Lip Licking Response Guide
- For stress licks: Reduce environmental stressors, provide space
- For appeasement licks: Use calm, non-threatening body language
- For anticipatory licks: Proceed with normal routine
- For nausea licks: Monitor for other symptoms, consult vet if concerned
- For frequent/excessive licking: Monitor for patterns, consult vet if concerned
- For context uncertainty: Observe full body language before responding
Conclusion: Understanding Your Dog's Lip Licking
Dog lip licking is a complex behavior that serves multiple functions beyond simple mouth moistening or food anticipation. From physiological needs to sophisticated social communication, understanding the various meanings behind your dog's lip licking can significantly enhance your relationship and ability to meet your dog's needs.
The context in which lip licking occurs provides crucial information about its likely meaning. Stress licks in tense situations, appeasement licks during social interactions, anticipatory licks around food, and discomfort licks when nauseous or in pain all convey different emotional and physical states. Learning to read the accompanying body language helps clarify these meanings.
The concept of lip licking as a calming signal reveals the depth of dogs' social intelligence and their sophisticated methods of maintaining peace and reducing tension in their social relationships, both with other dogs and with humans.
While most lip licking is normal canine behavior, changes in lip licking patterns can sometimes indicate underlying issues that require attention. Being attuned to your dog's baseline behavior helps you recognize when something might be wrong, allowing for prompt veterinary care when needed.
By understanding the rich complexity behind this common behavior, you can deepen your bond with your dog, respond more appropriately to their emotional and physical needs, and appreciate the sophisticated communication system that dogs use to navigate their world and relationships with us.
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