29/10/2024
Does your dog lick your baby? Has this ever become uncomfortable for you? If so you might have experienced a Kiss to Dismiss. This type of lick is more of a push and is accompanied by tension in the face. Most often this lick follows a dog “checking in” (looking at you for help) and other subtle signals like lip licks, whale eye, tension in facial muscles etc. It feels different and maybe tense.
🕵 “Is it a full tongue or a little bit?”
🕵 “Full tongue lick or quick flick?”
🕵 “Is the child sitting and the dog approaches or vice versa, what level of mobility does the child have, is food present?
🕵 Is there tension in the dog’s facial muscles?
🕵 Does it make you uncomfortable?
There are many questions! But these questions help us gather valuable information to help us understand what the dog may be communicating. At Family Paws Parent Education, we want to help parents consider and recognize that dog licks may not always be what we think they are, “affectionate kisses” or indications of “love,” but could have other meanings.
If you are curious about these doggy “kisses” and if they are a “Kiss to Dismiss,” ask yourself,
👉Is your dog in need of space and there is a reason why they chose not to move? (what just happened? Did your baby crawl closer to your dog? Is your dog in pain? Is it their favorite spot?)
👉Does this licking deter closeness or lead to an increase in space?
⭐We highly recommend that babies never approach a dog as we say, “invites decrease bites.” “Dog and baby on the scene, a parent in between!”
Illustration by Steve Bishop
