Why Do Dogs Lick?
Aug 12, 2025
If you have a dog, you know they use their tongues a lot. Have you ever wondered why they lick so much?
When a dog greets you with a lick, it’s showing you it likes you. Slobbery dog kisses can feel kind of gross, but your dog is just trying to tell you he has an emotional connection to you. Scientists discovered that dogs release oxytocin (OX-ee-TOE-sin), a chemical in our brains associated with love, when they’re interacting with people they like.
Dogs often lick themselves to remove dirt and loose hair. They might also lick themselves to clean a wound or relieve an itch. Some dogs might excessively lick their paws or another part of their body if they are stressed or bored.
Dogs lick a lot, but when they lick their fur, they ingest an important nutrient—vitamin D. When we’re out in the sun, a substance called cholesterol (kuh-LEH-stir-ahl) in our skin reacts with the rays from the sun and converts them to vitamin D. But for a dog, the vitamin D gets caught in its fur. When the dog grooms itself, it gets this vital vitamin into its body.
When God created animals during creation week about 6,000 years ago, he designed all his creatures to care for themselves. For dogs, that means grooming themselves with their tongues—and greeting their owners with slobbery kisses.
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