14
Dec
Why Do Dogs Lick Their Lips When Tired. In the wild the subordinate dogs lick the alpha of the pack on the mouth to show their respect and find out if the next meal is in the offing. So its not quite a stress signal as a calming signal when a dog is doing one of those signals in a place where they should be calm like yawning when in bed or licking its lips around family then it just means they are calm and hence doing the signal. Medical problems of dental disease oral infections suffering from trauma in or around the mouth or having something stuck in their mouth such as a stick or bone can also have excessive lip licking. Dogs may lick their lips if they are dehydrated as a way to add more moisture to their body.
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Licking is a natural action for dogs. Dogs would have to be on friendly terms with each other to give a caring lip lick or kiss as we see it. So dental disease is really painful and a dog licking their lips is a way of trying to alleviate that pain. The interpretation by Turid Rugaas that lip licking is a calming signal has gained widespread standing in Dogdom and I agree that the licking of lips has a calming effect most especially for the one doing the licking but not because it is an intentional signal. In some cases partial seizures may also cause a dog to lick the air and snap as if catching imaginary flies. If not they might just dog for any available patch of skin such as hands arms legs and feet.
Possibly a larger more threatening dog or human.
Medical problems of dental disease oral infections suffering from trauma in or around the mouth or having something stuck in their mouth such as a stick or bone can also have excessive lip licking. So its not quite a stress signal as a calming signal when a dog is doing one of those signals in a place where they should be calm like yawning when in bed or licking its lips around family then it just means they are calm and hence doing the signal. Licking is a natural action for dogs. For example if a dog. Dogs that are nauseated or dehydrated can excessively lick their lips. If not they might just dog for any available patch of skin such as hands arms legs and feet.