Welcome Teddy Edwards!!

rune

Thanks Rune.

This topic has got me thinking. I shall take more notice to see if my whippets do it to each other.

On the basis that licking around another dog's mouth is a ritualised greeting behaviour, that has evolved from food-soliciting behaviour that young canids do to the older returning pack members, and given the fact that our domestic dogs are neotenised versions of wild canids, it's not surprising that the behaviour can continue way past puppyhood.

I wonder if the behaviour continues past puppyhood if a puppy is brought up with an older dog? It starts the mouth-licking behaviour as a pup, & then this becomes a habit/ritual that extends into adulthood, but between those dogs only? With some dogs the behaviour is also transferred to other adult dogs it meets ~ partly because it is now an ingrained habit, & partly because it works very well as an appeasement behaviour. If it's successful, then the behaviour will be repeated in other circumstances.

The adult dogs that my dogs mix with on a regular basis all met as adult dogs & have never shown any mouth-licking behaviour towards each other. But puppies they meet will do it to them ~ & luckily they are very tolerant & recognise that this is a normal puppy behaviour.

Nope---not IME. We have lots of dogs of different ages to stay and several do it. I usually have rescue dogs over a year or so and they also do it. The younger ones do it more.

It is an appeasement gesture and I think it helps that the reaction every time is the same, it cements their place in the hierachy and reassures them that they have a stronger character around.

I have never seen the top dog do it to another one and some dogs who stay I haven't seen do it.

I think play serves the same purpose. My springer---just over a year, is making my wsd aged 14 play with her----she is I believe testing the water and checking on the fitness and abilities of the wsd and working out if she still has the same place in the group.

Some dogs will perform the same ritual every day (I think they all do but sometimes it can be a tiny gesture and we miss it), just for their own security.

rune

I guess yes if it works then dogs are more likely to do it again
Mia is a funny one because she does it now at times when she would have attacked Ben in the past
When she has hidden a treat and Ben is getting a little to close then she lick lick licks his mouth until he gets fed up and moves away (and he isnt even after the treat - he was just walking past) if she is being v bugging she even gets right in licking his teeth

Ben greets a couple of dogs like that - dogs he is REALLY excited about meeting that he knew as a puppy - he isnt that excited about strange dogs, hello sniff and thats it

I guess like anything it depends on the personality of the dog and if it worked in the past - they naturaly do it as puppies, some it dosnet get the reponse they want (or something else does) and some it does so they continue it

I just wondered but obviously your experience shows differently. But maybe the dogs that you've had to stay have learned this behaviour as youngsters & are therefore motivated to try it with strange dogs? Then it becomes a habit?

I have met new dogs out & about that approach my two with wiggly low-slung bodies, rolling over & mouth-licking & I agree this is appeasing behaviour. But was this because they learned as puppies, are naturally submissive dogs, or it has been learned out of fear of other dogs? Or perhaps we'll never know for sure?

Frankie my terrier is coming up to 3 and he does it to Syd my male Dobermann and only to him, Syd has no interest in him and just ignores him when he does it. Syd is top dog and has sometimes put Frankie in his place when he gets OTT but apart from that he considers him a bit of a pest and ignores him. It is just appeasement behaviour, one dog acknowledging the others rank if you like and nothing to worry about.

Yep, I agree. With Mia it sounds like a learned behaviour as in maybe it first started as appeasing (Pleeease don't steal my treat ) & she finds it works because Ben gets fed up & moves away?

With Ben doing it to dogs he knew as a puppy ~ ingrained habits from previous experiences that he learned as a puppy? But he hasn't formed these habits & relationships with dogs he meets now as an adult?

Interesting though.

Corrie my 15mth old collie bitch pup still does it to the others with no signs of giving up, she does only do it to the bitches and ignores the dog

This is interesting because my Giant S never does it to the spayed bitch in the house. He can lick her bits. He like the other males in the house would never invade her personal space or else...........