Submissive or affectionate licking?

This is just because Im curious really!

I walk a 12 month old, red english/american cocker called Jarvis. Hes a neutered boy and very very friendly, if a tad mental!

If i take him with other dogs for walks he sits on the back seat while the others go in the boot. If there is a particular labrador (2yo neutered male fox red, also very very friendly) in the boot the two of them constantly lick each others mouths, like licking tongues, teeth, noses for the entire duration of the car journey. They dont do this out of the car or when they first meet if I meet one with the other out with the owner its only in the car...

(The fox red lab is a very licky dog anyway, anyone that shares the boot with reggie gets a free, mandatory ear and eye clean! )

However, today we met a 2yo english pointer (had to stop myself from dognapping him for myself, i think im in love!! lol)again very very playful and friendly and after they had charged around and boxed for a while they both flopped on the floor and started this licking.

So is this just an affection thing? as far as I know none of the dogs had any issues about being weened too early or anything like that!

Someone mentioned licking was a submissive thing but surely if there is no dominance involved at all then it wouldnt really have anything to do with the licking? It really is quite sweet to watch


(also does anyone one else have any experience of this??)

Sorry I dont know the answer to this but thanks for starting the thread as I would be very interested in the replies to this one, my neutered male lurcher licks my female grey in this way, she doesnt object and responds to him , its always him that instigates it and he doesnt do this to any other dog.

Sounds like affection to me,with submissive behaviour I'd expect only one to be doing the licking.It harks back to puppyhood when a pup asks its mother to regurgitate food for it by licking her mouth.

I'm a lot concerned about carrying dogs in the boot of the car though.That's illegal in the US as it's dangerous because of the risks of exhaust fumes and too limited ventilation.
I hope you meant the luggage section as in an estate car or a hatch back?

I had an entire male once who would obligingly throw up for youngsters who licked his mouth.He was very much the benevolent pack leader and adored pups.

Im not quite sure what you mean, by the boot i mean behind the back seats. Words crossed I think!


Also with regards to the licking, surely if it was to repeat that sort of behaviour then it would not be reciprocated by the other dog? As it would be one dog wanting that connection and behaviour with another not both dogs wanting that from each other?

I hoped that was what you meant!

It horrifies me to see people putting dogs in the boot of a saloon car - I've seen it both here and in the UK.Americans call it the trunk.And the bit where you carry your dogs the luggage tray.BIG difference!

thats awful!!

I dont think I'd do very well as a dog walker if i put them all in the trunk!! lol

Very big difference!!!

My Lab (neutered) and a friend's Lab (intact) do this all the time when in either of our homes. They lick each other's ears, eyes, and faces.

It seems to be a reciprocal thing with them, but they never do it outside our homes. For example I've never seen them doing this in the park when we take them there together.

Interesting thread, sorry I can't provide an answer as I'm not sure either. It looks like affection with the two Labs...

Where I come from that is the boot?

Yes it is, i think thats where the confusion came from!!

Does your lab do it with any other?

The other thing i realised was that Jarvis has never done it before with a dog he has just met, exept for this pointer yesterday. Him and reggie have been walked together since jarvis was 5 months so they are very well known to each other. Of all the combinations of dogs i have none of them have ever done this as ritualy as jarvis and reggie

The only other time I've seen Dex do it was when I took him to a friend's house - she has two Labs. Dexter hit it off with her male Lab and by the time we'd been there an hour or so, they were doing a bit of this licking.

But not as much as with Lucky, the Lab he sees the most often, the one I mentioned in my previous post. Seems to be something they both enjoy very much...