Why does my dog lick my ears?

Perhaps it is a fact that your pooch is licking your years quite frequently in recent times. Does this kind of behavior from your pet frustrate you and do you want to find the reason behind it? As a matter of fact, you will come across more than a couple of valid reasons behind this particular nature of dogs.

Here, we like to mention that we will go through several authentic reasons that will justify this ear-licking behavior of dogs and also what preventive measures can be taken in the long run. It will be a sensible idea to identify the reasons initially before taking the preventive measures. Canines might lick ears because of various reasons such as grabbing attention, taste, reinforcements, and so forth. So, let us not waste time and look at each of these reasons in the following paragraphs.

Top 10 reasons why your dog licks your ears

1. He loves you

One significant reason why your pup is licking your ears is perhaps the most obvious – they are trying to show that they have an affinity for you. They like the idea of making contact with their master’s face. On many occasions, they tend to lick ears while getting close to you or in case you happen to be at the same eye-level with them all of a sudden. They try to depict to you that you are quite intimate with them and that they really care for you.

Your pet wants to show you that he loves you and wants to get back your approval. They want to inform you that this relationship between you and him is mutual by means of licking.

2. They feel safe in your presence

It will be sensible to presume that in case a dog allows an individual to come close to them, there must be trust in that relationship. In the end, at that point they are vulnerable. There is a possibility for the animal to become injured or hurt if he is not able to read the situation properly. It follows that your doggie is feeling secure in your presence at putting his face close to yours.

3. They love the taste of your ears

It might be quite surprising that canines love the taste of human ears. Our ears consist of earwax which is somewhat oily and bitter that might attract the pooches. It will be much better to lick the internal part of the ear which is of much better taste than a plain old cheek. Perhaps you are frustrated with the number of undesirable things that your pets are putting in their mouth. However, if he offers you something that resembles a kiss close to your mouth, it might not be that weird after all.

4. Excitement

One more reason pooches might want to lick the ears of their owners might be that they happen to be excited. For example, when you return home from work or when it is time for them to go for a walk. Or perhaps when you offer him a toy. In that case, make sure to stay away from doing those things that tend to make him feel excited.

5. He is grooming you

Here, we like to mention that grooming is a type of behavior that is performed by the canines in their packs when they try to maintain the cleanliness of one another. This nature is inherent to them from their very birth. While licking your ears, they might be of the notion that they are successful in keeping you clean and thus providing you with great service. This is especially true in case you have not cleaned your ears recently.

6. They have an affinity for your personal care items

It has been found by research that most of the animals including pooches have an inborn sense of smell, whether good or bad. It might be the fact that you are in the habit of using your shampoo or aftershave every morning, and your pet simply adores the smell of the product. They might be licking your ears because of that.

7. He’s submissive in nature

On many occasions, you’ll find that your pet is quite submissive in nature, especially when you catch him performing something naughty. To make up for the situation they might provide you with sad eyes. Moreover, they might also try to please you by performing certain actions, including licking your ears. In this way, they are making an attempt to diffuse an awful situation. In this case, you may smile thankfully for informing your pet that you know that he respects you.

8. He wants to get some comfort

There is no denying the fact that your pet loves you and depends on you for comfort. And, they also love to depict to us how they feel. In case we love them back, they feel secure and comfy. On the other hand, licking ears might imply that he is trying to provide consolation to you. Pooches have the ability to feel our emotions, and if they think that something is making us feel upset, then they might want to show you that they are there with you.

9. He needs something to do

Just like human beings, canines likewise suffer from boredom on some occasions during the day. For example, it is raining outside and it is not possible for you to take him out for a walk. In that case, he might feel bored and he might start licking your ears just for doing something to keep him engaged. Otherwise, he might also try to make you change your mind regarding walking in the neighborhood.

10. It is their nature

One of the first things that dogs learn when they are young will be licking and sniffing things. In case your pet is young in age, then this might be one reason why he is trying to lick your ears. This habit will remain with him once he becomes older. However, it will be possible to stop this behavior with the help of training.

What might happen if he licks the ears of your child?

Some dogs prefer licking the ears of young kids. But, this should not be encouraged by any means.

  • Babies – While licking the ears of your infant, it is a fact that the pooch is going to cover the entire face of the baby with his mouth and tongue. This kind of act is not safe and you must prevent your canine from doing so. Take every possible measure for separating the baby and the dog by making use of exercise pens or baby gates which are available on the market.
  • Toddlers – Just like babies, you must not encourage your pooch to lick the ears of your toddler. It is a fact that the height of the toddlers is at the same level as that of the dogs which tempts them to lick the ears of the young ones even more. Your toddler might not like your pet approaching him, and he might be kicking the animal as well. You should not allow this to happen at any cost.

How will it be possible to fix the problem of licking your ears?

Even though you might not like the idea of your pet licking your ears, he might be doing so because of his inherent nature. It is something like your feline scratching your furniture. In case you try to make them understand that you don’t like this type of behavior, they don’t try to comprehend it in the long run. Here, we have suggested some remedies that will be able to stop this type of behavior from your adorable pet.

1. Change the personal care products used by you

Make it a point to change the personal care products used by you. This might help your pooch to stop licking your ears in the long run. For example, if you don’t like the smell of the new aftershave it is likely that your canine will not like it as well.

2. Try to distract him

In case your dog is exhibiting this type of behavior because of monotony, then you need to distract him. This can be done by keeping him engrossed for a long span of time by filling his toy with peanut butter. Never provide him with any treat after he has commenced licking your ears.

3. Never encourage him

Make sure not to encourage your pet from doing this activity in the future. For example, you must not laugh at your pet while he is licking your ears, and try to move from that spot as soon as possible. In that case, your pooch will become busy with something else.

4. Take the help of the vet

In case your pet is in the habit of licking ears now and again, it is definitely acceptable. But, you need to take measures if this behavior becomes quite frequent. Sometimes dogs perform this type of thing when they feel nervous or anxious. In this type of situation take the assistance of your vet who will be the right person to guide you.