Canine comforts
Dogs often greet people by jumping up and licking their faces. Why?
• The main way in which a dog, wolf or jackal puppy begs for food to be regurgitated is to lick the face of its parents or another adult from beneath, particularly just below the muzzle. In common with juvenile or begging gestures in many species, this behaviour lingers on in adult dogs as a sign of submission or appeasement. You may see it, for instance, when one dog is being submissive to another and begging it to be friendly.
A dog’s face is the focus of its sensory, expressive and food-oriented behaviour,…
