When Dogs Are Obsessed with Licking: Subi's Slobbery Fixation

Welcome to the Wednesday Dogs of Dogster! Every Wednesday, we share a story from one of our Dogsters. This week is about Amanda and her sweet Chihuahua, Subi.

Maybe it’s a quirk all Chihuahuas are blessed with, maybe it’s a personality trait, or it could be something Subi’s found comfort in as a result of her being a rescue. Whatever the cause, it’s excessive. Not only does Subi lick her paws, her bedding, and her beds, but her urge leads to her licking humans continuously while they pet her.

It’s one of the things we love about her, honestly. I feel like it’s not something we’ve noticed until recently. Was this a trait she's always had but it’s gotten progressively more intense over the years? Hard to tell, I suppose. While it may seem incredibly innocent, I do sometimes wonder if excessive licking can be a sign of something more concerning like a surge of anxiety or a reaction to stress. Of course, it could simply just be an excited tic. Regardless, our interpretation of this behavior is that it’s her way of telling the recipient, living or not, how much she loves them.

Kisses For Everyone

Surely her favorite blankets and cozy bolsters don’t mind a few generous laps while Subi settles into them, and the corresponding wet spots don’t appear to factor in to how comfortable she gets. However, the interaction between Subi and humans doesn’t always pan out as well. My husband and I are the first to notice and usually verbally comment and reassure her that the licking is well received but not necessary past a certain point.

Subi rides shotgun with me in the passenger seat while my husband drives. The duration of the car ride is spent with her filling the vehicle with her hot dog breath via happy panting and a barrage of licks. Eventually, if I’m lucky and the car ride is just long enough, she’ll rest her head and succumb to the comfort of my arms for the remainder of our trip. It’s a stinky and sometimes unpleasant journey, but we do end up here.

New Allergies

What caused us to pause and hone in on Subi’s licking is my husband's sudden onset dog allergies, specifically to canine saliva. If he forgets to wash his hands after being slobbered and those itty bitty puppy germs find their way to his face, his eyelids swell like balloons. Because of this, he’s become hyper-sensitive to her licking, which hinders their relationship a bit. Poor Subi just wants to share her love and my husband is genuinely sad that he has to be cautious of it.

My kids are overjoyed with the abundance of kisses Subi gives them, and she appreciates finding and cleaning all the spots in our house where their sticky hands have landed. We don’t know what the future holds for our littles, so we practice hand washing after receiving the doggy version of a cat bath to be on the safe side.

At our next check up, I will mention this to my vet so she can assess Subi’s behavior and get her some help if it is caused by an underlying issue. Until then, we’ll let her live blissfully as the mayor of Licktown.