Humans express their affection in various ways. Kissing is culturally acceptable as a sign of affection to our loved ones but can also be a greeting in some countries. Seen as a positive gesture, some humans seem to kiss automatically.
As animal lovers, we share that same gesture with our pets. We kiss and cuddle them as a way of showing how much we love them. However, do cats and dogs understand kissing as a sign of affection?
Giving them a big squeezy hug or rubbing their ears as you say how good they are is one thing. But, how do they feel about kisses? Do dogs even understand what kisses are? Let’s explore canine communication and affection.
How do dogs talk?
Dogs are similar to their pet parents when it comes to communicating. They have complex and detailed structures to the messages they are trying to convey. The only difference between us and them is that humans have developed more vocal methods of communicating than our canine counterparts.
Dogs communicate vocally by barking, growling, and whimpering, but this does not necessarily indicate speech. In most cases, a dog has a hard time even communicating with other dogs.
One of the best ways a dog can get its message across to other dogs and their human companions is by using physical gestures and movements.
Dogs and body language
Your dog will use body language to tell you what she needs or wants from her human companion. She’ll let you walk on the street beside her, pet her, ruffle her neck, and feed her, but do dogs like kisses on the head?
A dog relies heavily on body language, and particular movements have a universal meaning across many animal species. By understanding these visual cues, you’ll respond differently to a hungry dog, a dog that wants play, or a frustrated dog.
A dog never makes any movement without it having some deeper meaning.
Understanding your dog
A dog that meets another dog will show the other dog how they feel about it with particular movements and physical gestures. Dogs will typically circle each other before coming face-to-face. They do so to show caution when approaching.
