Why does my dog lick its lips/nose?
Is this boy just relaxing? Here’s what I see…
He keeps his head still, but then there’s an ear twitch and an eye roll. And he’s not looking for something interesting. He’s looking for an escape route!
His head now follows and his nose twitches as he air scents – whoever is close to him is too close.
He’s not unfriendly, but his tongue flicking over his nose, a single wag and a lot of blinking tell you that he wishes he had a little space.
Sarah Whitehead MSc is a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist, international lecturer, author and specialist in canine and feline body language, with more than 35 years’ experience in animal behaviour and training. She is particularly known for helping owners and professionals recognise the subtle signals that reveal how dogs are feeling before behaviour escalates.
Sarah’s flagship Learn to Talk Dog programmes explore canine body language, facial expression and dog-to-dog communication in depth, helping learners move beyond broad labels such as “friendly”, “stubborn” or “aggressive” and understand what an individual dog is actually communicating.
Sarah’s Socialisation in Adolescence webinar provides further learning specifically on the developmental changes that occur during adolescence and how these can influence a young dog’s social behaviour and responses to the world.
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