Why Do Dogs Lick Your Feet?

Dogs have their own unique way of showing affection. One of these is their tendency to lick people, and some dogs love to pay special attention to your feet.

While this is completely normal behavior for dogs, there are times when they lick even the yuckiest feet. Why is that?

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why do dogs lick your feet — Why do dogs lick your feet?

If you are concerned about this discomforting doggie behavior, you’re not alone. Let’s take a closer look at what makes your feet so attractive to your dog and what you can do about it.

Why Dogs Lick Feet?

The idea of having your furry friend lick your feet may seem mind-boggling to us, but it’s completely natural behavior for our dogs. Here are some common reasons why dogs lick your feet:

They Are Attracted to the Smell of Your Feet

Your feet are one of the smelliest parts of your body. This is because sweat tends to accumulate there, as do certain types of bacteria and fungi. This often makes feet fascinating to dogs.

happy dog owner with laptop — A happy dog owner with her dog playing on the couch.

And by licking your feet, your dog is only trying to know you more.

How?

Dogs have millions of scent receptors. They also have a unique body part called Jacobson’s organ, which functions as an alternative olfactory (smelling) system and detects pheromones. This organ gives them a lot of information based on how things smell.

So, when your dog licks something, it can both taste and smell it, thus gaining a lot of information about it.

Here are some things that a dog might be trying to know when it licks your feet:

How your feet taste
Whether there is something new about you
Where you went
If you have been with other animals
To get more information regarding something unusual about you

They Want To Show Affection

Licking is a dog’s way of grooming themselves and other dogs. A dog’s saliva is filled with substances that kill bacteria, and they try to coat this substance on the things they lick. This is also why dogs lick their wounds.

So, when a dog licks your feet, it may be trying to clean you up. It is also a way for them to show that they care about your well-being.

Dog licking is also similar to patting because it is a soothing gesture. The dog may want you to feel better, and because it can’t stroke us, it uses its tongue instead.

They Want To Show You Respect

Dogs follow a hierarchy — they choose leaders or become leaders, and the rest act as the leader’s subordinates. Dogs lick fellow dogs to show submissiveness to them.

puppy about to sleep — A puppy wants to sleep between the owner’s legs on the bed.

So, when your dog licks you, it is trying to show that it considers you the alpha dog. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this does not mean your dog considers you a threat; by showing submission, it’s simply showing respect.

They Like Your Reaction To Being Licked

Do you feel ticklish and laugh when your dog licks your feet? Dogs care about how you react to what they are doing.

If you respond in a way that a dog likes, it will remember what it did and attempt to do it again and again to get the same reaction from you.

They Want To Get Your Attention

Getting your feet licked is hard to ignore. Your dog may have realized this, so it will lick your feet when it wants you to pay attention.

Your dog is probably trying to express something if, along with licking your feet, it also does any of the following things:

Barking
Whining
Pacing
Running away and then coming back to you
Jumping up and down
Drop[ing something in front of you or on your lap
Dipping its head low and raises its behind

Remember that when a dog licks you, it may be trying to communicate with you. Instead of getting mad, try to pay attention to what it’s trying to say.

They Find It Soothing

Licking is often a dog’s way to calm itself. It is possible that your dog may be anxious or stressed about something, so licking your feet is a form of self-soothing behavior.

In addition, licking you is a form of interacting with you closely. When it licks your feet, the dog may be reassuring itself that it is safe because you are nearby.

It can also be grooming you to show you that it is taking care of you. Thus, the dog expects you to take care of it in return.

They’re Sick/They Think You’re Sick

Sometimes, excessive licking is a sign that there is something wrong. Because licking helps heal wounds, your dog may lick itself or objects and people in an attempt to speed up its own healing.

lying between owner's legs — A dog lies between the owner’s legs.

Some illnesses that may cause licking behaviors are allergies, dental problems, digestive disorders, and others. If your dog doesn’t usually lick you and suddenly does, you might have to bring it to the vet for a checkup.

Dogs also lick their puppies to clean them and show affection. It’s the same with their humans. So, if you’re unwell, your pup may try to lick your feet to make you feel better.

They’re just trying to help!

Should You Allow Your Dog To Continue Licking Your Feet?

To lick or not to lick? It will depend on a few things.

A small particularly fluffy dog look towards his owner sleeping in bed.

You Cannot Tolerate It

For the most part, foot licking is harmless. However, not everyone wants their feet covered by their dog’s slobber. Such unwanted behavior can build resentment and harm your relationship with your dog.

So, if you find feet-licking bothersome, it may be time to look into training to help put a stop to this behavior.

You Have A Health Condition

Dog saliva may trigger allergic reactions in certain individuals. Do not allow a dog to lick you if you are allergic to dogs!

Some disease-causing microorganisms found in dogs’ mouths and saliva are zoonotic, which can cause illnesses in people. Examples of these are E.coli, clostridium, campylobacter, and salmonella. These bacteria can trigger a severe case of stomach aches.

Your Dog Is Sick

A dog that is ill needs all the help it can get to prevent its condition from worsening and prevent further infections. This is especially true if its immune system is weak. If a sick dog licks your feet, it will expose itself to your feet bacteria, which can worsen things.

Although not all human viruses and bacteria can create illnesses in dogs, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

You Recently Apply Something To Your Feet

Did you recently apply lotion, powder, or foot cream on your feet? Did you get a pedicure a few minutes ago? If yes, do not allow a dog’s tongue to touch your feet!

Foot lotions, cleansers, etc., are often harmful to consume. And because dogs have smaller bodies compared to humans, some substances that are not usually harmful to us can be lethal to them because these substances get more concentrated in their bodies.

What To Do If You Are Bothered When Your Dog Licks Your Feet?

Thankfully, most dogs can be trained to stop licking feet. You can also hire a reliable dog trainer to solve your dog licking problem and other behavioral issues.

If you’d like to train your dog by yourself, here are some things you could do to make a dog stop licking your feet:

Redirect Attention

You can redirect your dog’s attention to something else. Try giving it a toy or a snack — it’ll keep its mouth busy with something else other than your feet. Or, you can invite the dog to play with you.

dog pulls cart with gardening tools — A dog learns to pull a cart with toy gardening tools.

Redirecting attention is much easier to do if you can dedicate time to training your dog and have prepared some rewards. It is also better if you have easy access to dog parks or an activity place for dogs.

Ignore

Licking is often attention-seeking behavior. And the more you react and give your dog attention, the more it will lick your feet.

Chow Chow looks at her owner — A Chow Chow with tongue out looks at her owner.

Try not to react the next time your dog slobbers all over your feet. This means not making eye contact or any facial expression. Do not move or make a sound.

The first few times you ignore your dog, this foot-licking behavior may escalate. But it will decline when the dog realizes it won’t yield the desired result. You must be consistent with this, or your dog will keep licking.

If you pay attention sometimes, it learns that it can get your attention by licking your feet some of the time.

Use Dog Fences

If it is hard for you to be unresponsive, or if your dog’s behavior is bothering other people, consider using a dog fence. This will separate your dog from others without having to restrain it.

Labrador puppy inside a playpen — A Labrador puppy peek from a playpen and want to go out!

However, note that using fences may not directly train your dog to stop licking unless you do it right after it licks your or someone else’s feet. For punishments to work, they must be done immediately after the unwanted action.

Fences are usually just a means to temporarily stop a dog from licking. Just make sure that your dog can’t slip its head out and that no one will allow themselves to be licked by the dog through the gaps.

Give Rewards

Positive reinforcement is known to be a much better form of training than using punishments.

Offering a Basenji dog a treat during reward based training.

So, when your dog approaches and interacts with you without licking, give it a reward, like a treat, a toy, or cuddles. This will reinforce the idea that it doesn’t have to lick you to be rewarded and that not licking is good.

Don’t forget to lavish attention to your dog when you notice that it is not licking your feet anymore! If you ignore your dog when it has stopped licking you, it may consider this a punishment. It might even think that licking you is still okay because it gets ignored whether it licks you or not.

Rewards work best when you give them immediately after you notice the desired behavior. So, it’s best to have your rewards prepared — put some treats in your pocket or in a bowl you can keep around you as you interact with your dog.

Wear Socks

Covering your feet with socks may discourage your dog from licking them. After all, they are trying to gather information from the scent and taste of your feet’ skin. If it can’t access your skin, it won’t have the same amount of interest in your feet.

dog yawns with owner — A French Bulldog yawns at his owner’s feet.

Use Taste Deterrents

Taste deterrents are anything that can prevent dogs from chewing or licking something, including their feet. Of course, you should only use substances that are safe enough to eat and will not cause skin or eye irritations.

How do you use a taste deterrent to prevent your dog from putting its tongue on your feet? Simply fill a spray bottle with a safe yet unpleasant-tasting liquid. Spray this on your feet, preferably right before it starts to lick them.

Some examples of ingredients in taste deterrent sprays are lemon juice, bitter apple, and white vinegar. Do not use harsh ingredients like chili pepper flakes, as they can be quite uncomfortable for your dog.

Use this technique sparingly if possible, and only if you are out of options. These substances can be harmful to your dog’s health, and your dog may even experience an allergic reaction.

You can also try spraying your dog with clean, lukewarm water every time it attempts to lick your feet.

Seek Help

As mentioned earlier, feet licking may indicate an underlying problem. If you want to solve the problematic behavior, you must first get to its root.

German Shepherd at vet — German Shepherd at a vet clinic.

Bring your doggie to the vet to ensure excessive licking behavior is not caused by any illness, especially if this is a sudden and new behavior and your dog does not usually lick a lot.

Aside from a vet, a behavioral therapist could also help determine the root cause of the licking. The therapist may spend some time observing your dog to see what provokes it to behave that way. Then, they will provide some training recommendations to curb this behavior.

Dog Licking Feet Isn’t Usually A Problem — Until It Is!

Dogs are naturally licky creatures. They will lick themselves, other dogs, humans, and practically anything they find interesting because they want to groom or because they want to express something. However, this behavior may also indicate an underlying problem.

So, make sure that your dog is in good health.

You can ignore this behavior if you have no problem getting a slobbery foot bath. But if you dislike feet licking, there are many ways to stop it. Seek professional help if the behavior gets out of your control.