If you’ve noticed your dog licking another dog’s ears, or another dog doing the same to your pooch, you may be wondering if this is normal behavior. Read some possible reasons for dogs to lick each other’s ears.
Licking is normal behavior for dogs. It’s in their DNA from the time they were pack animals in the wild. Licking was a way for pack members to say hello, show affection, and groom each other. Moreover, even today, mothers lick their puppies to show love and keep them clean. So, very early in childhood, dogs pick up licking as normal behavior.
Therefore, most of the time dogs licking each other’s ears is normal behavior. You do not need to discourage it. However, the ear licking can occasionally indicate an issue with the ear of the dog receiving the licks. If you think there’s too much licking going on among your dog and her friends, get her checked out by the vet.
Grooming
Very often, dogs lick each other’s ears for grooming. Remember, a dog can’t reach his own ears. Therefore, other dogs will often help out. This type of behavior is common among dogs who live in the same household or on very friendly terms with each other.
Greeting
Dogs will sometimes lick each other’s ears as a form of greeting. This action indicates friendliness and trust in the doggy world and is akin to a human handshake. Other behaviors that can also mean the same thing include licking another dog’s face or feet.
Investigating
Dogs use their nose and mouth to find out more about their environment and other animals and people. Smell is an important way for dogs to communicate and pick up information. Sometimes, dogs will lick each other’s ears simply out of curiosity. It’s the same reason dogs like to sniff at crotches. They want to know who you are, where you’ve been, and what you’ve been up to.
Snacking
Our canine friends can have some nasty habits, like rolling in poop or eating cat poop. As disgusting as it sounds, dogs will sometimes lick each other’s ears in search of a salty snack (ear wax). If you notice your dogs doing this a lot to each other, try distracting them with interactive games. Or take them out for a play session so they can let off steam and forget about licking ears.
Comforting
Dogs will sometimes lick another dog’s ears to soothe themselves. It’s something like a nervous tic or compulsive behavior. If you notice your dog excessively licking other dogs’ ears, look for other signs of anxiety, such as loss of appetite, lack of energy, whining, trembling, etc. Also, learn the signs of a happy, healthy dog so that you recognize when something is not right.
Detecting ear infections
A dog’s sense of smell is so fine-tuned that they sometimes pick up an infection in another’s dog’s ear before there are any other visible signs or symptoms. If you notice other dogs licking your dog’s ears quite frequently, take a peek inside to check for redness, discharge, or other signs of infection. If you see something amiss, schedule a visit with the vet for an evaluation. If left untreated, an ear infection can lead to a more serious condition called ear hematoma (blood collection).
It is safe and even healthy for your dog to lick another dog’s ears or for another dog to lick your dog’s ears. But like most things in life, too much of a good thing can be bad. Too much ear licking can lead to infections and other problems.
If the ear licking is excessive, there may be something else going on. You should have your dog’s ears checked by the vet to make sure there’s no underlying condition. Also, look for signs of anxiety. It may be your dog is licking his friends’ ears to relieve stress.
Once the vet has ruled out any underlying problem with your dog’s mental health or her ears, you can curb this behavior by: