Reasons why your dog kisses everyone but you
Your dog kisses when he’s stressed or in new situations
If your dog is kissing everyone but you it might be because they lick when they’re nervous. Pet parents often associate dog licking as kisses, and in many cases that’s true.
However affection isn’t the only reason dogs lick people. Sometimes dogs lick out of stress when they are in new or uncomfortable situations. So to you it might seem like your dog is doling out all the sweet sloppy dog kisses to strangers and acquaintances, but in reality your dog feels like they’re in an awkward situation and licks people to make himself more at ease.
Your dogs kisses everyone else because he’s curious
It’s true dogs kiss others as a sign of love, but it’s easy to forget that they also kiss to investigate. Sniffing and licking are two of the main ways a dog gathers information about the world around them. When your dog meets someone new or someone he knows but hasn’t seen in a while, he could be kissing them because he’s curious.
People unknowingly carry all kinds of smells and tastes that are interesting to dogs. So the next time your dog kisses everyone but you, remember that your dog might simply be getting to know the people he meets. It doesn’t mean your dog loves others more than you.
Your dog thinks he’s not allowed to kiss you
You may have unknowingly trained your dog not to kiss. If there was ever a time in the past that your dog kissed you and you scolded them for it (or your dog thinks that you scolded them for it), then your dog might have it in their head that it’s bad for him to kiss you.
Perhaps you scolded your dog for peeing in the house, chewing on the furniture, or some other bad behavior. If your dog happened to be kissing you at the moment you punished him, he may have incorrectly understood that it was his kisses that made you angry.
Your dog wasn’t taught to kiss to show affection
Your dog might not know to kiss as a sign of affection. This goes back all the way to your dog’s puppy days. If your dog’s mother didn’t kiss her puppies, or if your dog wasn’t around his mom to be kissed, then your dog might have never learned that he can kiss others to show that he cares about them.
In this case it doesn’t mean that your dog doesn’t love you. Most likely your dog shows his love in other ways besides kissing.
Your dog isn’t an affectionate kisser
Just like people, different dogs have different personalities and some are more affectionate than others. If your dog licks everyone but you it might be because he doesn’t kiss to show affection. He might lick a stranger to investigate an interesting smell or because he’s nervous, but he’s not licking everyone to show love.
Dogs have different ways of showing affection. If your dog kisses everyone but you try to take note of some of his other signs of affection!
