Why Does My Dog Lick My Head And Hair On My Head?

If your dog has started licking your head or the hair on your head, you may be a little confused as to why they are doing it. There are plenty of reasons behind this sudden licking and there are also plenty of ways you can stop it too.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Head And Hair On My Head?

There can be multiple reasons why your dog would lick your head and the hair on your head. They might like the taste of it. They might want to show you affection. Or they may be trying to tell you something. You know your dog better than anyone so figure out the reason and if you want them to stop, train them to do so.

 

Why Does My Dog Lick My Bald Head So Much?

If you don’t have any hair on your head, this means that it is easier for your dog to get to the saltiness of your skin. Human skin has a salty taste to it so the more places they are able to access that, the better for your dog.

Why Shouldn’t I Let My Dog Lick My Hair?

It can actually be quite dangerous to let your dog lick your hair because they can easily pick up any loose hairs on their tongue and overtime this can build up inside them and cause a blockage.

Dangers And Risks Of Letting Your Dog Lick Your Hair & Head?

The main danger of your dog licking your head is that there is a possibility that any loose hairs will end up getting stuck inside your dog and over time these can build up into a blockage, which can cause your dog serious health problems and may end up in them needing an operation.

How Dangerous Is Dog Saliva?

It’s not dangerous. If dog saliva comes into contact with a healthy human’s skin, it’s unlikely to cause you any problems as it’s unlikely to absorb enough into the skin to cause problems.

Can I Get Rabies If My Dog Licks My Head?

The only way you will get rabies if your dog licks your head is if it is spread through saliva, for example, if your dog licks your mouth and they have rabies, there’s a possibility you’ll also get rabies. Alternatively, rabies can also pass through unbroken skin. If neither of these things occur, you’re unlikely to get rabies.

Can My Dog Catch Nasty Bacteria By Licking My Head?

There is the potential to pass some nasty bacteria onto your dog, however, this is unlikely to happen from licking your head. For example, if you don’t wash your hands well enough and have salmonella and then touch your dog, this is when they could catch the bad bacteria.

Are The Grooming Products I Use On My Head & Hair Dangerous For My Dog (If Licked/Ingested)

There are products humans use such as shampoo, hair mousse, and hair growth products that could be dangerous if your dog licks or ingests them. If you have just put any of these products in your hair, deter your dog from licking you and if they do, keep an eye on them and take them to the vets if you notice any changes.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Hair After Shower?

If you notice that your dog always licks your hair after you’ve had a shower, it’s likely that they like the taste of your hair once you’re out of the shower. This may be due to a product you use so if you’re really against this, maybe change the products you use to put them off licking you.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Head At Bedtime?

Your dog may lick your head at certain times of the day, for example, at bedtime, and this could be a key indicator to a possible cause behind them licking your head. Maybe they want to show you a bit of affection before bedtime and this could be their reasoning behind it.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Head And Ears?

Your dog will be licking your ears because they love the salty taste of human skin. They may also do this as dogs believe that licking someone is their way of showing affection for you, even though you may not enjoy it as much as they do.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Head And Hair On My Head?

It’s In Their Nature

If you ever see a pack of dogs, they are likely to spend quite a lot of time together and a part of their pack mentality is to lick each other, whether that’s to clean each other, show affection, or anything else, for that matter. You are part of their pack, so they’ll do this to you, too.

Showing Affection

You may have noticed that if your dog comes across another dog, they will start licking them. This is their way of showing their affection. So if your dog is licking your head, that is their way of showing their affection for you.

Boredom

Just like humans, when dogs are bored, they look for anything to stimulate them. Try and pick up on the times where your dog seems to show more signs of boredom and try to figure out ways to help stimulate their brain so they stop licking your head out of boredom.

Excitement

Dogs tend to get excited by a number of things, such as going for walks and getting some play time. If you know this is the cause behind your dog licking your head, get them to stop first and then wait a few minutes before allowing them what they are excited over so they don’t mistake them getting this for reward.

Likes How Your Head Taste

Dogs love the taste of salt and your head is going to taste quite salty to them, which is why they love to lick it so much.

Likes How Your Head Smells

If you’ve just washed your hair, your dog may like the smell of your shampoo or conditioner. Some of the scents dogs particularly like include vanilla, lavender and coconut, so if you wash your hair with any of these scents, they are likely to attract your dog.

Pup Is Grooming You

Dogs are trained to groom both themselves and others and due to the pack mentality they are naturally born with, your dog will see you as being a part of their pack, most probably as the pack leader. They want to groom you so they can keep you clean.

Trying To Calm You Down

Dogs are very good at picking up on your emotions, so if your dog can sense that you might feel a bit nervous or angry, they will start licking you as an attempt to calm you down. They will do this with other dogs and believe this will also work with humans.

Trying To Get Your Attention

Dogs are real attention seekers and because they love you, they will do anything to get your attention. Your dog may have picked up on the fact that whenever they lick your head, you pet them or give them some sort of attention. So when they want attention, they’ll lick you to get the attention.

Trying To Get Your Affection

Dogs are very loving animals and they love to both give and receive affection. Touch is one of the best ways for a dog to show you affection and they love that feeling from you too. If they believe they will get some affection from you by licking you, then this is what they’re going to do.

You Have Encouraged This Behavior

Dogs tend to follow by example as they see you as their pack leader. So if, for example, you kiss them on top of their head, they will see this as something acceptable to do to you. They know this is you showing them affection, so they want to show you affection in the same way.

Pup Has A Medical Issue

It is incredibly probable that your dog has a medical issue without you realising. If you notice your dog obsessively licking, this may link to something medical and you should take them to the vet. It’s more likely to be a behavioural thing, but it’s always best to get them checked out just in case.

How To Stop Your Pup From Licking Your Hair On Your Head?

Distract It

Distraction is a good tactic to preventing your dog from licking your hair. Whenever your dog starts to lick your head, find them something else to do but in a way that isn’t rewarding them, such as distracting them with a bit of playtime.

Keep The Dog Busy (Mentally + Physically)

Just as it’s important for us to keep busy mentally and physically, the same applies to your dog. Give them some puzzles to do, such as a treat puzzle where you scatter the treats on a mat that makes it harder for them to eat the treats in one go.

Stop Encouraging The Pup

One of the simplest ways for you to put a stop to this is to stop encouraging your dog. If you have been petting or kissing your dog on their head, this tells them it is acceptable to do to you. If you don’t want them to do it, simply stop doing it and eventually they will stop doing it to you too.

Train Not To Lick Your Hair

If your dog is licking your hair, it’s most likely a learned behaviour, which means the best way to put a stop to it is to train your dog to stop licking your hair. If you’re unsure of where to start with this, you could always get a dog behaviourist to help you.

Exercise

Exercise is important to all dogs. It keeps them active and also keeps them occupied. Giving your dog plenty of exercise throughout the day means they are less likely to get bored and also means they will spend less time trying to lick your head.

Pay Attention

You should pay attention to your dog’s needs throughout the day. Yes, they are going to need some rest and alone time, but they also like to spend plenty of time around you. If you give them plenty of attention, it means they won’t have to seek your attention by licking your head.

Leave The Room When It Licks

Your dog may be licking you for attention, so if you do the opposite, it teaches them that this behaviour isn’t a way to get your attention. If they lick your head, tell them no, walk out of the room and wait a few minutes before going back in. They will soon learn that this behaviour isn’t appropriate.

Use Operant Conditioning (Reward The Behaviour You Want)

Operant conditioning is a way for you to reward the behaviour you want against the behaviour you don’t want. You can reward them by doing things such as giving them attention or a snack when they do the behaviour you like and not giving them this when they do the behaviour you don’t like.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Sweaty Head?

When your body is producing sweat, your sweat has quite a salty taste to it. Dogs love anything that tastes salty, which means that they are more likely to want to lick your head, particularly when it’s sweaty.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Shaved Head?

Dogs love a shaved head because not only does it have a slightly rougher texture compared to a bald head, but it also means they are better able to access the salty taste of your head compared to someone who has a full head of hair.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Newborn’s Head?

Most newborn babies don’t tend to have any hairs on their head. Due to the taste of human skin being quite salty and dogs loving the taste of salt, they are more likely to lick a newborns head as a way to get to this salty taste and to show their affection for this new baby.

Why Does My Dog Lick My Head Every Night?

If your dog is licking your head every night, particularly if it’s at a specific time of night, it may be worth looking at if there’s anything that happens at this time that leads your dog to wanting to lick your head. You can either use this to put a stop to it or find a good distraction technique.

How Would A Dog React If I Tried To Lick Its Head?

It is unlikely your dog would like it and would probably meet this action with aggression. Your dog sees you as the dominant one and them as the submissive one and in pack mentality, the submissive dog always licks the dominant one. When the roles are reversed, this upsets them and causes them to lash out.

Why Does My Dog Like To Eat My Hair

Your dog might like to eat your hair because they want to supplement their diet. You may be surprised to hear this but dogs can actually get quite a lot of nutrients from our hair, so make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need so they don’t have to seek out our hair for that.

 

References

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/can-dogs-get-sick-from-humans#bacterial-infections

https://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/19-beauty-products-could-harm-your-pet