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Most people think that when a dog licks their face, the dog is giving kisses. In fact, dogs do not kiss. Although face licking can reasonably be interpreted as a compliment, it is not kissing as we understand it. Many dogs will lick whatever they can get their tongues on; hands, feet, faces, elbows and ears. In order to have a better understanding of the differences between what we consider kissing and our dogs consider licking, we need to know why dogs lick.

Types of Licking

Licking is seen first in the mother-infant situation when a bitch grooms her pups after birth. This helps clean the pups and also stimulates their breathing. This continues into puppyhood; the mother's licking not only cleans the pups but encourages them to eliminate. Human mothers bathe their infants and change diapers because they care, but no one would confuse the act of bathing or changing diapers with kissing. Because dogs can manipulate things better with their mouths than with their paws, it makes sense for them to use their tongues when it comes to cleaning. As a veterinary behaviorist so eloquently put it, a tongue is a dog's toilet paper.

Pups eventually groom themselves and also engage in a certain amount of grooming other dogs. Called allogrooming, this is a care-giving behavior that enhances bonding between individuals. It's very satisfying for dogs to have a buddy help out with those hard-to-reach places, and reciprocation increases the likelihood of future interactions. Allogrooming appears to be a gesture of goodwill and appeasement. It could be classified, along with rolling over and urination, as a sign of submission. Humans and other primates also groom and massage each other by way of pleasurable exchange. The significance of this behavior is similar, denoting friendly intentions and serving as a mechanism for reducing stress.

Pups lick their mother's face around the time they are making the transition from milk to solid food. This face licking is part of a greeting ritual in the wild when a bitch returns from hunting with a belly full of food. The purpose of face licking in this context is to get mom to regurgitate partly-digested stomach contents for the pups' dining pleasure. This type of face licking still occurs in domestic dogs, sometimes with the same result.

Another form of licking that dogs display is licking their own lips. Initially, this behavior may have evolved for the purpose of cleaning their lips after eating, but it now serves as an indicator of stress. It is similar to lip-biting in humans. Lip licking decreases as pups gain in confidence and feel more comfortable with their surroundings, but it doesn't disappear entirely, even in adult dogs. You might see a dog nervously licking his lips as he ponders his fate in a veterinary office.

Many animal scientists characterize face licking as submissive behavior. This is because face licking, like lip licking, is exhibited by dogs in situations of stress or conflict. Face licking is likely to occur when a subordinate dog has summoned up enough courage to approach a more dominant one. This brings up a possible parallel between face licking by dogs and kissing in non-human primates. Apparently, kissing is a common greeting behavior expressed when a subordinate chimpanzee greets a more dominant one. The dominant chimp may, in return, also kiss the subordinate during such meetings, though kissing by the more dominant chimp is only about half as likely. Could it be that when your dog greets you at the door with wagging tail and licks your face as you kneel to say "Hi" that he is actually acknowledging you as his leader?

Prevention of Unwanted Licking Behavior

Although some face licking is tolerable, "no lick" is a useful command to master. It should be incorporated into the training of all dogs that lick their owners excessively, preferably from an early age. No punishment should be employed during training; in fact, punishment is totally inappropriate and will teach the dog nothing except how to avoid the punishment. It is far better to reward the behavior that you want to promote. This can be achieved using a voice cue, "no lick", patient, motionless waiting on the part of the owner, and a valued reward (a treat, perhaps), delivered instantaneously, for stopping licking. If the licking continues, a veterinary behaviorist can be contacted to help provide additional recommendations.

While many of us enjoy our dog's "kisses", it is important to remember that what humans define as a voluntary act of affection may not be a dog's intention. Licking, in general, is harmless and can be considered normal dog-to-owner behavior. If the licking becomes obsessive, training your dog to only lick on command is a reasonable way to curb the unwanted behavior. Once a dog has been taught when licking is appropriate and how much is tolerated, receiving "kisses" from your dog is more appreciated. Understanding the behavior behind your dog's actions can only help you strengthen the bond between both of you.

When cats play, they incorporate a variety of behaviors into their play. Aggressive play behavior is particularly common in young cats and in cats that live in one-cat households. Play provides young cats with opportunities to practice skills they would normally need for survival, such as pouncing, stalking, biting, scratching, and clawing. If humans play with a young kitten using their hands and/or feet instead of toys, the kitten is liable to learn that practicing these skills while playing with people is okay. In most cases, it is possible to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play is not acceptable behavior.

Since young cats and kittens need a lot of playtime, it is important to set up three or four consistent times during the day to initiate play with your cat. This helps her understand that she is not the one responsible for initiating play. This also helps to avoid unwanted pouncing at inappropriate or inconvenient times.

One way kittens play is by grabbing each other with both front feet, biting each other and kicking with their back feet. This is also a way kittens try to play with hands and feet if being waved in front of them. It is very important to avoid using any part of your body, like fingers or toes. Redirect your cat's aggressive play behavior onto acceptable objects like toys. It may take some trial and error to find the toy that works best with your kitten so make sure you try a variety.

Often, discouraging unacceptable behavior is the only avenue that is available. You need to set the rules for your kitten's behavior and your family and friends should reinforce these rules. Your kitten can't be expected to learn to differentiate between people in terms of when it's okay for rough play and when it is not.

• Use aversion techniques to discourage your kitten from nipping or biting. You can either use a squirt bottle filled with water or a can of pressurized air to squirt your kitten when she becomes rough. To use this technique effectively, you always need to have the spray bottle or can handy. Remember that aversion techniques only works if you offer your kitten an acceptable alternative.
• Redirect the behavior. After you startle your kitten with the air or water, IMMEDIATELY offer her a toy to wrestle with or to chase. This will encourage her to direct her rough play onto a toy instead of a person. It is recommended that you keep a stash of toys hidden in each room specifically for this purpose.
• Withdraw attention when your kitten starts to play too rough. If the distraction and redirection techniques don't seem to be working, the most drastic thing you can do to discourage your cat from rough play is to withdraw all attention. Since she wants to play with you, she is going to figure out how far she can go; however, you keep this limit consistent. The best way to withdraw your attention is to walk into another room and close the door long enough for her to calm down. If you pick her up to put her in another room, you're rewarding her by touching her. You should be the one to leave the room.

PLEASE NOTE: None of these methods are very effective unless you also give your kitten acceptable outlets for her energy. You need to play with her regularly using appropriate toys.

Punishing your kitten for rough play by tapping, flicking or hitting are almost always guaranteed to backfire. Your kitten could become afraid of your hands or she could interpret those flicks as playful moves and play more aggressively. Picking up your kitten to put her into a "timeout" could possibly reinforce her behavior because she probably would enjoy the physical contact of being picked up. By the time you get her to the timeout room and close the door, she has probably already forgotten what she did to be put in that situation.

If you find that none of these suggestions work and your kitten's play increases in aggression or becomes unpredictable, it can be best to seek help from a behavior specialist. Kittens can bite or scratch through the skin, and abuse by your cat is not conducive to a caring and mutually beneficial relationship.

1. My cat won't use the litter box because he/she is rebellious and wants to make me mad.
A. True
B. False

2. My cat scratches the furniture to:
A. Mark territory
B. All of these
C. Stretch muscles
D. Shed nail sheaths

3. What's the purpose in why my cat "kneads"?
A. A sign of being hungry
B. A sign of aggressiveness
C. A sign of affection
D. A sign of being unhappy

4. My cat leaves objects such as his/her toys in his/her food or water bowls just to drive me crazy.
A. True
B. False

5.Why does my cat suddenly bite me in an aggressive manner when I'm petting him/her?
A. My cat is mean
B. None of these
C. My cat doesn't like affection
D. My cat doesn't want to be petted anymore

6. My cat purrs only when he/she is happy and relaxed.
A. True
B. False

7. Is it normal for my cat to exhibit body movements during sleep?
A. Yes
B. No

8.Why does my cat insist on playing and ransacking the house after I have gone to bed?
A. My cat wants me to get up
B. My cat is a nocturnal creature
C. My cat likes to annoy me
D. None of these

9. Why does my cat scratch the floor around his/her food and water bowls after eating as if to cover it up?
A. To hide it
B. Doesn't like its location
C. It smells bad
D. None of these

10. Why does my indoor cat attack me or my other indoor cat(s) when he/she sees an unknown cat outdoors?
A. My cat is most likely showing he/she is in control
B. My cat is most likely showing displaced fear
C. My cat thinks of me or my other cat(s) as prey
D. My cat is most likely showing displaced aggression

Answers

1. B 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. D
6. B 7. A 8. B 9. A 10. D

Owners who want to better understand their canine companions must recognize that dogs see the world from a different visual perspective. The differences begin with the structure of the eye. We have a good idea what dogs see because we know the make-up of the retina of a dog’s eye.

The retina is the light sensitive portion of the eye. This structure is located in the back of the inside of the eyeball. The retina contains two types of light sensitive cells: rods and cones. Cones provide color perception and detailed sight, while rods detect motion and vision in dim light. Dogs have rod-dominated retinas that allow them to see well in the dark. Along with superior night vision, dogs have better motion visibility than humans have. However, because their retinas’ contain only about one-tenth the concentration of cones that humans have, dogs do not see colors as humans do.

Dogs see like a color-blind human. Many people think that a person who is red/green color blind cannot see any color, but there are variations of color blindness. Most people have vision that is trichromatic (three-color variations). People who are red/green color blind are dichromatic (two color variations). Dogs’ retinas can distinguish two colors. These colors are blue-violet and yellow. Dogs can also differentiate between shades of gray. Dogs are unable to recognize green, yellow, orange, and red.

Dogs use other cues such as smell, texture, brightness, and position rather than relying solely on color. Seeing-eye dogs, for example, may not distinguish between a green or red stoplight; they look at the brightness and position of the light. This, along with the flow and noise of traffic, tell the dog that it is the right time to cross the street.

How a dog’s eyes are set determines the field of view as well as depth perception. Prey species tend to have eyes located on the sides of their head. This gives the animals an increased field of view and allows them to see approaching predators. Predator species, like humans and dogs, have eyes set close together. Human eyes are set straight forward while dog eyes, depending on the breed, are usually set at a 20 degree angle. This angle increases the field of view and therefore increases the peripheral vision of the dog.

Increased peripheral vision compromises the amount of binocular vision. Binocular vision occurs where the field of view of each eye overlaps. Binocular vision is necessary for depth perception. The wider-set eyes of dogs have less overlap and less binocular vision, thus, less depth perception). Dogs’ depth perception is best when they look straight ahead. This is not an ideal situation, as their nose often interferes. Predators need binocular vision as a survival tool. Binocular vision aids in jumping, leaping, catching, and many other activities fundamental to predators.

In addition to having less binocular vision than humans have, dogs also have less visual acuity. Humans with perfect eyesight are said to have 20/20 vision. This means that we can distinguish letters or objects at a distance of 20 feet. Dogs typically have 20/75 vision. What this means is that they must be 20 feet from an object to see it as well as a human standing 75 feet away. Certain breeds have better visual acuity. Labradors, commonly used as seeing-eye dogs, are bred for better eyesight and may have vision that is closer to 20/20.

If you’re silently standing across the field from your dog, don’t expect him or her to recognize you. He’ll recognize you when you do some sort of motion particular to yourself. He may also recognize your presence by his outstanding sense of smell and/or hearing. Because of the large number of rods in the retina, dogs see moving objects much better than they see stationary objects. Motion sensitivity has been noted as the critical aspect of canine vision. Much of dog behavior deals with posture and appropriateness. Small changes in your body posture mean a lot to your dog. Dog owners need to modify training based on this fact. If you want your dog to perform an action based on a silent cue, we suggest using a wide sweeping hand and arm motion in order to cue your dog.

When dogs go blind, owners often wonder if the dogs’ quality of life has diminished to the point where they are no longer happy. Humans deal well with being blind, and humans are much more dependent on their eyes than are dogs. Blind dogs lead happy lives as long as they are comfortable. The owner may need to make some adjustments in the pet’s environment. Some of these adjustments include fencing the yard, taking leashed walks, and not leaving unusual objects in the dog’s normal pathways. Obviously, most blind dogs cannot navigate stairs very well. When blind dogs are in their normal environment, most people don’t know they are blind.

Pet owners vary in their level of comfort in clipping the nails of their dog, cat, rabbit or bird. But it is necessary to regularly clip nails to help maintain health and comfort. Nails which are uncared for can break or tear and can affect the animal's ability to move about comfortably or cause the animal to injure itself when scratching. If you are uncomfortable clipping the animal's nails yourself, your vet or groomer can do this for you. If you decide to do it yourself, here are a few tips:

1. Remember, the nail is living tissue. Do not clip too close to the quick. If this occurs, the animal will experience pain and the nail will bleed.



Clipping Nail Below the Quick (The quick is the pink area.)



2. There are two types of nail clippers available: the scissor type (which resembles a traditional scissors) or the guillotine type (which surrounds the whole nail). Both are effective. Choose the one that is most comfortable for you and your pet.
3. Many animals resist nail clipping. One way to get them accustomed to it is to handle their paws or feet from a very early age.

Lumps are a very common occurrence, especially in aging pets. Approximately 30 percent of all tumors found in dogs and cats occur on the skin. There are a couple of important questions owners should ask themselves when they find lumps on their pets.

• Has the lump appeared suddenly, or has it been there awhile?
• Has the lump stayed the same in consistency and appearance or has it changed recently?
• Does the lump seem to separate from underlying tissue or is it attached?
• Is there only one lump or are there multiple similar lumps?
• And finally, are there changes in your pet's behavior such as eating less, losing weight, vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy?

Answering these questions may help your veterinarian evaluate the seriousness of the lump's presence.

Often, lumps are benign accumulations of fat known as lipomas. Keep in mind, however, that while all lipomas are lumps, not all lumps are lipomas. Any detected lump should be evaluated for the possibility of a more aggressive malignancy. In general, many benign lumps may grow slowly or not at all and remain unchanged for many months or even years. Most malignant lumps, however, grow rapidly and may infiltrate into the underlying tissue. The best way to figure out if a lump is benign or malignant is to have your pet examined by a veterinarian.

Many skin tumors, benign or malignant, can be cured with surgery. Unfortunately, skin tumors could be just the tip of the iceberg. Diagnostic tests may be needed to determine if the lump on your pet might be a manifestation of a more widespread disease.

The most common malignant skin cancer in dogs is the mast cell tumor. Mast cells are normal cells in the body that serve as a defense mechanism. When you are bitten by a mosquito, for instance, the mast cells initiate the inflammatory response that causes the production of a red and itchy hive. Mast cells also contribute to asthma and food allergies.

If the normal mast cell undergoes a malignant change, a mast cell tumor may be produced. Canine mast cell tumors may be benign or possess varying degrees of malignancy. Malignancies range from local reoccurrence following surgical removal to aggressive systemic disease, which may ultimately be fatal. Biopsy can help determine the aggressiveness of a mast call tumor.

Although mast cell tumors primarily affect the skin, they have the potential to spread to other areas of the body. Therefore, it is important not only to address the skin tumor, but also to fully evaluate the pet for signs of metastasis. This often includes blood work, thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasound. If there is no evidence of tumor metastasis, surgical removal of the mast cell tumor may cure the problem. If complete surgical removal is not possible, radiation therapy or chemotherapy can be considered.

Feline cutaneous (skin) mast cell tumors are generally benign and surgical removal is often curative. Metastasis from a skin mast call tumor is not as common in cats as it is in dogs. Some cats, however, may produce a distinctly different type of mast cell tumor that primarily affects internal organs, such as the spleen, liver and bone marrow. This type of mast cell tumor is called visceral mastocytosis and is much more aggressive than mast cell tumors of the skin.

When you notice a lump or bump on your pet, it is best to have your pet examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Many pets have lumps that remain benign all of their lives, but if a lump is malignant, your pet has a better prognosis if treated early. Skin cancers are quite common and often can be cured. The best way to detect lumps at any stage is to give your pet full body rubs on a regular basis. Not only are you contributing to your pet's health and your own peace of mind, your pet is going to love the attention!