The mouth of a dog can never be cleaner than a human mouth, let’s be clear. The author and dog expert Marty Becker explains it as follows:
“All you have to do is look, watch, smell and you’ll realize that is not true. They raid the garbage can. You know, we give each other a peck on the cheek when we say hello, they give each other a peck on the rear end.”
Moreover, according to John Oxford, professor of virology and bacteriology at the Queen Mary University in London,
“It is not just what is carried in saliva. Dogs spend half their life with their noses in nasty corners or hovering over dog droppings so their muzzles are full of bacteria, viruses, and germs of all sorts.”
Those sweet dog kisses should definitely be avoided, as they are a way to pass diseases, such as Capnocytophaga Canimorsus, Ringworm infections, MRSA infections, and Staphylococcus aureus.
Therefore, no matter how much you enjoy it, do not let your dog lick you in order to prevent such diseases. There are so many other ways to enjoy your mutual affection.
Jean Marie Bauhaus, a pet blogger, and novelist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, advises:
“While it might be safe to allow your pooch to lick you on the face and mouth if you’d prefer not to take the chance, the best thing to do is nip the behavior in the bud by teaching your dog not to lick your face.
Pet trainer Victoria Stillwell, speaking to Animal Planet, suggests that the best way to do so is to get up and walk away from your dog when he starts to lick, ignoring the behavior completely. Doing so will deprive your dog of any reward he receives from licking, and eventually, he’ll stop trying altogether. “
She adds: