Reasons a Dog Licks the Alpha Human's Ears

Aprocrine Glands Behind the Human Ear

• A canine's mouth, as well as its nose, is very sensitive to scents, which carry information. The molecules in a human's skin are scented and are released via the sweat glands. A dog has the ability to process intricate information about the scents that he tastes and smells because the dog has millions of scent receptor cells in the roof of its mouth as well as in its nose. Since a dog can't tell us why he is doing what he is doing or what it achieves when he does it, scientists have concluded that when a dog sniffs and licks, it may be processing the information that is found in the oily material that is released by the apocrine glands that are located in the ears. Humans also have sweat glands (eccrine glands) on their forehead. The eccrine and aprocine glands provide information about the person that the dog is licking.

Ear Licking

• Dr. James Glover, a veterinarian in Manhattan, Kansas, notes that licking the ears, specifically, is a sign of submission to the more dominant pack members, which are the humans that the dog lives with. Licking indicates closeness and affection. Dogs that live

  together lick one another when they are relaxing because they love one another.

Figuring Out Humans

• A dog processes scents that are gleaned from licking and sniffing in the vomeronasal organ that is in the dog's mouth. Consequently, the canine is able to receive messages from humans that are sent involuntarily by the person.

He's Hungry

• Dogs in the wild lick their mother's faces after the mother has been hunting for food because licking her face prompts the mother dog to regurgitate the food in her belly. It is easier for the mother dog to carry food in her belly than in her mouth. The pups eat the

  regurgitated food. If a dog is licking your face it can be an indication that he's hungry and wants food, which is his way of communicating this just as his ancestors did in the wild.