all day long... but why?
- Dogs lick their noses to sharpen their senses — Regular nose licking is a sign of a healthy dog.
- Nose licking is not normal when it’s noticeable — Too much licking will look uncomfortable and seem excessive.
- Certain breeds lick their noses more— Dogs with compressed faces lick their noses more.
- The causes of nose licking vary — Certain symptoms are mild, while others warrant a trip to the vet.
- Keep your dog calm to get nose licking under control— There are ways to keep your dog’s stress levels low and therefore reduce licking.
Your dog’s nose is one of their vital organs. Dogs lick their noses to keep their sense of smell intact. Nose moisture also helps cool a dog down. Nose licking is usually a sign of healthy and natural dog activity.
You may notice your dog is licking their mouth and nose persistently, rapidly, or intensely. They may lick the air or space around them and look obviously uncomfortable. Excessive licking is a sign that they are having anxiety, feel threatened, or are experiencing another health issue.
👉 Abnormal nose licking may look something like this:
Some breeds are more prone to licking
Breeds with squished faces, like pugs and English bulldogs, might appear to lick their noses more than other dogs. These dogs are considered Brachycephalic or “short-headed.” Due to the flatness of these dogs’ faces, their noses are behind their mouths and their tongues are long. These dogs may collect more bacteria around the nose area. For Brachycephalic breeds, normal lip-licking might look like nose-licking.
It is important to identify the reason your dog keeps licking their nose. Causes range from mild to severe.
Mild causes
Some of the more common reasons for nose licking are mild and dogs will display otherwise normal behavior.
- Stress. You might notice that when you reprimand your dog or take them to the groomer they lick their nose. They do so out of general stress or a compulsive disorder.
- Allergies and irritants. Irritants may be gathering in your dog’s sinuses, causing nasal discharge. Dogs lick at the discharge. Allergies might be accompanied with sneezing.
- Dry nose. Your dog could have a dry nose. Dogs lick their nose to keep it moist and to counteract dryness and cracking.
- Nervous tick. Just like humans bite their nails, dog licking could be a bad habit brought on by nerves.
The more severe causes of nose licking
Nose licking can be a sign of something severe. These health problems have some other symptoms to look out for, and warrant a trip to the vet.
- Oral discomfort or dental problems. Your dog might have tooth decay. They could also have swelling of the jaw, tongue, or mouth caused by built up fluid. In addition to nose licking, dogs might paw at their mouths and yelp or cry with dental disease.
🚨 It can be hard to check inside your dog’s mouth for health warnings. If they are especially squirmish, the vet might use a sedative.
- Nausea. The feeling of nausea makes dogs drool. Swallowing along with nose licking may mean your dog has an upset stomach. If you think they’ve eaten something toxic, head to the vet immediately.
- Dehydration. Heat or an underlying medical problem like kidney disease causes dehydration. Dogs will lick their noses to cool themselves down. Other signs of dehydration include sticky gums, high body temperature, drooling, and loss in skin elasticity.
👉 There is an at home test, known as a skin test. You can use it to check if your dog is dehydrated. Gently pinch your dog’s skin and lift it. If it sags or slowly collapses when you release the skin, your pup is dehydrated.
- Foxtail. Foxtails are spiky seeds of grass that when swallowed can travel to other areas of your dog’s body, including their lungs. If your dog has swallowed a foxtail, they will look especially uncomfortable. They will lick both their nose and the ground or air around them.
- Frog. Your dog may have licked a poisonous frog or toad. The signs of toxicity from a frog will appear within moments. In addition to nose licking, your dog will have red gums, severe drooling, vomiting, and possible foaming at the mouth. They might also paw at their mouths. Head to the vet immediately if you suspect your pup has been in contact with one of these amphibians..
🚨 Find out if toxic toads live in your region. Cane/bufo Toads and Colorado River Toads are known to be the most toxic.
- Focal seizure. Focal seizures are also known as partial seizures. This means that your dog could be seizing while conscious. These partial seizures may be accompanied by nose licking and lip licking instead of full body convulsions.
Your dog should go to the vet if nose licking is not their only symptom. In addition to nose licking look out for:
- Violent sneezing
- Pale gums
- Nose bleeds
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Fever
- Foaming at the mouth
- Difficulty catching breath
Even if your dog doesn’t seem to be exhibiting other severe symptoms, you might still be worried about your pup’s excessive nose licking. Watching your dog experience obvious discomfort can be nerve-racking.
It can be hard for dog owners to identify the underlying cause of excessive nose licking. It never hurts to go in for a vet visit regardless of level of severity or other symptoms.
Treatment
For nose licking caused by something mild, your vet will recommend things you can do at home. If your dog simply has a cold or allergies the vet may be able to prescribe an anti-allergy medication. Balms are great for a case of dry nose or nasal hyperkeratosis. One of our favorites is Natural Dog Company’s Snout Soother® — it helps heal dry and cracked doggie noses.
If it’s stress causing the nose licking, get to know your dog’s body language. Perhaps they get nervous around a specific dog pal or while traveling. Small children or loud noises may also cause your dog to stress. Pups need to be spoken to and treated with care when showing anxiety.
In severe cases, the vet will know how to treat your dog’s excessive nose licking. They might carry out bloodwork or other tests to identify any underlying health problems. If the dog is dehydrated, they may require fluids. In cases of toxicity, the vet will properly rinse out the dog’s system.
Nose licking is usually a sign of a healthy dog. If your dog keeps licking their nose, it’s probably a sign of stress. It only signals health problems in some cases. Dog behavior can tell us a lot. Dog owners should pay attention to their dog’s warning signals and body language so they can keep them calm and happy.
Have you ever wondered why your dog may lick his nose? There are numerous reasons why dogs may lick their noses and some can have serious health consequences. Below we will review causes for dogs to constantly lick their nose.
Causes of Dog Constantly Licking Nose
Below are some possible causes for dogs licking their noses:
Behavioral Causes of a Dog Constantly Licking His Nose
- Normal behavior
- Dogs rely on their amazing sense of smell and will lick their nose to keep it moist. The increased moisture can allow dogs to better pick up scents.
- Some dogs will lick their noses when there is something on their nose. For example, a dog presented because pinesap was on his nose and it felt funny/sticky so he was constantly licking his nose.
- Behavioral reasons
- Some dogs will lick their lips or noses when they are confused or anxious. For example, some dogs with storm phobias may lick their noses when they are nervous.
- Some dogs will lick their noses due to a behavioral problem such as a compulsive disorder. Compulsive behaviors are repetitive sequences of behavior that are fairly consistent in their presentation. They do not appear to serve any obvious purpose, although some argue that they function to reduce a dog’s stress level. Some compulsive behaviors appear to be triggered by anxiety or stress. Compulsive behaviors may be time consuming, may result in physical injury to the dog, may significantly impair the dog’s ability to function normally, and may impair the dog’s relationship with his owner. Learn more about Compulsive Behavior in Dogs.
Medical Causes of a Dog Constantly Licking His Nose
Health problems can lead to a dog constantly licking their noses and may vary from minor issues to very serious problems. Nose licking is most concerning when the nose licking is new, excessive, or when it is associated with nasal discharge or blood.
Possible causes of nose licking include:
- Trauma. Any trauma that results in a cut, puncture, abrasion, or injury to the nose area can feel funny and can cause a dog to scratch, rub or lick his nose. Skin trauma such as cuts and punctures can become infected, which can itch and cause a dog to lick their nose and rub their face. It is also possible to notice a scab, puncture, abrasion, discharge and/or a foul odor from an infected wound.
- Bites or stings. Any type of bite to the face or around the nose can cause dog nose licking. Bites may include insect bites from spiders, horse flies, mosquitos, and/or a bee or wasp sting. Snakebites can also occur around the face and mouth and cause pain, swelling, discharge, and/or nose licking.
- Foreign body. Dogs with something caught in their nose will often lick their noses, rub their noses, sneeze, and/or have nasal discharge that may include blood. For example, a plant awn or grass blade can get inside the nose and cause these symptoms.
Dental disease. Signs of dental disease in dogs may include not eating, a foul odor to the mouth (halitosis), inflamed red gums, tartar, and sometimes drooling, lip licking and/or nose licking. As dental disease advances, plaque turns to tartar and bacteria can create gum disease (also known as periodontal disease) and tooth loss. As dental disease progresses, in very severe cases, teeth can abscess up through the skin into the cheek and sometimes can extend into the nasal cavity. - Nasal infections. Dogs can develop bacterial or fungal infections of the nose that can lead to nasal discharge. A natural response to dealing with a runny nose for dogs is to lick their noses. Some dogs will also sneeze and will sound congested when they breathe. Sinus infections can also cause nasal discharge and nose licking.
- Nasal tumors. Cancer can occur anywhere in a dog’s body including the nose. Signs of a nasal tumor most often is sneezing and/or nasal discharge. Sometimes the discharge is bloody as the tumor progresses.
- Seizures. Canine seizures can result in different types of behaviors or movements. Some dogs that have seizures will lie on their sides paddling their legs as with full grand-mal seizures. Other dogs with partial seizures can result in more subtle signs of a seizure such as lip licking or nose licking.
- Nasal discharge. Dogs can have a nasal discharge from in infection but it can also be due to a bloody nose. The medical term for a bloody nose is epistaxis. This can be caused by ingestion of rat poison, foreign bodies, nasal tumors, and infections. Learn more about sneezing and nasal discharge in dogs.
- Nausea. A very common sign of nausea in dogs is lip licking and some dogs will also lick their noses. Dogs with nausea will often hypersalivate, drool, lick their lips and these behaviors are sometimes followed by swallowing. This commonly occurs just prior to the act of vomiting. Some dogs may also eat grass when they are nauseated. Learn more about nausea in dogs and vomiting in dogs.
What to Do if You See Dog Constantly Licking Nose
The first thing to do if your dog is constantly licking his or her nose is to look at the nose and around the nose. It is important to determine if the dog nose licking is due to a medical problem. Is there a nosebleed? Is there sneezing? Is there nasal discharge? Is there anything caught in the hair around the nose? Is there an injury such as a puncture?
The best approach is to have your dog examined by your veterinarian. They will likely want to examine the skin around the nose, lips, gums, teeth, and perform a complete oral examination. They will also want a detailed history of your dog’s eating patterns, breathing patterns, overall appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, history of sneezing or coughing, and any weight loss or gain.
Additional articles that may be of interest:
Pet insurance can be a safety net for you and your pet, helping your pet care budget go further.
Underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company Get Your Quote
PetPartners, Inc. is an indirect corporate affiliate of PetPlace.com. PetPlace may be compensated when you click on or make a purchase using the links in this article.