Although Splitter is five years old, we've only been together for four months. She is, without doubt, the lighte of my life. My question is about licking--or kissing as I call it. She sleeps in her crate, with the door open. Every morning, after she's had her pee, I am the lucky recipient of a million kisses. When I come home at lunch or after work, I get a thousand kisses. I like to watch a little TV before I go to sleep and we cuddle a little bit in my bed before I put her in her crate--again, with the door open. When I put her in my bed, again, I am the lucky recipient of a million kisses. And off and on during the day, she gives me hundreds and hundreds of kisses. If I ask for a kiss, she gives me one. (I think she knows the word from her previous owner.)
Frankly, I like this. To me, it seems like a sign of affection or of reciprocal grooming. However, I've read and heard from numerous sources that this is a sign of dominance and should be discouraged. She shows absolutely no other signs of dominance (but neither is she cowardly).
Should I be concerned that the "honeymoon" is over and that she is, indeed,
striving for dominance or should I just sit back and enjoy this,
perceivably, show of affection?
Tonya
Anyhow, I think the kisses really are about love, so just enjoy.
I never had a dog that kisses as much as Lucy and have had several
other breeds, so I think this is part of the Maltese charm and
not a bid to take over (though they do, don't they!)
Cathy Brown