{"id":24372,"date":"2024-12-11T09:44:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T14:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/?p=24372"},"modified":"2024-12-19T10:54:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T15:54:40","slug":"popular-science-taps-transylvania-professor-to-answer-riddle-of-dog-kisses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2024\/12\/popular-science-taps-transylvania-professor-to-answer-riddle-of-dog-kisses\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular Science taps Transylvania professor to answer riddle of dog kisses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Popular Science wants to know what readers are curious about \u2014 no matter what it is. So somebody asked why dogs want to lick us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get the answer, the magazine reached out to Transylvania University professor Ellen Furlong \u201903, who launched a Dog Behavior and Cognition Lab<\/a> earlier this year. It\u2019s part of Popular Science\u2019s \u201cAsk Us Anything\u201d series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we want to distill it down to one thing, it\u2019s communication,\u201d she said of the phenomenon. \u201cBut there are lots of different things that [dogs might be] communicating through a lick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furlong urges us to consider the context \u2014 like if a dog is approaching you and looks excited and “wiggly,” all the licks are probably part of an enthusiastic greeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor could involve a social hierarchy, when a lick can demonstrate submission and appeasement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or it could mean for you to go away or pay attention to something else. According to the Popular Science article<\/a>: “The \u2018lick to dismiss,\u2019 [Furlong said], is a well-known behavior among canine researchers and trainers that signals a pet is trying to redirect someone or escape unwanted attention. A perfunctory lick or two on the face or hand, coupled with signs of stress like a rigid body, attempts to turn or move away, and visible eye whites are all signs of dismissal over greeting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other possibilities for licking include stress relief (from an endorphin release), begging for a mother’s regurgitated food (as with wolf puppies), attention seeking and pack bonding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zachary Silver, a psychology professor at Occidental College and former student of Furlong’s when she taught at Illinois Wesleyan University, was quoted as saying we ultimately don\u2019t know the reason for a dog\u2019s licking. There just hasn\u2019t been much research into the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Silver\u2019s studies have \u201crevealed dogs to be deeply attached to their owners and aware of subtle social cues.\u201d They also watch how we act around other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popular Science concludes: “If dogs care enough to observe our human-to-human interactions and shift their behavior accordingly, then you can bet that their kisses aren\u2019t without consideration.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transylvania’s canine cognition lab also recently got attention when Furlong, who teaches psychology and neuroscience, co-presented its work at the American Psychological Association annual convention this past summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our new Dog Behavior and Cognition Lab got some attention at last week's @APA<\/a> annual convention. Professors Ellen Furlong \u201903 (Transy) and Rebecca Singer (Berea) presented a study that found canine training in one area doesn't seem to improve self control in general. \ud83d\udc36 pic.twitter.com\/2EcSUxQk9L<\/a><\/p>— Transylvania University (@Transy) August 13, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>