Why do Dogs Lick Given The Chance
Why do dogs lick people? Well mostly your dog will lick you as a sign of affection for you and approval from you.
If you have had your dog since it was a puppy he may have learned that by licking he can get pretty much what he wants, which is predominately affection from you.
So effectively you may have trained him, albeit unknowingly to do this.
It seems there are many other reasons why dogs lick us which is explained in this article I found recently.
Why do Dogs Lick us?
I distinctly remember, when I was a young child, our pet dog ‘Patchie’ loved to kiss me. And by kissing I mean, his long, wet tongue running down my cheeks, ears, hands, I think all over me. He would wag his tail happily while I was covered in his slobber.
My mom would give out a scream and punish him by tying him on his leash in the corner. But that never deterred him from giving up his licking habits. Patchie 
is long gone, but his memories are still fresh in my mind. In fact, just the other day I met a friend who owns a cute dog. She too complained of excessive licking by her pet.
This made me wonder why do dogs lick people excessively? They wag their tails to show us they are happy around us. But licking? Is it necessary to cover us in dog saliva? I set out to in search of answers regarding why do dogs lick people excessively. You will be surprised to learn the answers related to what does it mean when dogs lick people or other other animals.
What Does it Mean When Dogs Lick
You may have often wondered why do dogs lick your face and ears? The main reason why dogs lick your face is for cleaning. Yes. Dogs love to clean themselves with their tongue. They use that same cleaning instinct to clean you too. They think cleaning and washing your face is their obligatory duty. Other than your protection, your cleanliness is their job too.
Another reason for why dogs lick people is because it is part of the dog behavior they learn as a pup. The mother licks her puppies to clean up the placenta on her new born. This is a part of dog grooming that not only cleans her pups, but also stimulates bonding.
The mother shows her affection to her pups by licking. This also helps in increasing the blood circulation and digestion in the little puppy. This licking stimulates maternal instinct and affection. Thus, maybe the dog is trying to show its affection to his human friend with his excessive licking.
When puppies lick their mother’s face, it is a way to stimulate her to regurgitate the food she ate. This regurgitated food is a good snack for hungry pups. Maybe this is one of the reason why do dogs lick your face (well, I hope not!).
A dog may lick you, if his instincts tell him you are sad. Just to liven up your spirits he will lick you. That’s what a dog wants, isn’t it? For you to be happy at all times. This is what makes them man’s best friend.
Attention with a capital A.
The dog seeks attention and there is no better way in their mind than to lick you. Or maybe they love the taste of your salty skin or the lotion you applied.
An adult dog continues to lick for a few other reasons. Dogs are pack animals. They tend to follow the alpha male of the pack. The one who proves to be dominant in the pack commands respect. The other dogs may show their respect and submission by licking. The same thing applies to a pet dog. He may look up to his human owner as the alpha male and lick as a sign of submission to his human commands.
One should always look out for compulsive licking.
A dog who continuously licks and grooms himself may indicate sign of stress or dog health problem. The dog may be suffering from separation anxiety, if you are leaving him alone for long hours or some close family member leaves.
Upsetting a routine may also lead to compulsive licking. Injury or lesion of the skin may cause the dog to lick continuously. An anxious dog may lick himself, the furniture around the house, even you excessively. The best way to solve this problem is find out what is disturbing your dog.
If it is an injury or illness, take him to a veterinarian for further treatment. Separation anxiety in dogs may be treated with some more care and affection. You can speak to a vet for information that will help the dog overcome his anxiety problem.
Source – http://allpawsprogroom.com/why-do-dogs-lick
So as you can see from this article there is not just one reason why your dog may lick you.
Should you stop your dog licking you?
The answer is you can if you want to but if the licking is primarily to show affection then if you stop this then he will need to find another way to show his affection for you.
