Jun 9, 2017 4 min read

Every morning the farmer and I sit for a few minutes to drink coffee and talk about the day. And every morning, Howard the Wheaten terrier sits with us and licks our legs.

I’m not talking about the happy, jumpy face licks of a puppy – no, this is sustained, concentrated, earnest lapping that covers every inch of bare skin, from ankle to knee. Howard does this only in the morning, and only when the two of us are sitting together. He favors the farmer’s knees, but after he’s gently pushed away, Howie moves on over to my ankles.

We’ve had many dogs, but this is the first one that has done it to this extent, and it’s getting on our nerves. What begins each morning as a pleasantly affectionate greeting quickly escalates it an irritating barrage of dog saliva.

“Why’s he doing this?” we ask each other every time. And so I looked it up.

Most sources say that a dog’s licking is a sign of affection; it’s his way of petting us. Maybe with Howard it starts out that way, but I’ve noticed that after the first few seconds, his tail stops wagging and he transitions into a more intense concentration on our legs.

As with all research on Google, if you don’t believe the first answer, you keep looking for others. One pet information website had several possible explanations for a dog’s incessant licking:

• Communication: Apparently, Howard is trying to tell us something, but what? By that time each morning he’s been watered and fed and out to the yard to run around and do his business. What else could he want? Gluten-free food? A different beard trim?

• Submission: Some dogs select one person to be master, and it’s believed the licking is a sign of submitting to him. If this were the case, why doesn’t Howard stop licking when one of us asks him to?

• Attention seeking: Howie is an attention hog. In the morning, Howard licks, but in the evening he gets needy, draping himself across my lap as I read or watch TV; If I stop rubbing his head for even a second, he pokes his nose into my ribs.

• Exploration: Another theory holds that dogs lick to learn more about their people – think of it as mapping our legs. If this is Howard’s reason, then he is a canine MRI machine. I should ask him why my right knee has been bothering me.

• Habit: Like most dogs and people, Howard is set in his ways. Every night, Howard watches as I put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, wipe down the countertops and turn off the lights. Howard doesn’t come into the bedroom at first, but begins the night on the hallway floor, positioned so he can see out the windows that overlook the side yard. When a bunny or squirrel activates the motion sensor lights, Howard stirs. Once, when a deer wandered in, he barked.

When he’s sure the yard is secure, Howie wanders into the bedroom and jumps onto the soft chair in the corner. Finally, he sleeps.

Until morning, when the coffee chat begins. I would hate to think all that licking is nothing more than another habit – an impulse with no meaning beyond some brain imprint that tells him to do it.

Instead, I’ll choose to believe he licks us because he likes us. Even when Howard’s licking gets to be too much, that coffee chat is one of the best parts of our day. Howard doesn’t get the coffee, but in his own way, he’s getting us.

Beth Dolinar can be reached at cootiej@aol.com.