10 Reasons Why Your Boston Terrier Loves To Lick You

99.9% of Boston Terriers absolutely love licking you. Most of the time they lick your face, sometimes its your hand(s). While other times it’s your feet. On a rare occasion it might be your shirt.

So why do Boston Terriers love to lick you? It’s to show you affection, to tell you something or to investigate. It’s a common fact of the breed. They were bred to be companion dogs and showing you affection is what they do best.

This article doesn’t address excessive licking of paws, furniture, walls, or the ground. So if you’re looking for answers to that I’ll address those in a different piece.

For now – we’ll go over only when the licking is directed towards you.

Your Face Is a Lollipop

If you own a Boston Terrier or have spent time with a one, invariably that Boston has already given you a wet slobbery kiss. Or more like a face bath!

1. They Are Hungry

Puppies lick their mommy’s mouths when they are hungry. And this trait carries over when they leave their (dog) mom and now live with you.

All three of the Boston Terriers in my life tell me they are hungry by giving me face kisses.

Zoey would wake up in half a second and proceed to give me hard insistent kisses until I got up and fed her. Sleeping in was not a thing with her.

Maggie and Orbit have internal clocks and they also give me kisses right before meal times.

2. They Are Saying Thank You

Conversely, after a meal your Boston Terrier slowly come up to your lap and give you soft lazy kisses. Almost as if they are saying, “Thank you my belly is full, I loved my food.”

3. They Sense When You Are Feeling Down

Boston Terriers are bred to be companion dogs. They are in tune with your emotions and can tell when you need a lift. In their minds, licking you is a form of therapy and so they will lick your face

4. They Are Greeting You When You Come Home

This is part of the welcome party. As soon as you come home you’ll find your Boston Terrier eagerly giving you face kisses. This applies to your friends as well. They aren’t shy to give them kisses to show their love.

5. They Are Telling You To Hurry Up

Keep in mind our precious dogs have a language all of their own. They often will come up and give you one or two very short but insistent lick to tell you something.

For example if we’re playing fetch and I’m on the ground, my two will come up and give me a quick face lick to as if to tell me to hurry up and toss the ball again.

Another scenario is if I’m on the floor and giving them treats and going to slow, they’ll give me a quick face lick to get me to hurry up.

6. They Are Showing They Love You

Orbit tends to sit by my feet while I’m prepping her meals. And she’ll often give me the softest kiss on the back of my calf. It’s like she’s telling me she loves me.

Another time that you’ll find these “love kisses” is when you’re petting your Boston or giving them back rubs. They will often lean to the side and give your hands and arms appreciative kisses.

7. You Have A Morsel On Your Face

Boston Terriers love food especially if it’s just hanging out for their taking on your face or your chin. If you’re a messy eater, or have remnants of a juicy burger on your chin they are going to go in and investigate and clean you right up.

On a rare occasion one of my two will lick my clothing. Most times it’s my shirt or my pants. And every single time it’s because I spilled some food on myself and they found it and are cleaning me up.

8. You Just Came Out of The Shower

Some Bostons have been known to lick your feet or calves when you’ve just come out of the shower. It’s as if they are investigating where you have been and greeting you again.

9. They Like Your Reaction When They Lick You

Kisses and licks to your face or your legs can be ticklish. Our Bostons can sense our excitement or in the case of getting tickled, they love that you are laughing. My first Boston Terrier would lick my legs after a shower and then again when I put lotion. It’s because I would laugh and she caught on to the fact this was making me smile and be happy and it become and endless gave with her.

10. They Don’t Feel Well

Sometimes our beloved pups don’t feel well. Maybe they just threw or regurgitated. Or have some other ailment or injury they are healing from.

In these cases your Boston will give you soft kiss and lick your face just to assure you they are healing or it’s a way for them to share how they are feeling.

Redirect Unwanted Kisses

The majority of Boston Terrier owners love their dog’s kisses. But sometimes you want the love fest to end.

Let’s say your dog is getting a little obsessive compulsive, you can end the kiss session by saying thank you, and then:

• Redirecting to a kiss
• Move your head away so that they no longer have access to your face.
• Move your head down and turn it into a hug
• Redirect into a command so say thank you, ask them to sit and then give them praise when they do.

Some people break out in hives when their Boston Terrier kisses them. In this case, investigate and try a different food. In some cases might help you from breaking out.

Some Things I’ve Tried That Did Not Work To Stop Her From Licking Me

I tried bitter apple on my legs when Zoey was chasing me around after a shower. It didn’t work.

A friend of mine watched her when I went on a business trip and tried lemon. That didn’t help either.

What About The Germs?

Granted our Boston Terriers are dogs and they could have picked up something from outside or been licking their rear end.

If it’s obvious to you that, that is what they just did then don’t let them lick your face or keep your mouth closed anytime they do kiss you.

I will say I’ve never heard, in all my years, anyone say they caught an illness from their pup kissing them.

And out of curiosity I thought I’d look up reported cases. In the past year, there have been 12 cases reported to the CDC in which people have gotten sick from a bacteria carried in the dog’s saliva. In those cases, the bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus was the culprit. This particular bacteria is found in both dogs and cats and is harmless to them.

And Funny Enough – It’s Really Not Just a Boston Terrier Thing

Even though this blog is about Boston Terriers, plenty of dogs LOVE to give their moms and dads kisses.

So I thought I’d ask our friends to send me photos of their pups kissing them.

Below is our friend Elaine being showed kisses by Shadow and in the photo after her’s is Lindsey loving on her family dog.

Final Thoughts

It’s well known that Boston Terriers love to lick your face and give you kisses. It’s their way to show you affection, love, to say thank you, to tell you something or to investigate.

It’s not a bad thing that they do this. Boston Terriers and dogs in general, can be licking machines.

For the most part the licks and kisses are welcome. But if you’re looking to break this habit, instead of telling them off, redirect and covert what triggers it – to a new one.

As always, thank you for stopping by and reading our blog posts. Want to connect on social? Find us on Instagram: @maggielovesorbit

Did you like this article?  Here are more about Boston Terriers

Why Are Boston Terriers so Gassy?

How To Get Ready For a Boston Terrier Puppy

Are Boston Terriers Born With Tails?

Should I Get A Second Boston Terrier?

Boston Terrier Lifespans

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hello, my name is Hannah and I dance with my dogs.

I am a Boston Terrier Breed Advocate.  I started this blog because there isn’t enough space to tell our story on our Instagram.

My mission is to bring Boston Terrier dog parents the best, most accurate information to help your dogs live happier, healthier lives.

I have two Boston Terriers of my own. Maggie is my socially awkward heart dog while Orbit is my shadow and soul dog.