Is there any meaning to that??  He ALWAYS licks my eyes and face... and grunts when he does it LOL!

Thanks, Nora!  That explains it.  It's not obsessive or anything, and I thought it may be something of an affection thing, but I didn't know it meant he perceived me as his caregiver...

Kaci is an obsessive licker to the other dogs, and I thought maybe that was a type of dominance or something like that?  Cuz he'll furiously lick then stand up and try to hump (usually it's Snoopy)... he's just a wacky boy!

This made me want to cry.  Sasha licked my legs constantly.  I think with her, it may have been partially obsessive, and it drove me crazy, but I'd like to think that she perceived ME as HER caregiver... cuz I tried to take care of her the best that I could...I sure miss that old girl...

Bethany,

There is nothing I HATE more than barfing!  LOL.. if that's what he's waiting for, he'll be waiting a LONG time!  LOL

Good discussion....aside from the barfing...

I currenly have a little foster girl, Alfy, who is rather OCD in her licking.  We've had her almost 2 weeks and finally she is starting to tone it down.  But she will lick me constantly, obsessively...face, hand, leg whatever she can get too.  She's very anxious, too, and a firm "no" would just make her cringe.  So I started gently placing her on the ground when she gets too licky....when she sits in my lap and doesn't lick she can stay.  I think she's finally getting the message. 

I like a doggie kiss but Alfy's behavior was just way over the top.  We assumed she was trying desparately to gain acceptance into our "pack" and was afraid of being abandoned again.  As she feels more secure she is licking less.  Also, I've found that sometimes when she does this if I start asking her to "sit" it gives her something to do and takes her mind off the incessant licking.

She also cleans Mayfly's and Beacan's ears and eyes....I think she lost puppies at some point or maybe had them taken away too young....

Now Bethany... you know you can't pick and choose only the best parts of an explanation....

Licking was a VERY interesting subject when I took the canine behavior course I took.   

Oftentimes, you'll see a dog lick the mouth (or some other part of the anatomy) of a more dominant dog as a sign of respect and/or submission.  He's communicating his submission to the more dominant dog.   They also groom each other by licking.   Outgoing, sociable dogs do more licking than dogs who are timid or shy.   Obsessive dogs that lick themselves non-stop can lick their fur off and even injure their skin.  I think we've all seen dogs who lick their paws obsessively.  This is a behavioral problem that may require veterinary intervention.  More often than not, however, licking is a sign of affection and closeness.

As a side note... when you are exercising your dog, watch the tongue.  If it becomes "thick" and the dog is panting, you need to stop.  A dog's tongue is a heat regulator of sorts.  If a dog cannot cool its tongue... they cannot cool their body.  Please remember this!  Just happened to think about that as I was typing this.