To Lick or Not to Lick? That is the question!

My little Sydney is a licker!  Sometimes we have to make her stop because she tends to go a little overboard with the licking!  She's being affectionate and yet curious by licking.  I even taught her a cute little trick when she was a puppy in regards to her licking... I would say in an excited voice, "I love you!" and she would give me doggy kisses!  Once she caught on to the excited tone of my voice and the words"I love you," she would do it all the time.

Her giving a lot of kisses did not seem like a problem until the baby came home.

I've been debating on whether or not to let her continue licking as a sign of affection.  I don't want Taylor exposed to any unnecessary germs, but yet I don't want to alter a part of Sydney's personality either.

I have been doing my best to let Sydney lick the baby on the arms and legs, but not the hands or mouth.  I might even let her lick the baby's cheeks, but not the mouth.  Sometimes Syd seems to know which parts she can lick, but sometimes she gets too excited and forgets.  This usually results in a "Ah-ah!" from me to get her attention to stop.

But I want to know if the dog licking is really harmful to the baby.  My mom always says, "The dog licks her behind and then licks you!"  Perhaps that image is a little disgusting.

I've been doing a lot of Google searches on the topic of dogs licking a baby, and so far, it seems as if it is okay for the dog to lick as long as:

• The dog is healthy with no illnesses that could be passed.
• The dog does not drink out of the toilet, eat feces or any other thing that would have a lot of bacteria.
• The dog is taught not to lick the baby's mouth and maybe even the hands and fingers since babies put their fingers in their mouths frequently.

Should the dog lick the baby's fingers, clean them with soap and water.  Try to do it quickly before junior or little miss decides to put them in his or her mouth!  Same for the mouth... clean it with a warm, wet wash cloth.  But it's best to train the dog not to lick the baby's fingers or face (at least mouth).

The theory that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's seems to be true as well.  A human's bite contains more bacteria than a dog's bite, which means more chances of infection.  (Again, going on the assumption that the dog is healthy and has updated vaccinations and no contagious diseases that might be passed to a human.)  But this does not mean the dog's mouth is 100% sanitary either.  So, if you're apprehensive about the dog licking the baby, you may be better off training the dog not to do it.  However, I think you know your dog better than anyone, and you'll know whether your dog will be a "safe" licker or not.  Limits may need to be set on licking, such as where on the body to lick and whether or not the dog can lick just a little bit or if it's okay to let them lick away.

I'm still looking into the licking issue, so if I find out any more, I will post it.