Is it normal? Understand why wont my dog lick me!

Okay, so, like, my dog is the cutest thing ever, right? But the little dude just wouldn't lick me. It bugged me! I see all these videos of dogs showering their owners with love, and mine just...stares. So I decided I needed to get to the bottom of this, no more dry greetings for me!

Operation: Get Some Doggy Kisses

First, I observed. When did he not lick me? Pretty much...always. But I noticed he'd lick his paws, toys, sometimes even the darn floor! So, clearly, the ability was there, just not the desire. Ouch.

Next, I hit up the internet. I read a bunch of stuff, some of it pretty weird. Like, maybe my lotion tasted bad? (I mean, I hope so, that's not good for him!) Or maybe he just wasn't a "licky" dog. But I wasn't buying that last one.

Then, I tried some stuff. I started small. I cut out the fragranced lotions and hand soaps for a week. Did it work? Absolutely no. So he could tolerate this.

• The "Taste Test" (sort of): I put a tiny bit of peanut butter on my hand. He went for it, then looked at me like, "Okay, more?" Still no spontaneous licks, though.
• The "Ignore Him" Tactic: I read that maybe I was giving him too much attention, so I tried being aloof. Let me tell you, that was the longest 10 minutes of my life. Zero licks. My dog just looked like lonely, and i felt so bad.
• The "Playtime Pounce": I figured maybe if we were playing and he was all excited, he'd get carried away and...lick. Nope. Just lots of playful nips and happy barks. Fun, but not what I was going for.

I was starting to get discouraged, but that night after playing, I had let my dog to sleep beside me, and I started to pat him and said "good boy" softly. Guess what? A quick little lick! Right on my hand! I nearly jumped out of my skin. I praised him like crazy, and he did it again! It was very short, but it was awesome!

So, it turns out, maybe it wasn't about grand gestures or weird tricks. Maybe he just needed to feel super relaxed and secure. It's still a work in progress, and it's not like he's giving me full-on face baths or anything, but those little, sleepy licks? I'll take 'em. It's our little thing now, and it's perfect.