Dog Tongues are not just for Licking.

Our doggies are just the best things on earth.  Every dog lover would agree and we can't wait to see our little furry buddies when we get home. And even though it is slightly gross, we can't help but enjoy a few doggy kisses and the occasional (or frequent) lick. But other than for saying hello with a cheeky lick, your dog's tongue does a whole heap of other interesting things that you may never have known about.

Dog's use their tongue in a whole range of ways.  Even when they are not licking, eating or drinking, a dog can use his tongue to create a different sound of bark, quite like the way our own tongues can change the way that we speak and how our words sound.  You've all see the awesome Youtube video's of the slow motion dog drinking water, and the interesting way the tongue can scoop up at the end.  And a dog also uses their tongue for eating, cooling their body and helping to swallow.  So a dog's tongue is a pretty cool thing. Just one cute wet muscle that is controlled by nerve fibres. 

So what are all the cool things that a dog's tongue can do?

• It is an indicator of whether they are nervous or anxious

• Tongues are like a trip to the dentist

• Using a tongue to get noticed

• When your dog needs to sweat
  

When it gets hot and you are a skin covered human, you break into a sweat so that the breeze on your skin can keep your body cool.  Not so for the canines.  The only place you will find a lot of sweat glands on a dog is on their paws. Kinda weird.  And also not very helpful for keeping the whole furry body cool in the heat.  So because dogs don't have sweat glands, they use their tongues to release the heat and keep their bodies at a steady temperature.  If your doggy has just been for a big walk, or a run or spent some time playing fetch, the panting is just them having a good sweat to cool down. 

So as you can see, a dogs tongue is a pretty important organ in the life of your dog.  When you take your dog to the vet, they will do an examination of your dog's tongue to judge how healthy and fit your dog is. If your dog has white gums, different textures and colors, a really bad case of doggy breath, these can all be signs that your dog has some more serious health issues.  So even if your dog seems like they are the picture of health, never forget the regular vet check-ups to make sure your dog is in tip-top condition.