Woman Explains Why You Should Never Turn Your Dog Away When They Lick you

A video of a dachshund licking his owner has racked up more than 23 million likes on Instagram.

The video shows 2-year-old Ollie licking his owner Amy James Aguiñaga while she drives. The text layered over the heartwarming footage urges people to look at the bigger picture before getting "irritated" with their dog for licking them.

An excerpt from the text says: "[Licking] releases hormones that soothe and relaxes them, giving them a sense of security and helps them bond with you."

The 25-year-old told Newsweek: "Dogs use licking to greet and show affection, so my husband and I never turn our dogs away when they want to lick."

So far, the adorable clip posted to @olliemeetworld has amassed more than 890,000 likes since it was shared on September 2.

Aguiñaga, who has three long-haired sausage dogs told Newsweek that she and her partner noticed Ollie wasn't a "big fan of car rides" as a pup. She explained he used to lick whoever he could when they were in the car—but he never did it in the house.

The social media and marketing coordinator told Newsweek: "It clicked for me that he was just looking for some security."

"Ollie grew out of this habit pretty quickly and now just licks us as a greeting or sign of affection, but it is not continuous or anything out of the ordinary," she added, "If it gets to be too much will we say 'OK, all done' and then they stop as prompted."

Previously, Newsweek spoke to Dr. Mary Burch, a certified applied animal behaviorist who is the director of the American Kennel Club's Family Dog program.

She said: "Licking can be a sign of affection. It might also give a dog a feeling of security and comfort, just as the dog had when licked by its mother in the litter."

Other reasons include wanting personal space and craving salt.

People have slightly salty skin, especially after engaging in physical activities, so when a dog licks you, the pet may just be after the salt on your skin, Burch explained.

Aguiñaga told Newsweek: "I posted that video because I felt like it was beneficial for me to understand the reasoning behind my dogs' behavior and therefore might be beneficial to others as well.

"Although if neurotic, licking can become a problematic behavior, but it is still good to understand so that you can try to help them overcome whatever the cause of the behavior is.

"In Ollie's case, he was just getting used to the car rides and needed some extra security. That was an indication that we needed to desensitize him to the car more to help him build more confidence."

The popular post has received plenty of comments, one user said: "When a dog licks you, it can be a sign of affection and bonding. Dogs often lick their owners to show love, seek attention, or communicate their happiness."

"People that get irritated by this shouldn't have dogs....get a fish," suggested another.

One user asked: "Who the hell gets irritated by dog licks?"

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.