Why do dogs sniff each other

Ours are in our armpits and — you guessed it — our crotches. As we've seen, dogs will head for the easy-access smell, which results in the always unwanted crotch sniff. Dogs will more often sniff the crotches of people they don't know in order to get to know them better, which does not make it one bit less awkward. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close.

Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Family Dogs. Dogs routinely sniff each other's butts. For humans, these glands are concentrated in the armpits and genitals.

Scent hounds, such as Bloodhounds , Basset Hounds , and Beagles are more likely to sniff at crotches due to a highly-tuned sense of smell. This is because those people are excreting a higher level of pheromones.

So even when a dog is familiar with their owner, if that owner is menstruating or just had a baby, they are letting off a different smell and the dog wants to know why. This method, which is reportedly easier than other ways to predict ovulation in livestock, has helped ranchers breed cows during their short breeding window.

While it is not definitively proven that dogs can detect ovulation in humans, they can at least sense changes in their owners. If your dog is an avid crotch sniffer, consider making sure that when a guest enters the house, they present your dog with their hand or fist to sniff first.

This gives the dog something else to focus on besides a crotch. With a fist, the dog can still gather information on the new human without getting up close and very personal. You can also train your dog to sit when someone new enters the house. AKC Scent Work is a sport that mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate to the handler that the scent has been found.

It's just canine nature. However, dog owners should discourage this behavior. If your dog is crotch-sniffing someone, please redirect him somewhere else! Otherwise, you may find that people really dislike your dog. If both dogs are healthy, well-socialized, and supervised, it's actually a good idea to let them "sniff it out" as much as they want provided each dog is tolerating it well. Dogs may actually be less likely to fight if they take an adequate amount of "getting-to-sniff-you" time with one another.

However, some dogs may get intense with the sniffing while other dogs need their personal space. Watch the behavior and body language of all dogs. If one dog is overdoing it and the other dog seems annoyed or stresses, then the owners should call their dogs away. Also, it's ideal to let dogs meet and play in pairs. Dogs are more likely to get overexcited in groups, which can lead to fights. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. But why do dogs sniff each other's butts? Butt-sniffing is a way for dogs to get to know one another.

It feels a bit like investigative reporting, really. Dogs are made up a bit differently than humans and smell receptors are a big part of who they are. This tells your dog if their friend is a male or female, young or old, healthy or sick, to breed or not to breed, and much more — including if they have met before! However, butt-sniffing is NOT the only source of information gathering that your dog uses when interacting with other canines.

They have some pretty great tools at their disposal.