Does this happen to you all? For all of you that have experienced this, it's a little embarrassing! When my parents come to visit both my dogs do this and I have to go on and on about why and what's behind it all.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) helped us define this behavior so we could break it down for you all! First, they're just learning about you and saying hello. This seems like a rather rude way to greet someone but they learn a lot immediately.
We all know that a dog's nose is amazing. Here's a fun fact!
"A dog's nose has two functions—one for smell and one for respiration. According to Nappier, a canine's nose has the ability to separate air. A portion goes directly to the olfactory sensing area (which distinguishes scents), while the other portion is dedicated to breathing."
Dogs can smell up to 100,000 times better than a human. So why the crotch sniffing? It's all about the sweat glands.
What to do if your dog sniffs your crotch
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Is it that simple? The AKC tells us that these glands release pheromones that convey all different types of information such as age, sex, mood and if a mammal is able to mate.
"Dogs have apocrine glands all over their bodies, but the highest concentration is found in the genitals and anus, hence why they sniff each other's butts."
Hounds are more likely to do this than other breeds. So it's no wonder my two hounds are guilty.
We have another amazing fact for you!
Fun fact: A dog's ability to smell pheromones means they may be able to tell when a woman is ovulating. In his book, How Dogs Think, Stanley Coren, PhD., DSc., FRSC writes about how Australian Shepherds were trained to sniff out cows that had just ovulated.
Since this behavior is like small talk for dogs, we're choosing to give our guests (my parents) treats so they can make my hounds sit for treats and now that is the fist behavior rather than a crotch sniff.
Have your dogs done this to guests? Please leave a comment and let us know what you did!
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