Why do canines engage in mutual butt-nipping?

We can all relate to the moment when our puppies start smelling each other’s bottoms and we have to stop and grin uncomfortably at another puppy parent.

It’s just another one of those peculiar habits that canines of all breeds share, and which we humans find hard to fathom. We all know that dogs have incredible noses, so why on earth would one of them put his or her powerful nose in another canine’s rear end?

Is it typical for dogs to sniff butts, and if so, why?

Why do dogs sniff each other’s butts?

To get to know one another, dogs will sniff one other’s butts; in doing so, they learn far more than we do while engaging in superficial conversation with a complete stranger. When meeting new people, humans usually extend a hand for a firm shake and a business card with contact information, while our dogs prefer a more intimate approach.

Strange as it may seem to us, dogs have no problem poking their noses into new friends’ butts as a means of greeting them, and they may learn a surprising amount about their new pals just by sniffing them.

I don’t understand why dogs smell butts when there are so many more pleasant places for them to sniff. Obviously that isn’t the most pleasant fragrance…

It’s a chemical calling card

This is why your dog sniffs your butts: that’s where the scents are. Therefore, we are not referring only to faeces and urine.

If you’re unlucky, you may have even had to empty your dog’s anal glands. These glands play an important role in canine communication and explain why dogs smell each other’s rear ends.

Both the apocrine and sebaceous glands, located on each side of the anus, release chemicals that carry your dog’s unique scent and a wealth of other information. When other dogs sniff your dog’s behind, they are picking up on the chemicals generated by these glands, as well as a wealth of other information about your dog.

There’s so much detail stored in these odours, that a dog can really detect the age of another dog, their gender and reproductive status, how healthy they are and their nutrition. It’s considered that a dog may even discern another dog’s attitude and personality from these scent messages!

As well as these glands sending out all that sniffy stuff, your dog has super-powered component of their nose called the Jacobson’s Organ. This is specialised to detecting these substances and isn’t used for any other form of scent. The Jacobson’s organ even has nerves attached directly to your dog’s brain, which means that while they’re sniffing another dog’s butt, they’re just taking in those chemicals and don’t get distracted by other odours like any poop stench left on their butt.

To further simplify things, it’s almost if a dog has a totally distinct sense of smell solely for smelling chemical messages from other animals and people. And they can learn everything there is to know about another dog simply by smelling them.

Our canine friends prefer to sniff their way around the world, and it’s hard to blame them; their sense of smell is up to 100,000 times more acute than ours.

So why do dogs sniff butts? So your dog can learn all about their new acquaintance through a chemical calling card hidden in the back.

It’s not a one-time thing

Everything has its own distinct fragrance for a dog. A simple table, for example, will carry the odours of the wood from which it was crafted, the varnish used, and even the meal you may have eaten there or the cat who may have rubbed up against it.

A dog’s acute sense of smell is like a stinky fingerprint; it can distinguish the scent of an individual human, dog, or other animal. This implies that dogs are able to distinguish between humans and other canines based on their scent alone. Similar to when you were a kid and could identify your jumper by its scent, except hundreds of times stronger!

Dogs have especially potent senses of smell in their anal glands, which are located in their butts. The back end is also where additional odour signs can be detected such as remnants of pee or vaginal secretions. Although it may sound revolting, the fluids and odours emanating from your dog’s rear end are all chemically identifiable.

It’s already incredible that a dog can recall odours so vividly and persistently, but the fact that they can do so for years is simply mind-boggling. Dogs can not only recall the dominant dog from an encounter years after the fact, but they may also remember other details of the encounter based on smell alone.

To put it in context, our sense of smell is among our most highly developed faculties, and it is the one most strongly associated with memory retention. Whatever it is, we can smell it, and it will instantly transport us back to a time and place we had long since forgotten. Since dogs’ sense of smell is so much more acute than that of humans, and since a larger portion of a dog’s brain is devoted to processing olfactory information, it is easy to believe that they would be able to recall a particular scent for a considerably longer period of time and with more clarity.

After all, a dog has 150 million olfactory receptors compared to a human’s piddly 5 million, and humans only employ 5% of our brains to interpret scent whereas a dog dedicates a staggering 30% of their brain capacity to evaluating odours.

Sniffing humans

Similarly to how they may smell the butt of another dog, a dog may occasionally try to sniff the crotch or butt of a human. Yet, this is not a pleasant experience and may be rather intimidating if the dog belongs to a stranger.

Your dog may have developed a terrible habit of sniffing in between people’s legs; to prevent this, you could try to redirect its attention. Stop them from leaping up and down and educate them to sit down. Get them to do something good, like “sit,” and then patiently wait for them to greet the other person while holding a reward in your hand. Then, as a reward for excellent behaviour, you may give your dog a tasty snack.

Should I let my dog sniff butts?

Dogs If your dog is well-behaved around other dogs, there’s no need to stop them from sniffing their butts. But, if both dogs are healthy and up-to-date on their vaccinations, there should be no need for concern when it comes to smelling butts.

Yet, not every dog has decent manners. Some dogs are content with a brief sniff then want to go on, while other other pups are more energetic and a bit demanding. As a matter of fact, some canines are completely deaf to the vocalisations of their canine counterparts and may even resort to bullying.

Some canines cannot be trusted among other dogs because they constantly barge into their territory. An impending conflict might break out if one dog is constantly invading the territory of the other.

You should always keep an eye on both dogs smelling each other and pay attention to their body language. And if either dog is getting a touch aggressive it’s time to get them back on the lead and encourage them away. If one dog tucks its tail, flattens its ears, or backs away, it’s a sign that they’re feeling uneasy and need some space.

If there are more than two dogs smelling each other, proceed with care. Some dogs get anxious or aggressive when they are among other dogs because they become overstimulated and overexcited when they are in a pack.

It’s okay if your dog isn’t a huge fan of butt sniffing. If your dog has little interest in sniffing the other canine around, you should not worry. Maybe your pup is more of a people person, or just isn’t in the mood to socialise that day. Nonetheless, it is always wise to see your vet or a behaviourist if you are worried about a sudden change in your dog’s behaviour.

So if you’ve ever thought “why do dogs sniff butts” and fretted whether or not you should be allowing your dog get so near and personal to another pup, never worry. Butt sniffing is entirely natural for puppers and now you know why they always shove their nose in another dog’s business!