{"id":13520,"date":"2013-09-04T10:29:16","date_gmt":"2013-09-04T14:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts.html"},"modified":"2017-11-08T13:17:29","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T18:17:29","slug":"why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do dogs smell other dogs’ butts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is one of those
\ncommon dog behaviors that dogs regularly perform but that offends humans or
\ngrosses us out.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there is still much
\nresearch to be conducted in this area, the reason why dogs do this is largely
\nbelieved to be a means of getting information.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since a dog can’t walk up
\nto another with a, “Yo, what’s up? My name is Rufus and I’m a Leo” comment, it
\nbecomes crucial for them to gain familiarity with other dogs in a manner that
\nis acceptable and effective. And the most useful method appears to be sticking
\ntheir noses up another dog’s rear end. This much we know for certain.<\/span><\/p>\n

What information they glean
\nfrom such behavior is the part that is still up in the air, although we have
\nsome educated guesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

The data gathered is
\nlargely thought to be related to the age of the other dog, its sex, whether or
\nnot the dog is in heat, and even its most recent meal.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

You may be wondering,
\nwhat’s the point? Other than being nosy (pun intended) why do they need to
\ngather any information at all? Why not just start playing?<\/span><\/p>\n

First, learning as much as
\nthey can may help a dog determine if the interaction is likely to be a friendly
\none or not. Second, the mating rituals of dogs also indicate that this is part
\nof the process of mating since it allows a male to determine if a bitch is
\nready to mate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another benefit (if you
\ncan call rump sniffing a benefit) is that the act of smelling or sniffing can
\nhave a very calming and soothing effect on the dog doing the smelling and it’s
\nnot uncommon for a dog to be slightly stressed upon meeting a new dog.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because sniffing rear is
\nsuch a crucial part of introduction it’s not always advisable to discourage
\nyour dog from doing it, as many of us do. A dog that has not had the
\nopportunity to meet a strange dog properly can be weary of any interaction with
\nthat dog and this may not be a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, not every dog takes
\nwell to being sniffed out. Sometimes the dog doing the sniffing can be a bit
\noverzealous and come on too strong, like a drunken date. It’s always a good
\nidea to keep an eye on your dog when he or she goes through this routine,
\nwhether your dog is the smeller or smellee.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, when you come
\nacross a dog who tries to sniff your crotch he’s likely trying to gather the
\nsame information about you. Try not to be too embarrassed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Also, if you found this helpful please share it. Others may benefit from the info. Thanks. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is one of those common dog behaviors that dogs regularly perform but that offends humans or grosses us out. While there is still much research to be conducted in this area, the reason why dogs do this is largely…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\r\nWhy do dogs smell other dogs' butts? - Tails In The City: A Saratoga Dog Training Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do dogs smell other dogs' butts? - Tails In The City: A Saratoga Dog Training Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is one of those common dog behaviors that dogs regularly perform but that offends humans or grosses us out. While there is still much research to be conducted in this area, the reason why dogs do this is largely...\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tails In The City: A Saratoga Dog Training Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-09-04T14:29:16+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-08T18:17:29+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Armando Morales\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Armando Morales\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/\",\"name\":\"Why do dogs smell other dogs' butts? - Tails In The City: A Saratoga Dog Training Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-04T14:29:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-08T18:17:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/#\/schema\/person\/f0f45f6ae61dbac495ee8385ddaf4e7d\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/2013\/09\/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-butts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why do dogs smell other dogs’ butts?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/\",\"name\":\"Tails In The City: A Saratoga Dog Training Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/#\/schema\/person\/f0f45f6ae61dbac495ee8385ddaf4e7d\",\"name\":\"Armando Morales\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/dog-tails\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c06559a1ee33ce1981523ba3f77bceac?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c06559a1ee33ce1981523ba3f77bceac?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Armando Morales\"},\"description\":\"As a child, I would walk the streets of Brooklyn feeding stray dogs potato chips and crackers (one of them bit me, hard). This didn\u2019t stop me from developing a intense interest in all things related to dogs and hoping that someday I\u2019d have a dog pack of my own. I found my way to Saratoga Springs 9 years ago and never bothered looking back. Having firmly planted roots in the region I now play the role of business owner, dog wrangler, and family man. Michelle and I are raising three girls, three dogs, and a disrespectful cat, all in the same household. Other than an obvious interest in dog training and behavior, I\u2019m also big on fitness, writing, reading, and traveling (which I rarely get to do these days). My keen love of animals, particularly dogs, lies in understanding the psychology behind their behaviors and in exploring the many ways that we can form stronger relationships with our pets. To this end, I try to keep abreast of the latest information relating to training, behavior, and nutrition. 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