Here’s Why Dogs Often Sniff Each Other’s Butts

We often chuckle when we see our pet dogs sniffing each other’s butts. However, if we understand the science behind it, we’d probably be more impressed than grossed out by the act.

So why do our four-legged pals have that strange habit of smelling another’s rear end? Well there’s actually a lot of reasons.

First and foremost, it’s a form of greeting among dogs.

According to the Mental Floss website, a “butt sniff for dogs is like a handshake for humans.” Moreover, doing it allows dogs to discover a lot of interesting information about each other.

As the site explained in their post:

“Dogs’ amazing sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times better than humans. They also have a special part of their noses called the Jacobson’s organ that lets them ignore the smell of poop when they sniff another dog’s rear. Instead, the organ detects something more important. On the sides of a dog’s anus — the place where poop comes out — are special glands that release chemicals telling the body how to grow and work properly. This is what interests dogs the most about each other’s butts.”

“The chemicals tell dogs a lot about each other. They help a dog to know if another dog is male or female, how old it is, what it eats, how healthy it is, and even what kind of mood they’re in. The chemicals also help it to know if other dogs are strangers or if they’ve met before. All of this helps dogs decide how they should behave. It’s how dogs first get to know each other!”

Now watch this video to learn more:

So there you go, folks. As it appears, butt-sniffing is like doing a background check, detecting gender, knowing what the other dog had for breakfast, and much, much more.

It sure is impressive if you think about it but yes, we’re just glad we humans don’t do that.