Ever had this experience? When greeting a dog, instead of kissing you, it runs over and sniffs your private area... This is actually quite common behavior for dogs!
We got some answers from Dr. Vanessa Spano, a New York-based pet behavior research expert. We all know that dogs have a very keen sense of smell and can obtain a lot of information about their environment through smelling. "They can detect 1/1000th of the substances that humans can perceive," allowing them to understand the people or other dogs they interact with. But why sniff "there"?
Dr. Spano says, "The groin area of humans contains a type of scent gland called the 'apocrine gland,' which secretes odors like sweat. Dogs use this olfactory information to remember specific people if they meet them more than once." Basically, it's the same concept as dogs smelling each other's butts.
What to do when a dog sniffs your private area?
Dr. Spano suggests not scolding or being fierce with the dog at this time. "Never blame a dog for displaying behavior that is natural to them. Although for some people, this behavior of dogs is really embarrassing because it is not something we innately do. However, dogs are biologically designed to obtain information in this way."
She also suggests redirecting their attention instead of scolding them. "Have your dog pay attention to other things that also have strong smells to satisfy their natural curiosity about smells."
