Why do dogs sniff your crotch? Experts explain this awkward canine behaviour

Dogs sure have their share of quirks. Some make our hearts melt with their splayed-out splooting and goofy doggy smiles. Other dog behaviour has us cringing with embarrassment and wondering why dogs hump or sniff other dogs’ butts. Even more awkward is this question: why do dogs sniff your crotch?

We’ve all been there: we’re saying hello to an adorable puppy when – boom! – its nose is in a place we’d rather it not be. Or just as embarrassing, we watch in horror as our dog’s smell-seeking missile gets up close and personal with someone’s crotch. Cute as a dog’s facial expression may be just before it goes for the goods, this isn’t a behaviour you really want to witness.

So why exactly do dogs do this, and can dog training help curb the behaviour? We talked to veterinarians and canine behaviour experts to find out.

Dogs are curious by nature, and they use their noses to gather all kinds of intel on humans, animals and their environment. “For them, it’s a way of life,” says veterinarian Vernard Hodges. “Dogs have a phenomenal sense of smell, and that crotch sniff is just another tool they use to get to know us.”

But why do dogs sniff your crotch area specifically? Simply put, it’s the most accessible location for a dog. They detect pheromones, which are chemical signals produced by apocrine (sweat) glands located primarily in the groin and armpits of humans. Both areas of the body convey an abundance of information, such as your age, sex, mood and health issues, but the crotch just happens to be a lot easier for our four-legged friends to access than the armpit.

Still, the inner workings of the nose are quite impressive, thanks to Jacobson’s organ. It’s located on the roof of the mouth, with ducts that open to both the nose and the mouth, allowing for optimal sniffing abilities.

“Jacobson’s organ contains millions of special olfactory receptors, which capture odourants, allowing for enhanced scent detection,” says veterinarian Hilary Wheeler. “A dog’s nose is anywhere from 100,000 to 1 million times more sensitive than a human nose, but some breeds, such as Bloodhounds, have noses that are 10 to 100 million times more sensitive than ours.”

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Pregnancy-sniffing dogs probably won’t be replacing pregnancy tests anytime soon. “Dogs can’t smell pregnancy, per se. What they can smell is a change in our bodies that can be due to hormones,” says veterinarian Deianira Smith. “Pregnancy, or perhaps other health issues, can alter the smell of someone, so that may be the cause of the excessive sniffing in an area of the human body.”

Your dog doesn’t single out a particular health issue, but it does pick up on the change in pheromones and the change in odours that occur during ovulation, a monthly period, pregnancy and even recent childbirth. Still, a diagnosis-sniffing dog isn’t a far-fetched prospect. “There have been some isolated studies researching dogs’ ability to be trained to detect specific health conditions, including the imminent onset of a seizure, blood glucose or blood pressure changes, and the presence of certain types of cancer,” adds Dr Wheeler.

It’s an awkward thing to experience, and kind of embarrassing if your dog is doing the sniffing. But the good news, crotch sniffing is a 100% natural behaviour.

When you think about it, crotch sniffing isn’t all that different from dogs sniffing one another’s butts to say hello and gather information about their age, gender and reproductive status. Since dogs consider humans part of their pack, the urge to sniff crotches is likely an instinctual way to greet humans.

“When a dog sniffs a person’s crotch, they are simply trying to gather information about that person and communicate with them in their own way,” says Bradley Phifer, a certified professional dog trainer and behaviour consultant.

This is why your dog likes to sniff another dog’s butt

Rarely. Most of the time, dogs use their noses to get information: I smell hamburgers! My human is feeling blue. The neighbour’s dog is in heat.

That said, occasionally, crotch sniffing could signify an issue. “At times, sniffing may indicate that the dog is stressed or unsure of a situation,” says Heidi Meinzer, a professional dog trainer.

A more likely scenario is that your dog learned that crotch sniffing is acceptable behaviour. “If you continually allow your dog to greet house guests with a crotch sniff, you may be inadvertently reinforcing the behaviour,” she says. “An easy way to ensure that your dog greets guests more appropriately is to teach your dog an incompatible behaviour, like sitting politely to greet people.”

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The goal is to interrupt the dog the moment before the crotch sniffing starts.

“The authentic approach is to recreate your dog’s triggers in order to have rehearsals of a successful outcome,” says dog trainer Ivan Petersel. “For example, if guests coming over is a trigger, then you’ll need to recreate that experience in order to give the dog repetitions. Dogs need repetition in order to learn.”

As Meinzer mentioned, you can train your dog to do something else, such as “sit” or “leave it,” when they zone in on the crotch area. But that might not work for all dogs, especially if crotch sniffing is an established habit or they are easily excited and enthusiastic to greet you or your visitors.

“From the dog’s perspective, sniffing a crotch is either rewarding or not rewarding. I use many ways to communicate to a dog that sniffing a crotch is not appropriate,” says Petersel. You don’t have to decide on a single method. In many cases, all the methods may work, depending on whether you’re at home or on a dog walk.

Use the “place” command: Set up a mat, dog bed or elevated cot so your dog has somewhere to go when you use the “place” dog command.

Redirect your dog: When you see that your dog is sniffing the air or about to make direct contact with the crotch area, toss high-value treats onto the ground, away from the person.

Keep it moving: Tell your guests to keep moving when they come in. Typically, guests freeze once they get through the doorway, but this may feel like an invitation for your furry pal to sniff.

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Source: RD.com