If you have ever had it happen to you, it may have left you feeling a bit surprised and your privacy invaded. If a dog comes over and sniffs your crotch in front of everyone in the room, it may leave you asking the question, why do dogs like to sniff crotches?
Is This Natural Behavior?
Though it has likely made you uncomfortable, your crotch-sniffing dog is acting out a completely normal canine behavior.
His plan is to use that keen nose of his to gather as much information as possible about you. He can’t ask you questions, but with a sniff, he can learn a lot about you and in some cases what your body is currently going through.
Possessing up to 250 million scent receptors, a dog’s nose is truly its superpower. Some dogs have even been trained to detect certain types of cancer in humans.
Why Some Dogs Sniff Crotches
It is curious to wonder why dogs focus on that particular area of the body to sniff around. As it turns out, our apocrine glands are the cause. Located in the groin and armpits, the high-protein sweat produced by the apocrine glands is easily detected by dogs.
Is It for the Same Reason that Dogs Sniff Each Other’s Butts?
It is a different gland that is found when dogs sniff each other’s butts. They are searching for each other’s anal glands to learn as much as they can about one another.
By sniffing each other’s rears, the dogs can figure out if they have met before, what they have been eating, and where they have been.
Stopping Your Dog From Sniffing People’s Crotches
If your dog’s behavior has become an embarrassment to you and your guests, here are a few things for you to try out.
Ask your guests to extend their open hand out to the dog first, if they have never met him before. This will give your dog the opportunity to sniff their hand first instead of going straight for their crotch.
If you have taught your dog to ‘sit and stay’, you are on the right track to stopping them before they can crotch sniff. Giving your dog high-value treats is also helpful.
One technique you can use is called targeting your fist. It is by presenting your fist to your dog at their level. Use a clicker and praise your dog when they move toward your fist. Then they get a treat for sniffing your fist.
Takeaway
If your dog has just invaded the personal space of one of your guests, remember that your canine is acting out in his normal instinctive behavior. A bit of patience and training can keep this scenario from repeating itself.
