Is it weird that my dog always aggressively sniffs my crotch?
- This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 4 months, 3 weeks ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
My dog gets super pushy when it comes to smelling people’s crotches. It’s becoming a bit embarrassing for me because he does this to everyone. It’s to the point where people have asked me to put him in his crate when they come over because they don’t want to have this happen. He is very sweet, but shoving his face in people’s privates is no way to socialize. I know this is somewhat normal for dogs, but mine seems very focused on it. Why would he be doing this, and how can I discourage the crotch-sniffing behavior?
-
Hello. This is a great question and an awkward situation to be in. Sniffing crotches is normal behavior for dogs, but that does not mean we like it. It’s important to remember that dogs get a lot of information about their surroundings through scent. So they are more sensitive to smells than we are. Dogs sniff crotches and butts due to the pheromones that we release. The glands that release the pheromones are more prominent in the genital and armpit area for humans. Your pup sniffs your crotch to get information from those pheromones. We cover this in much more detail in this article about dogs sniffing crotches and this article about why dogs like to sniff butts.
You can work to train your pup not to do this to you and other people. It will take some time and consistency. Try teaching your dog to sit before you greet him. You can also redirect his attention by holding out your fist so he smells that first before going to the crotch. When your pup smells your hand, reward him with a treat. This can help train him to keep away from your more sensitive areas. While asking visitors to do the same may be awkward, it’s a lot less embarrassing than feeling like your pup is invading people’s personal space. You may want to try starting out the visit with him in his crate or another room and then slowly introducing him to people, using the method of having him smell their hands first. If you cannot make any progress, it is a good idea to talk to a professional trainer. Even just a few sessions can be a great help when it comes to understanding your pup’s behavior and taking the right steps to change it. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.