Butt sniffing is how dogs gather information about each other and it’s not only normal, it’s a necessary part of how dogs greet each other.

Gross, right? Well, not to them. The hormones excreted by the glands surrounding their genitalia offer much information about the dog and we need to just get over it. It’s a dogs version of a hand shake. A dog

A dog’s nose is much more sensitive than ours to the tune of between 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive. Greetings involve smelling each others’ butts offering very important information through this form of communication. It’s how dogs learn about another dog’s diet, gender, and emotional state. So when you’re dog is smelling another dog like in the image below we need to allow them to do their thing.

However, some dogs can go overboard in their zeal for getting to know another dog and in this case keen observation of both dogs, the sniffer and the sniffee will go a long way in making our dogs more comfortable.

This image is one of 60 images on the Dog Decoder smartphone app teaching you about dog body language. It’s colorfully and lovingly illustrated by Lili Chin of Doggie Drawings. Learning how to read dogs is a great way to ensure the comfort and safety of our dogs.

The app is available in iTunes and Google play, so get yours now. Your dog will be glad you did.