dog breeds that start with l

you may have heard a lot about how dogs have an incredibly keen sense of smell, and it’s true. an average dog’s nose is anywhere between ten thousand to one hundred thousand times more sensitive that yours. so how can dogs with their super sense of smell be so interested in their k9 compatriot’s rear ends? well folks, the answer is more complex and interesting thank you think.

when a dog smells another dog’s butt, it’s actually collecting a bunch of information about the other dog – its diet, its gender, its emotional state and so on. think of it kind of like speaking with chemicals. in fact, this butt-sniffing action is just one of many examples of chemical communication in the animal kingdom. but what chemicals are packed in a fido’s rear end

and where do they come from? we talked to dr. george preti of the monell chemical senses center in philadelphia. dr. preti currently studies the complexity of human body odors and pheromones. but back in 1975, he was on the cutting edge of dog butts science. he and his team of researchers examined the anal secretions of dogs and wild coyotes.

so on both sides of sparky’s back door is a stinky, small pouch called an anal sac. this sac houses glands that excrete the chemicals dogs use to get to know each other. the apocrine gland is most responsible for that “dog smell”, but the sebaceous glands also play a part. petri discovered the primary chemical compounds that produce a dog’s aroma are trimethylamine and a host of short chain acids.

as you might expect, anal sac secretions have a very powerful, sharp odor as a result of the acids inside. but a dog’s genetics, diet, and the current state of their immune system can all influence this aroma through chemical changes in the secretions. you’d think the smell of dog poop would overpower rover’s sensitive snout. but dogs have a second olfactory system in their hyper-sensitive nose called the jacobson’s organ.

the organ is designed specifically for chemical communication. it has its own set of nerves that lead directly to the brain, so there’s absolutely no interference from other odors. the same organ is used when a dog sniffs a fire hydrant, or anywhere else there happens to be dog pee. so, there you have it folks. your precious pet isn’t obsessed with other dog’s butts per say.

they’re just getting to know each other in a professional aromatic way. hey speaking of aroma, you should check out this video on why bacon smells so good, because bacon is to people, as butts are to dogs. thanks for watching folks, don’t forget to subscribe and we’ll see you again soon.