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Ever noticed how when you take your dog for a walk or let them out into the yard to do their business, they will have a good sniff around before they find the perfect place for a pee? Kinda funny, right?
To us humans, this may seem like strange behavior, but for dogs this is a totally normal and instinctual action. Scent marking is one of the most common traits of not only dogs, but most animals, wild or otherwise. Dogs will mark their scent by peeing (or even pooping) to leave a trail of their odor, and this can be for a number of reasons; to mark their territory or give a warning to other dogs, or even let others dogs know that they are in heat and ready to mate!
In this blog we’ll take a closer look at the reasons why dogs sniff before they pee, what these behaviors mean and why they do them.
So, why do dogs sniff before they pee? This can be for many reasons, one of the most common being is to check that another dog hasn’t been there before them, or to check to see if the area is a safe one for them to do their business in.
Let’s take a further look at why dogs sniff before they pee:
When your dog sniffs before peeing, this is most likely down to their animal instinct. Dogs tend to make sense of the world through their noses, their sense of smell being their most heightened and prevalent compass. Pups will often mark their territory with their scent (urine) as a way of communicating with other dogs. Doing this is their way of leaving a message for other dogs who then use their keen sense of smell to gather information about who and what has been there before them.
These territorial messages that are passed through scent can mean a whole host of things. They could scent mark as a warning to other dogs to make them stay away from their territory, or a female dog may mark her scent to let surrounding dogs know that she is in heat and looking for a potential mate.
Sniffing around on the ground before they pee could also be a sign that your dog is trying to identify another dog who has been there before them. Pups’ noses are extremely attuned to new smells and particularly those of other canines or animals.
By being able to identify the scent of another animal they can ensure that they are not encroaching on the territory of an unfamiliar threat or danger. This is one of the ways in which dogs keep themselves safe when out and about; this behavior may be particularly present when out on walks or in unknown places, as more animals will have passed through, resulting in a lot more interesting scents to smell!
And it isn’t always a negative or fearful experience, it can be exciting and intriguing for dogs to catch the scent of other dogs, particularly if the dog is of the opposite sex.
Back in the days before being domesticated, dogs would roam wild and had to find ways of keeping themselves healthy and safe without the influence of humans or medicine. One of the very clever ways that they could check the state of their health was by sniffing their urine or feces to see if anything was amiss.
A dog’s sense of smell is ultra powerful, being able to sniff out things that we as humans can’t even imagine. Dogs have even been known to be able to sniff out cancer on humans and other animals, and medical assistance and service dogs are highly trained to recognise medical symptoms and emergencies using their highly developed senses.
By sniffing around during toilet time, our dogs can keep a close check on their health and can then give signs to their pet-parent if they feel that something is wrong.
Last but certainly not least, one of the most prevalent reasons why a dog might sniff around before or after they pee is to maintain a level of security and safety from outside threats.
With instincts hailing from their wild wolf ancestors, dogs are pack animals who know the true meaning of keeping everyone safe and secure against the dangers of the outside world. In the wild, a dog’s sharp sense of smell would have been it’s main defense against predators and threats, sniffing out the scent of other species or rival packs being paramount to a pack’s survival, and which often could mean the difference between life and death, shelter, food and security of their bloodlines.
These instincts remain today in the nature of domesticated dogs, and while the stakes are much lower, they still feel a great need to protect their territory and their pack - dog, human or otherwise.
So, what have we learnt?
Dogs will present sniffing behaviors predominantly as a way of navigating the world around them; keeping an eye (nose) out for other dogs that my pose either threat or the potential of a mate, they may do it to ensure that they are peeing in a safe and unmarked area, as a way of keeping themselves protected or even to check the state of their health.
Our pups never fail to amaze us with their instinctual skills and quirks, and as pet-parents it is our job to love and care for our fur babies as they discover the world in their own unique ways.
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