ASK STEVE RAFE

I receive as many as 100 questions a month from dog owners and try to answer them all, without charge. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to refer owners to products or manuals in my catalog. This is usually due to the nature of the question, or the amount of information required for a proper response. Each month, I will answer a recent question of broad interest here. I may edit these questions to respect individual privacy, or for space or clarity reasons. Feel free to send your question directly to me at my e-mail address – rapport@comcast.net. Make sure you let me know you received this invitation from this site.

YOUR QUESTION:
I've heard all kinds of explanations for why dogs sniff people's mouths, sniff their own anal areas, and sneeze when meeting a person or another dog for the first time. What's your "take" on all of this?

RESPONSE:
Dogs process information primarily through scent -- with exceptions being sight-hounds. In the sinus cavity of dogs (and many other animals), there is an incredible "chemistry laboratory" called the vomeralnasal organ, or the Organ of Jacobsen. It was once thought that animals used it only to detect estrus. However, it is now given credit for processing a multitude of olfactory stimuli.

Some dogs jump up to sniff people's mouths as a way to access the scent from their breath. Dogs sniff their own tails to check the excretions the anal glands' release according to the stimulus that triggers this to happen. The chemical composition of what is being discharged varies depending on what stimulates it. So, essentially, the dog would be determining whether he was sending out chemical messages that might compromise himself (in terms of fear, aggression, etc.) to other animals. Dogs "sneeze" in new situations (sometimes called a "schnuffle") to evacuate old scent and provide the mucous membranes with fresh moisture in order to get a fresh uptake of new scent. (Horses do this, too.)