If Your Dog Sniffs Your Genitals, It Means…
Dogs experience the world through their sense of smell. While humans primarily rely on vision, dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses (compared to about 6 million in humans), making their sense of smell incredibly powerful. So, when your dog sniffs your genitals—or someone else’s—it’s not being rude; it’s just being a dog.
Genital areas, like armpits, contain a high concentration of apocrine glands, which secrete pheromones. These chemical signals carry a lot of information in the animal world, including details about a person’s sex, age, health, and even emotional state. When a dog sniffs someone’s groin, it’s trying to gather information the same way it would by sniffing another dog’s rear end.
Dogs are especially drawn to these scents if a person has recently had sex, is menstruating, pregnant, or ovulating—because hormonal changes increase the amount and type of pheromones being released.
This behavior is completely normal and not necessarily a sign of bad manners or training failure. However, if it becomes frequent or makes guests uncomfortable, you can gently redirect your dog’s attention with treats or commands like “sit” or “leave it.”
Training your dog to greet politely, along with offering them plenty of mental and physical stimulation, helps reduce overly curious sniffing.
In summary, if your dog sniffs your genitals, it means they’re simply trying to understand you better using their most powerful sense. It’s not inappropriate in their world—it’s instinctual.