Odd Question 21 - Why do dogs sniff each others asses?

[Chris OConnor]

Odd Question 21Why do dogs sniff other dog's bottoms to say hello, why don't they just bark in their face or something?Chris

[Jeremy1952]

Dogs have pheremone producing glands around their anus, that marks their feces. Sniffing a dog's behind tells another dog if this is the one who was "there" (where she previously sniffed dogshit) or, allows her to recognize the dog from it's shit later.Most dog owners become aware of these marking glands when the become infected. They sometimes need to be surgically removed. If you make yourself really small, you can externalize virtually everything. Daniel Dennett, 1984

[Chris OConnor]

Thanks Jeremy! Interesting answer. Chris