It’s no secret that dogs go strong on olfactory senses. They have millions of scent receptors on their nose. That’s how they sense the outer world. They would sniff almost everything from their human companions.
Talking about breath, have you ever sensed your dog snuggling close to you when reclining on the couch? You could think he is getting his snout close to you for a kiss. Then you realize that isn’t the reason. He is perhaps trying to sniff you and smell your breath. Does your dog do it quite often or once in a while? Do you notice this behavior only in the morning or during the day?
There are umpteen reasons for your dog to sniff your breath. Your dog could be curious. It wants to know what you ate and so on. Read on to know the different reasons why your dog smells your breath. Also, learn how to help your puppy overcome the same if it does it often.
Why Does Your Dog Smell Your Breath: 6 Possible Reasons
The reasons for your dog to smell your breath are endless. They’re curious. They would give you information about you and your whereabouts. Besides this, there may be other reasons. Let’s look into each reason.
1. Your Dog Is Curious
When humans are curious and want to know more about their surroundings, they do it with their eyes. Dogs, too, are equally curious. But their eyesight isn’t as sharp as their human counterparts. Their strong sense of smell compensates for the same. They use their nose to understand their surroundings. They even communicate with the help of their nose. So they are smelling your breath because he is curious.
It could be that your breath smells slightly different than it does every day. By sniffing your breath, he is trying to get signals from you. Well, now, how will you know that your dog is curious? He will not just sniff. Your pup would display other traits as well. These include giving an alert look, staring at you, and barking. He may even put his tail up or keep his ears raised.
2. He is Interested in Knowing What You Ate
Do we have the ability to detect what the other person we are acquainted with ate? No, we only know when they have eaten something smelling strong, like coffee, garlic, or onion. Your dog would surpass you in this regard. They have an innate ability to smell food. So, have you eaten onion curry or garlic bread for breakfast? Your dog would know of it by evening if they smell your breath.
A 2009 study validated the ability of dogs to detect food odor by smelling breath. The study divided the dogs into two groups. Each group had an observer and a demonstrator. The demonstrator was given the task of searching an adjacent room for treats. Upon their return, the observer would greet them, who would even indulge in smelling their breath.
If the demonstrator found the treats, the observer would get the cues by smelling his breath. As a reaction, he (the observer) would rush into the same room, hoping to get more treats. The result is that he wouldn’t go to the other room to search for treats. If the demonstrator weren’t successful in finding food, then the observer would, in most cases, understand that.
So it is quite evident that by smelling your breath, your dog is trying to get an idea of the tasty food that you have had. Maybe, it hopes to get a bite as well.
3. They Consider You As a Part Of Their Pack
When in the wild, it was common among dogs to sniff the breath of their pack leader. It’s a way in which they communicate, shows respect, and even share important information. Dogs consider humans as a part of their pack.
If you’ve dealt with your dog firmly and tactfully from the start, he will even regard you as the pack leader. He stays in your house. You take care of him and feed him. So, as a mark of respect, he will sniff your breath. In this way, he acknowledges you as his provider and protector.
4. Your Dog is Trying to Sense Your Emotion
He has a strong bond with you and wants to know how you feel – sad, happy, angry, unwell, etc. A study was conducted. It was to show how human odors produced when they were scared or happy sent out signals detectable by their pet pooch. The results of this study yielded positive results.
Another study showed that dogs have a remarkable ability to sniff stress in humans. The chemical odors humans emit through their breath and sweat are easily identifiable by dogs. This study deduced the ability of dogs to identify stressed and non-stressed conditions in humans. But, it wasn’t revealed if dogs could understand how the person felt when they were stressed or when they weren’t. So, if you are under the weather or not in the best mood, your dog might detect your state of mind.
5. They are Sensing a Physical Change in Your Body
Dogs have an innate ability to sniff and determine health problems. They do this even before their people are aware of the same. Studies, research, and tests conducted have shown positive results. Your canine sniffing you may not always mean something isn’t right with you if his sniffing fixation is on the rise suddenly. Then there are possibilities that he can sense a change in your health.
A dog’s ability to sniff out cancer has been proven repeatedly. Cancer cells produce chemicals known as volatile organic compounds. These chemicals possess a scent that dogs are capable of detecting. Some dogs are even trained to identify these compounds. It is similar to how they are taught to sniff and detect explosives and drugs.
In 2006 dogs were trained by scientists to detect cancer from the breath of people. The canines had 88% accuracy while detecting breast cancer. The accuracy level was 99% for lung cancer. Another unique fact is that they could detect all four stages of cancer from early to late. A British study showed how a black lab detected colorectal cancer. He did so by sniffing human breath with a 97% accuracy rate.
Not just cancer, dogs can sniff other illnesses as well. For example, a spike in your blood sugar level. No wonder there are DADs or Diabetic alert dogs trained specifically for this purpose. They smell compounds released from a person’s body when they have high or low blood sugar. Some breeds in this list include the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, and Poodle. Studies show that 35% of dogs alerted their humans of the latter being diabetic even before they were aware of the same. They would not just sniff. They will also show other behavioral responses like trembling, sniffing, and vocalizing excessively.
Studies also show how efficient dogs are in detecting epileptic seizures around 45 minutes before occurrence. In many cases, the accuracy level of identifying a seizure was 100%.
Dogs were also trained to identify Covid positive cases by sniffing sweat. The accuracy level was about 97%.
So all the data above shows how efficient dogs are in detecting physical changes in your body. If they are trained, that is a different thing. Even your untrained pet pooch would also understand something is wrong with you. It could be when you aren’t aware of the same. If your dog has started sniffing your breath out of the blue and gets restless around you, you should take his cues seriously.
6. It’s There Way of Greeting You
Do you notice your dog snuggling close to you each morning when you wake up? You may feel that he is sniffing your breath. Well, that’s his way of greeting you with a ‘Good Morning.’
Is It Bad For Your Dog to Smell Your Breath?
Your pooch sniffing your breath doesn’t always indicate a major problem in him. However, if he does that too often, and it makes you feel comfortable, then you would need to think about how to break this habit of his. Your dog sniffing your breath is sometimes more of a boon than a bane. It could be that your health wasn’t in the best state, and you weren’t aware of it too. Your dog’s sniffing perhaps saved you from getting into a severe health complication.
Too much of anything isn’t good. If your dog’s behavior is getting repetitive or coming in the way of his or your’s daily life, you would have to find ways to lessen or minimize it.
How to Stop Your Dog From Smelling Your Breath? 2 Possible Solutions
Dogs have an incredibly keen sense of smell and may be drawn to the scent of their owner’s breath. To prevent your dog from smelling your breath, there are a two things you can do:
1. Don’t Encourage the Behavior
Have you cuddled or patted your dog whenever he has sniffed your breath? Your gesture may have been unintentional, but it has sent positive signals to your dog. He has started assuming that you appreciate this behavior of his.
Has your dog learned to follow commands? So, if his repeated sniffing of your breath doesn’t go well with you, show your dog the same through your behavior. Then a firm ‘No’ or ‘Stop’ from your end would help your dog realize that you disapprove of this behavior.
Each time he listens to you and follows your command reinforce him positively. If your dog is obsessed with sniffing your breath, you could distract him by diverting his attention to something else.
2. Learn to Handle Your Dog’s Curiosity
Curiosity in dogs is alright. It is a hint that your dog’s brain is working well. It’s exploring all that is happening in its environment to the fullest. However, when your dog gets over-curious, it comes in the way of his daily living. Then you would need to find ways to handle his curiosity. First, you must keep control of your dog’s behavior. Avoid the triggers which excite your dog to the core. If they are curious, try diverting their attention to something else. In this manner, you can monitor their behavior and prevent them from being overly curious.
FAQ’s
Q. Why does your dog sniff your breath in the morning?
There could be a lot of reasons. The very first one is that your dog is willing to greet you. He may even be eager to know what you ate last night. He perhaps hopes to get a share. Your pup might also be sensing your mood for the day. What more could give him more signals about you than your breath?
Q. Should you worry if your dog smells your breath?
There usually isn’t any cause for worry when your dog smells your breath. This trait isn’t related to any severe medical condition regarding your dog.
Conclusion
Dogs are noted for their fabulous sniffing instinct, and all of them are great at their job. Yet, some, like the German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, and Golden Retriever, are adept sniffers. If you have any of these breeds at home, you could train your dog to become an efficient sniffer, especially to detect diseases. Enrolling him with a professional trainer may help. A simple cue from your dog’s end could be life-saving for you.
Elena Gherman is a highly skilled and knowledgeable animal care expert. At the start of her career, she gained practical expertise with multiple animals. In addition to that, she works as a DVM veterinary editor for Joy Pet Products, which focuses on offering reliable information on pet health and wellbeing. She meticulously reviews each piece of writing before it is published to make sure pet owners get the most precise and updated information possible.