For the majority of time, your dog is a source of affection and fun. But sometimes your dog can be pretty disgusting or embarrassing. For example, you might not be very amused if you sit down to eat dinner and your dog decides it’s a good time to lick his private parts. Or… you have visitors and your dog decides to lick his anal region regardless of who’s watching. While this behavior can be annoying, there’s a good reason why dogs lick their private parts. Keep reading to find out more.
Yes, it is normal for dogs to lick their butts and genitals (the penis in male dogs and the vulva in female dogs). This is expected grooming behavior in dogs.
After all, dogs don’t have hands and they don’t use toilet paper. So, the tongue, disgusting as it sounds, does the job of cleaning their private parts. It is simply your dog’s way of keeping the genitals clean. And since dogs are not as image conscious as humans, they don’t care who watches them when they lick their privates.
In fact, your dog might will even lick another dog’s genitals after they’ve urinated or had a loose bowel movement to help them clean up. Licking the privates after a firm bowel movement is less common.
If your dog occasionally licks his private area after urinating, it’s likely normal and done for grooming purposes. However, if your dogs licks his privates very frequently, there could be something else going on (see below).
You should worry if your dog licks their private parts and has other signs like a red or swollen vulva in a female dog or penis and testicles in a male dog. Also, look out for signs like redness, swelling, bumps, or discoloration around the anal region. Sometimes dogs lick their privates to relieve a sore bum.
Other signs and symptoms that should prompt a visit to the vet include straining while urinating, urinating more often than usual, rubbing the butt on the ground by scooting, or a bad smell or discharge from the privates. These could be signs of a urinary tract infection or bladder stones.
Other possible reasons for a dog to lick the privates include:
If you suspect a health issue is causing your dog to lick his or her privates, make an appointment to see the vet. If it is a bacterial infection, your dog might need a round of antibiotics. If it is a yeast infection, topical and oral medicines are available for treatment. Allergies, likewise, can be managed by reducing exposure to the allergen (trigger) and with medicines. The vet can drain impacted anal glands and prescribe antibiotics if needed.
Dogs lick their privates to groom themselves or to relieve symptoms caused by a medical condition. Just like a dog’s humping is not always a sexual behavior, similarly, licking of the privates is not typically for pleasure. However, dogs might lick their privates for reasons we don’t know about, and one of them could potentially be pleasure.
If your dog licks his privates, it is not inherently wrong behavior. As mentioned above, this is a natural grooming practice in the dog world. However, if your dog licks his privates when you have company, or does anything else that’s inappropriate like smelling butts, simply redirect him with a treat or toy or get him to perform some tricks.
16 January, 2023