Do you know why dogs usually smell each other in the rear?

We all know that dogs have a very keen sense of smell, using it for a variety of purposes, such as looking for food, recognizing territory and people, hunting, looking for drugs, and even noticing disease in humans.

However, what we see most in the use of canine smell, when many dogs meet, is that general "smell" they give behind each other's backs. But what is the point of that?

According to a new video from the American Chemical Society, which you'll see below, dogs do this to sniff out important information about the other four-legged colleague: their gender, emotional state, diet, and more. It is called chemical communication, which is made through the odors released by the anal gland that dogs have.

These glands release secretions with odor producing substances such as trimethylamine and a group of short chain acids (such as acetic and propionic). This way, these smells can be detected by other dogs, conveying the recognition information cited above.

You may be wondering, "But how does the smell of poop on the butt of dogs override the odors of the gland?"

The answer is because dogs have a second olfactory system, which is known as the Jacobson organ. With this auxiliary organ system and its nerves, the information of the detected chemicals goes directly to the dog's brain without the interference of other odors.

Now, when you watch your puppy giving that olfactory "check" on another dog's ass, don't fight with him, as the pet may just be communicating.