Sniffing is an instinct among dogs.
Interestingly, the number of smell receptors dogs have towered over humans.
The former having 220 million, while the latter only at 5 million olfactory receptors.
The information sniffed by the dogs gets stored in their brain database and is for identifying people or animals.
Sniffing, as weird as it is, has some social relevance, as observed in the following:
- Bomb-location
- Drug-detection
- Forensics
- Criminal-tracing
Despite the above benefits, sniffing toilets seem not to have any significant purpose at all.
Well, when talking about non-relevant crazy things dogs do, dogs chase their tails too.
It also has a reason. When dogs chase their tails, they are merely playing and amusing themselves.
It is the same when dogs lick pillows.
But what is the rationale behind why dogs sniff toilets? Well, read on to know more.
Why Do Dogs Sniff the Toilet?
There is no one absolute reason behind why some dogs like to sniff toilets.
But there can be many inferred as to why dogs do this.
And we will be discussing them below:
1. Clinginess
Dog pets are naturally clingy. You will notice them following you around everywhere you go.
Although they have high regard for personal spaces, they do not know what a bathroom is.
Dogs drop their bombs anywhere.
It seems appropriate.
It is the reason why sometimes your peaceful potty time is accompanied by a dog staring at you.
This association of you and the toilet may have caused their inclination to it.
They go there because your familiar scent is present in it even if you are not.
2. Territorialism
Dogs are territorial beings.
They mark their territories using their urine.
It serves as a marker to inform other dogs that the area already has an owner.
It might not have happened under your nose, so you did not notice.
Besides, the urine marker they use is very minute to notice.
Often, the dogs’ regular visit to the bathroom is to identify who went to the bathroom and what they did while at it.
It is merely a manifestation of their territorial nature and does not warrant your worry.
Learn More:
3. Looking for food
Dogs love their treats, do they not?
Regardless if they just finished eating their meals, for them receiving treats is always a great idea.
Sometimes dogs go about the household looking for any dog treat they can find.
Perhaps in their escapade to look for food, the bathroom is simply a viable location to check on.
Who knows? “Maybe master ate some chicken and decided to just leave a whole thigh bone in there,” a dog might think.
4. They need to drink
Face it, some deeds dogs do are utterly gross.
One of those yucky things they do is drink from the toilet bowl.
Perhaps the reason for sniffing is to identify whether there are foreign substances in the toilet water that might harm them. As if the bacteria there will not.
The reason behind this is that toilet water is more refreshing than the ones in the bowl only because it is free-flowing.
If you want to make dogs stop this gross activity, then simply regularly wash their water bowl and change the water.
That way, they will not look for other alternatives as a water source (e.g., the toilet).
Conclusion
Countless reasons may account for why your dog sniffs the toilet.
One thing sure is that it is a natural tendency for dogs to do so.
Dogs sniff foreign objects and where your scent lingers.
They sniff places they want to pee or poop on and sniff water sources if they are thirsty.
Though, the last might be a bit gross, so you better stop your dog.
