Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? – Understanding Your Canine Buddy

Whether you’ve had a pup for years now or you are just preparing for owning a dog, I’m sure you have noticed the wet, cold nose when a canine friend comes to sniff you or give you a kiss full of love.

Many dog owners will agree that wet noses on dogs are a sign of good health, and a dry nose means that something is not okay.

However, the explanation is not that straightforward, and other signs should be taken into consideration.

If you want to know the reasons and the ways your puppy’s nose gets wet, continue to read the content below.

How does your pooch’s nose get wet?

Secretion of mucus

Dogs secret mucus from their nose for practical reasons. Pups’ noses have inner linings with special glands that produce the mucus, which keeps the canals moist. The mucus that stays in the nostrils increases their sense of smell and their ability to absorb scent chemicals.

This thin layer of mucus makes your canine friend’s sense of smell ten thousand to a hundred thousand times sharper than yours.

Although it’s not very appealing to think that when your pup is sniffing you, it leaves mucus on your skin, the mucus plays a vital function for the ball of fur.

Licking its nose

Saliva is another way your canine friend’s nose is getting wet. Dogs have long tongues and tend to lick their noses quite frequently. In relation, pups’ noses can get dirty constantly because they sniff all around, so they lick them to keep them clean. Maybe it is dirty from the dust under the chair or from the food they just ate. Whatever it is, the nose needs cleaning.

Furthermore, doggies may lick their snouts to gather scents from the tip of their nose and then touch Jacobson's organ, which is located on the roof of the mouth. This aids their smelling performance.

Also, if their nose gets dry, they will lick it to get it wet, because as we mentioned above, moisture enhances their sense of smell.

Cooling down

Unlike humans, puppies’ sweat glands are located on their paws and their noses. So, you may guess now how they cool down. Yes, you are right. Their wet noses help them effectively maintain normal body temperature, especially during hot weather conditions.

If you notice that your pup's nose is wetter after playtime in the park, you know why and how.

Moisture all around

Doggies love to investigate and sniff around, so they may stick their snouts into the damp grass or muddy puddle. By exploring new places, your pooch's nose may become wet from picking up moisture off other surfaces.

Is a puppy’s dry nose a reason for concern?

Dogs should absolutely never eat pepperoni found on a pizza. Pepperoni pizza is bad for dogs. A few slices of pepperoni are not going to outright kill your dog, but eating them will probably make your dog sick. If they gobble up too much pepperoni, they will probably suffer from abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and increased urination. 

That being said, you can feed your dog one or two pieces of pepperoni on a rare occasion. By “rare occasion”, we're talking every few months. This is not an “every Saturday night” kind of thing. Keep pepperoni away from your dog and feed it properly!

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