It’s stranger isn’t it, when your dog buries its head into you?
And it’s even more weird and strange to understand “Why my dog is obsessed with my stomach??“
However, as we are all aware, nothing is truly unknown in this great age of the internet. And wow, do we have the answers to your today’s seemingly perplexing query!
Below are three key factors that may frequently draw dogs to human belly buttons or the stomach:
- It is the smell that is emanating from the ingrained dirt, salt, and oils
- Body changes caused by hormones
- Possible ailments you may have.
The key to solving this stomach mystery is eliminating every possibility. Most of the time, it won’t be anything too serious, and you can stop your dog from developing this habit by diverting their attention, discouraging the habit, and teaching them new habits.
MUST READ: What Does It Mean When A Dog Licks Your Legs?
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As we now know a thing or two about the potential reason why your dog is obsessed with your stomach, let us now shift our focus to What does it mean when a dog keeps sniffing your stomach?
What does it mean when a dog keeps sniffing your stomach?
If you have a dog, you’d probably be fine with it licking and poking your face, but what about smelling your belly button? I’m not sure you would be comfortable with it.
You would feel annoyed and think, “I feel like my dog is infatuated with my stomach,” if this were to occur. But what could be the cause behind your dog wanting to sniff your belly button area?
As it turns out, numerous explanations could apply.
1. The dirty belly button or the stomach
Your belly button is a cavity that can contain unpleasant odors, as you are likely already aware. This is especially true if the navel has gathered a lot of sweat, dust, and oils.
While these odors may be unpleasant to you, your dog will find them to be enticing. Another potential cause of the foul smell is that neglecting your belly button might lead to bacterial or fungal infections in the navel.
Remember, that there are some circumstances in which you can carefully maintain hygiene around your belly button area and yet release a scent that your dog finds attractive.
Additionally, as a result of increased physical activity and the heat, your body will naturally produce more oils and salts.
You might be surprised to learn that these salts and oils are present in your belly button, which is one of your body’s unseen places. An active lifestyle increases the likelihood that your belly button will emit a smell that could spark the interest of your pet.
2. Illnesses
You might have found a post online about a Siberian Husky that saved its owner’s life by sniffing if you were looking for more information on the reasons why your dog would want to smell your belly button.
The owner of the Siberian Husky, Stephanie, was found to have a benign ovarian cyst, which her doctors thought was not a reason to be concerned about.
However, the dog kept pecking at her owner’s belly because she was sure there was more going on. Although Stephanie at first did not think her dog’s new behavior was all that strange, over time she began to become more concerned.
She was given a stage 3 ovarian cancer diagnosis after another visit to the doctor.
Dogs can distinguish between healthy blood and the blood of a cancer patient because of their keen sense of smell, according to ongoing research.
Due to this recent finding, both dog owners and academics now believe that dogs may be able to detect various types of illnesses thanks to their keen sense of smell.
So, if you find that your dog has been persistently smelling your belly button for a while, you may want to consider what your “dog-tor” is trying to tell you. Oops!!
Now many of us I’m sure might be wondering what would be the case if it was for a pregnant woman?
Do dogs Sniff your stomach when pregnant?
The straightforward answer to this question is yes! An unclean belly button isn’t the only reason a dog might want to sniff your belly button.
Many women have noted that when they are pregnant, their dogs suddenly become more watchful and protective. They frequently start following you as well. They may occasionally rest their heads on your belly and nuzzle, sniff, and touch it.
Dogs have reportedly smelled their owners’ belly buttons while they were pregnant in multiple reports. The explanation for this peculiar behavior is that dogs can smell variations in hormone levels, even though this has not yet been scientifically verified.
Dogs can detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the human body because of their exceptional sense of smell. This is mostly because VOCs are gaseous molecules that the body emits as it goes through specific changes.
These VOCs may occur as a result of a disease or even from other factors like a change in food, exposure to specific environmental pollutants, or even the use of specific medications.
So, if a dog shows an interest in sniffing your belly while you are pregnant, it is likely because they sense certain physical changes taking place in your body. They are probably just attempting to understand what is going on by putting their nose into your belly button.
Now, this brings us to our next question.
How early can a dog sense pregnancy?
Now imagine yourself in this situation: You are expecting and have no idea! You go about your daily activities unaware of the changes occurring in your body. However, even before your belly begins to extend, your best buddy can detect a change.
As early as the first month, your dog can recognize pregnancy. It’s because your body starts to react to pregnancy hormones early. You already have hormones entering your body by week two. Your dog can detect the change in your scent caused by these hormones.
Imagine what a sweet tale it would be or turn out to be if your dog had discovered your pregnancy or managed to discover it before you did!
However, not all dogs can detect the change in body odor, and some can wait until your tummy begins to expand. At that point, you start to notice a significant change in your dog’s behavior as well.
Why do dogs lay on pregnant bellies?
Experts have a few different theories about belly-nuzzling. Increased cuddles could be due to dogs feeling more protective or attached to their person as a result of smelling, sensing, and observing changes in their owner. Your pet may feel forced to soothe you if they detect your pregnancy’s oh-so-pleasant mood changes.
What does it mean if your dog licks your stomach?
And again! Your dog may be trying to show you affection if he licks you on your belly button or any other part of your body. You could notice that when your dog is delighted to see you again, he starts licking you as well.
The other reason could be that your dog may also be agitated, which would explain why he’s licking your belly button. Dogs feel better after licking because endorphins are released. Your dog may lick different regions of your body or head for your belly button if he has separation anxiety and senses that you are going to leave or are feeling overwhelmed by the surroundings.
Look at your dog’s body language to determine whether he is anxious. He might be panting, licking his lips, avoiding your eye contact, or having whale eyes in addition to having his ears and tail tucked.
This brings us to our next question. Why exactly does a dog lick one’s belly button?
Why does a dog lick your belly button?
Your pet may want to lick your belly button in addition to just sniffing the region around it since it tastes good. But why exactly would they want to do that?
You may have observed that every time you go home from a morning jog or other physically demanding activities that require your entire body, your dog is immediately all over you and attempting to lick your face or legs.
Even though you might consider this to be a strange behavior, dogs typically exhibit behaviors like this. They do this because your body excretes salts and oils that dogs find to be highly delicious after engaging in physical activity.
The salts and oils that are formed in your belly button are identical to those that are produced on your face and legs, and the longer you keep them there, the more delicious they are to your dog.
I know it sounds awful but true!
Another fascinating fact about human belly buttons is that they are larger and more visibly shaped than their canine counterparts.
You are either an “innie” or an “outie” as a person. If you have an innie belly button, it will have a tiny pocket that, sadly, can hold onto various oils, dust, and sweat as you go about your day.
Even if you are cautious about keeping your belly button clean, you could still end up with some dirt in your innie because it’s not exactly easy to clean. The belly button may start to release a smell that your dog might find appealing when the dirt builds up there.
If your dog tries to lick your belly button, don’t be alarmed; to them, it smells more like a dog treat (Again it’s awful but a real fact). In this situation, a thorough cleaning is a solution to your issue.
If that doesn’t stop your dog from focusing on your belly button, other common reasons could be their boredom, nervousness, and attention-seeking behavior.
Should I be worried if my dog is obsessed with my stomach?
You might naturally begin to wonder more about the infatuation after learning the causes of your dog’s frequent sniffing or lick your belly button.
Humans have a natural tendency to consider the worst-case scenarios. In this situation, you could be concerned that a physical issue with your body is the reason why your dog wants to smell your belly button.
Even though there are situations where a dog smelling your belly button repeatedly would indicate that you want immediate medical attention, it could also simply be a dirty belly button.
Therefore, before deciding to visit a doctor, you can try the following to rule out any potential causes if you notice that your dog insists on sniffing or possibly even licking your belly button:
- Thoroughly clean your belly button.
- Check Your Belly Button Carefully For Infection Signs
- Examine for Fungal infections.
- Be wary of bleeding discharge
- Examine Your Belly Button For Bumpy Areas
As was previously stated, just because your dog seems to be wanting to smell your belly button area more and more does not automatically indicate that something is wrong with your body.
You may wish to visit your doctor’s office to learn more if, however, this behavior continues despite washing your belly button thoroughly and showing none of the above symptoms.
Now how do you stop all these?
How to deter your dog from being so obsessed with my stomach?
There is a high possibility that your dog will lick your belly button if they explore it too much with their nose. To sum it up, this can be irritating!
It would be wise to first identify the underlying cause in order to put an end to this behavior. Check to see if your belly button is clean, and if it is, be careful to check that you have no underlying medical conditions.
After making sure everything is well, you can relax and think that your dog is only trying to be affectionate with you.
If this conduct is bad, it’s still better to stop it from happening, and you can manage it by using the simple advice below:
1. Keep them busy
A dog can be diverted in a number of ways from his recently found belly button-sniffing habit.
One of the best ways to divert his attention is by using one or more of his favorite toys. You might even decide to play fetch with him or take him for a walk outside.
2. Pay enough attention to It
Your dog may use (quite unpleasant) methods to grab your attention, such as sniffing and licking your belly button.
Instead of completely ignoring it, make sure to give your dog ample attention by giving him frequent hugs and cuddles, engaging in games with him, or taking him for a short walk.
3. Employ Some Tricks
Learn a few new commands that you can use to get your dog to stop what he is doing!
Your dog will stop sniffing or licking so that he can sit down, thus even a straightforward command like “sit” should work.
4. Abandon the Action
Whenever your dog exhibits this type of behavior, turn or walk out of the room.
Your dog should ultimately get the message and stop if you do this enough times to make them understand that this kind of behavior is not acceptable.
Conclusion:
Know that it’s not as unusual as you would think if you find yourself saying, “My dog is obsessed with my belly button!” right now.
Your dog’s recent interest in your stomach or belly button could be caused by a number of things, including odors coming from trapped dirt and oils, hormonal changes, illnesses, or diseases.
They might even just want interaction and attention, which is why they’re concentrating on your belly button (or other places of your body)!
But if the behavior continues, it could be a good idea to take the dog to the doctor because it’s not uncommon for dogs to be able to identify serious hidden ailments.
If everything looks good, you can stop their obvious irritating behavior by diverting their attention, giving them basic instructions like “sit” or “leave,” or deliberately ignoring their activities until they understand the message!
FAQs
1. Why does my dog sleep on my stomach?
Dogs are pack members descended by instincts from their predecessors the wolves; they want to sleep, stay warm, and be as close to their master as possible. They are comfortable and trust you, they adore you, and they love to be close.
Because they are constantly touching each other like puppies and are born in litters of 6–12 puppies, dogs find it comforting to touch you. A dog may also think that its touch may heal any wounds or illnesses.
2. Why does my dog lay on my stomach when I’m on my period?
When you’re on your period, your dog is laying on to you because they see a physiological difference in you that makes them anxious.
3. Why is my dog so obsessed with me all of a sudden?
If your dog suddenly develops an obsession with you, it’s probably the result of external changes like relocation, you or your wife’s menstruation, or maybe internal changes like a sick pet or family member or a newly introduced pet that causes jealousy.
Helpful Resources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scientists-create-toe-belly-button-cheese-from-human-bacteria/