Are there any dog lovers out there?

I have a really neat little dog who loves me and is very loyal.

There are some things about dogs I don't understand completely.

OK. They have an anal scent gland. We can't smell it but they can. Supposedly it makes a secretion which helps dogs know each other by scent. This is why dogs come up to each other and sniff each other in the butt.

But (not butt). My dog licks his (he's neutered) scent gland a lot. It is somewhat irritating to me. I'll be reading a book and then I hear this "slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp" Usually if I take him out for a walk everything is fine. Sometimes I wonder if he's being manipulative, to get me to take him out (he loves to go on a walk).

Also, if the anal scent gland secretes this special perfume, why is it that when my dog is out he wants to sniff urine patches and not fecal patches. This doesn't make sense to me.

If anybody has any ideas, please let me know.

Allen

Puffer (not Sniffer)

I have two beagles and believe me: we can totally smell the anal gland secretion. It's not pleasant.

Anyhow, the gland is placed so that it excretes is scent when the dog defecates. If the dog's bowel movements are disrupted -- due to diarrhea or constipation -- then the gland does not flow properly and can become blocked. This gets infected and can cause pain and irritation -- and it's really disgusting to unclog.

Dogs use both urine and feces to mark territory. My dogs sniff both areas -- and with one of them I have to careful that he doesn't eat the poop he finds on the ground.

my dog gives me facial tongue baths daily, somehow these two topics tend to conflict.

good thing I'm a garbageman and a ruff boy.

island

I love dogs, in fact if people won't mind me giving a vaguely serious answer, one reason i didn't commit suicide during my abuse was the staffordshire bull terrier puppy my parents got me at age fourteen, who's now 12 years old, though stil acts like a pup.

What't bizarre about her is that even though female dogs aren't supposed to mark their teretory with urine, she very much does, ----- and even lifts her leg a lot, she's aso very protective and guards a lot, and quite often when i was going through the training phase with her we had a fair few battles of wills over who was going to be boss.

I always feel guilty, sinse she gets depressed everytime I leave her to go back up to university.

Staffordshire bull terriers are the best, especially the shorter legged ones, mine lived until 18 years old and then we put her down because her legs were hurting her, she was black with white on the chest, and then she was grey almost all over and on her face so it looked like she had a beard. She had a really good life, she used to do everything with us and go on holiday with us and there were always plenty of tireless kids to play with her, we used to play british bull dogs with her lol, we could never catch her, she loved it, and we when she was older she got fussy about what she ate so we would give her proper food instead of tinned food. When she was older she seemed to think of me as one of her puppies. And even before if i was upset she would know, and if i was crying she would come to me to comfort me, and she would fall asleep with me, and then if she wanted to go and she thought i was asleep she would lick me on the cheek like kissing me before she went. She could understand the whole english language i think, i used to talk to her for fun. When she was really old she could no longer stop herself from peeing, like when she was really relaxed she would forget to hold it in, so sometimes she would be sitting on me or curled up with me and i would be smoothing her and she would pee, but i didn't mind and i never told her off for it.

I don't know about the anal scent gland, are you sure about this? i've never smelt anything strange, i think it is just the smell of the urine which marks the territory.

I love dogs. Big quiet ones especially. If I didn't have an antisocial kitty cat I might own one, but I love my cat and she would have a cow if I got a dog. Or would the cow have a...no, wait, I got it right.

My cat loves me as much as any dog though. In my ideal world my pet is a big black panther who would be real quiet and nice to me and everyone I like, but if someone came into my house to do me harm like four years ago they would end up getting cleaned off the floor.he he (panther roar)

Count me in on the dog lover list. I have shared my life with several Samoyeds (like all white huskies), and my beloved Sabrina, my boyhood dog who passed many years ago at the ripe old age of 18.

Our current child is Gabriel (Gabie)who is a 60 lb. Australian Shepherd mix; brown, gold, and tawney coloration with white paw tips and a white triangle on his chest and just behind his head. He is a really handsome fellow. He has a woose digestive system though, and is a vegetarian. He gets awfully sick periodically, about once a year and has to go to the hospital. But we're getting better at keeping him out of trouble. While a big dog, he is a real love bug; always wanting pats, closeness, and more pats, when not playing with is toys with you. He has become a true companion for me and my wife. We have nick-named him Davis, after the Late Late Show's Craig Ferguson, who developed an imaginary sidekick named Davis while on flu meds. Gabie is always by our side, hence the nick name.

We want to get another dog when we can, a female lab/shepherd mix, or possibly a Golden, we are undecided.

Jeff

I love them all, my dog and my cats.

I have to say one of my greates joys and one of the most spirtual moments for me is waking very early and taking my dog to a park or a field and watching him run, the joy, the power, the beauty of it all lets me know that nature meant us to be happy and joyful and now I must work to run in the fields with pure joy.

Puffer,

Thanks for starting this post I have wanted to talk about my dog, in fact my screen name is his name.

Your Friend

Kutcher (aka Dave)