If you’ve recently started breastfeeding or pumping your breast milk for your little one – and have a dog at home, you might have noticed that your dog behaves a bit differently, probably by sniffing closer to you and staring at your breasts.
This out-of-the-ordinary behavior could raise the question – are dogs attracted to breast milk?
Let’s find out!
Are dogs attracted to breast milk?
Yes, dogs are attracted to breast milk because of their extremely strong sense of smell. This does not mean human breast milk is good for dogs. If you noticed your dog behaving strangely around you when you breastfeed or pump milk. Here are some things you can do.
Tips to keep your breast milk from your dog
Tip 1: Clean up immediately after breastfeeding
To prevent your curious dog from trying to sniff at your breasts, it is best to clean up immediately after breastfeeding.
Tip 2: Use nursing pads
Some mothers might find themselves leaking milk between feeding sessions, by using nursing pads, you can absorb the excess milk and keep your clothes dry.
Can puppies smell human breast milk?
Yes, puppies can smell human breast milk and you may even notice your puppy’s behavior change around you when you are nursing or when you’ve just completed nursing. It’s completely normal puppy behavior because they are generally very curious especially if the smell is new to them.
Dogs and their sense of smell
A dog’s sense of smell is about 1,000 times stronger than a human’s. They have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to just 6 million for humans. This allows them to smell things like breast milk.
While they can use their sense of smell to track down prey, find lost people or objects, and even detect diseases. Some dogs just get curious when they catch the scent of breast milk for the first time.
Conclusion:
There’s no denying that dogs are curious creatures. They’re always sniffing around, exploring their surroundings, and trying to figure out what’s going on. They are simply wired to be curious and their brains are designed to take in a lot of information and try to make sense of it all.
This is why dogs are attracted to breast milk – but you don’t have to be alarmed about it. Follow the tips mentioned in this article and you should be just fine.
