afghan scent gland?????

[rainingcats&dogs]

im grooming an afghan next week,never groomed one before so i was researching a little on the net,thank goodness dog is just getting a bath,but they were talking about a scent gland some dogs of this breed have,i guess its somewhere on the head,anyone ever here of this?or have smelled it?and what causes the scent to come out?this is just very interesting to me,never heard of such a thing

[Raggs]

I've only ever groomed one Afghan and have never heard of a scent gland on a dog.. Is it like a skunk or something? And on the head, that's strange.. I would like to know about this as well... I say e-mail some Afghan breeders or something. It's interesting.

[baddog]

That would be wierd b/c Afgans are "sight dogs:.

[foxhound lady]

I've never heard of that, and I use to show Afgans for a lady. I do know that if you touch their coats the oils form your hands will clump the hair.

Maybe it's one of those rumors that circulating on the web.

[Helly]

The only scent glands on a dog that I'm aware of are the anal glands, the oil gland on the tail, and the pads of their feet. I know a lot of dogs will rub their faces on things to mark them with their scent, but I'm not aware of any specific gland on the face. As far as I know, it's just their normal saliva and skin oils they're using to mark things

[mekkab]

Probably too late

im grooming an afghan next week,never groomed one before so i was researching a little on the net,thank goodness dog is just getting a bath,but they were talking about a scent gland some dogs of this breed have,i guess its somewhere on the head,anyone ever here of this?or have smelled it?and what causes the scent to come out?this is just very interesting to me,never heard of such a thing

This is probably too late, but:

From my Kennel Club book on Afghans, they mention a gland on the sides of the checks. It's a pleasant, musk-like smell that may be more noticeable when the dog is damp.


/when mine comes in two weeks, I'll let you know if he smells!

[Arrooh]

Amazing

I sure can never think I know it all. Though Mekkab I'll bet you meant to write cheeks not checks. So interesting as Helly said the dogs seem to want to rub their face against a person or bed or such right about where the side little whiskers are (Poodle Mustache spot). I wonder if there are not some sort of scent glands there on dogs besides Afghans?

[mekkab]

spell check...grumble

I sure can never think I know it all. Though Mekkab I'll bet you meant to write cheeks not checks. So interesting as Helly said the dogs seem to want to rub their face against a person or bed or such right about where the side little whiskers are (Poodle Mustache spot). I wonder if there are not some sort of scent glands there on dogs besides Afghans?

Bah! I previewed and I checked for spelling, but not content! : ) Cheeks, indeed. I know that cats regularly use their cheek scent glands for markings, but this is the first I've heard of with dogs.

[northernenglish]

Uhm??

I think they are just using a nicer way of saying anal gland?? I have had customers refer to them as scent glands, and in a moment of confusion I question them asking if they mean anal glands? And they say yes..

[Helly]

I think they are just using a nicer way of saying anal gland?? I have had customers refer to them as scent glands, and in a moment of confusion I question them asking if they mean anal glands? And they say yes..

But anal glands are not on the face.

I got out the old anatomy books. Yes, dogs do have scent glands on the face. Like their other scent glands, they use them to mark, and to communicate their identity. Female dogs tend to be face sniffers when meeting another dog, while males are butt sniffers. Probably to determine sex and reproductive status. Females are only interested in mating when they're in season, but males are ready to go anytime, so they're more interested in the back end.

[Moonpiepoodlz]

I got out the old anatomy books. Yes, dogs do have scent glands on the face. Like their other scent glands, they use them to mark, and to communicate their identity. Female dogs tend to be face sniffers when meeting another dog, while males are butt sniffers. Probably to determine sex and reproductive status. Females are only interested in mating when they're in season, but males are ready to go anytime, so they're more interested in the back end.[/QUOTE]


Scent glands on the face makes sense since we see alot of face rubbing. I never thought about the difference in meeting new dogs with my dogs, but you're right. . .the girls sniff the face and the boys sniff the rear.
Thank you for the education today Helly