One of the reasons why dogs noses are wet is because it helps it smell more efficiently. Your dog depends on its sense of smell and uses it all the time whether it smells your burger frying on the stove or is trying to locate a rabbit in the back yard. Have you ever seen your dog simply standing at the doorway with its nose raised and sniffing the air before it goes outside? It’s checking out the area scents to make sure it doesn’t smell any intruders and having a wet nose helps it do this.
A dog’s nose secretes a thin layer of mucous and that mucous aids in absorbing scent chemicals. The dog then licks its nose and his tongue transfers those chemicals to the olfactory glands located on the roof of its mouth. This helps a dog determine if something is edible or not.
Although today’s domesticated dogs do not rely on their sense of smell as much as wild dogs did in the past, it is a trait that has been passed down through the centuries and is still employed by dogs today, especially by working dogs. Dogs, who use their nose to herd, or sniff out drugs or bombs, or who search and rescue, need to have a keen sense of smell to do their jobs.