01/11/2025
Jacobson’s organ
Next time you’re brushing your dog’s teeth (you do, right? 😄), check out that little bump on the roof of the mouth, just behind the front teeth. That’s called the incisive papilla, and inside it is a tiny opening to one of your dog’s coolest tools — the Jacobson’s organ (or vomeronasal organ).
This organ lets your dog taste smells! 🐾💨 It connects the mouth and nose, so when your dog sniffs, licks the air, or does that funny “tooth chatter,” they’re gathering invisible information that humans can’t sense.
Through this organ, dogs can:
🐕 Detect pheromones — the scents other dogs leave behind.
👩👧 Find and recognise their owners or other animals.
🐶 Help newborn puppies find their mother right after birth.
💞 Sense when a female is in season.
That “air licking” or little grin your dog sometimes does? That’s them using their Jacobson’s organ. Dogs don’t curl their lips like cats or horses do (the Flehmen response), but they have their own way of reading the world.
Want to learn more? Check out:
Vomeronasal Organ
Dogs Smell and taste
