Dog Licking Private Parts: Why Do Dogs Lick Each Others Privates?

Okay, so the other day I was hanging out at the dog park, watching my golden retriever, Buddy, play with the other dogs. And then, I saw it. Buddy went right up to another dog, a little terrier mix, and... well, he started licking its private parts. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda cringed. But then I thought, "Wait, is this normal? Why do they do that?"

So, like any curious dog owner, I pulled out my phone and started Googling. My mission began with finding some clue.

My little research journey:

• First step,I just typed in "dogs licking each other privates" into the search bar. The words were simple and direct, just expressing what I saw. I wanted to know if this was something I should be worried about.
• Then, I got some answers, which gave me an explanation about "information gathering." It seems that dogs use their noses, and yes, their tongues, to collect information.
• Next, I dug a little deeper. I learned that dogs have this special organ in their noses called the vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson's organ. And it's made to pick up on pheromones.

So, basically, when dogs lick each other's, um, areas, they're not just being weird. They're actually getting a whole bunch of information about the other dog. Things like their age, sex, health, and even their mood. It's like a doggy handshake, but way more...intimate.

After reading a bit, I felt a lot better. It wasn't some strange behavior I needed to stop. It was just dogs being dogs, using their amazing sense of smell (and taste, I guess) to communicate.

Finally,I watched Buddy a little closer the rest of the day. And yeah, he did it a few more times, but now I knew what was up. It's all part of how they "talk" to each other. It's still a little gross to watch, but hey, I'm not a dog.