Do Dogs Really Hate Being “Booped”?

You are just minding your business, when suddenly, you see something out of the corner of your eye and can’t focus on anything else. It’s your dog’s cute little nose.

Do you see it? Right there on that adorable little doggie face. Flanked by those big, soft doggie eyes. Just above that sweet, smiling doggie mouth and that dopey doggie tongue. They’re minding their own business, too, just existing. But all you see is a big wet adorable snoot, just sitting there all wet and glistening and waiting to be booped! You just can't help yourself.

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This adorable little gesture may seem harmless, but for one Bernese Mountain Dog named Frankie, it really gets on her nerves — and the internet has found it quite entertaining watching her dodge her dog dad’s finger coming in for a pesky boop.

But what about dogs without a TikTok following? How do they really feel about being booped? Are they just as bothered as Frankie?

What is booping?

Booping is when you touch or lightly tap the tip of your dog’s nose with your finger, often while saying the word “boop” in your highest, cutest, sing-song-y voice. It’s a sign of affection and a way to release the pressure that builds up inside you when you look at your dog and are so overwhelmed with love for that precious little slobber machine that you think you’re going to explode. You just boop the nose and the pressure releases. Like pushing the lever on a whistling kettle when the water starts to boil. 

Aaaaah. Sweet silence. 

What does booping feel like for dogs?

People love to boop. Dogs, not so much. Most dogs anyway. Maybe not your dog. But probably.

“A dog's nose is most likely the most sensitive area of their body, so any contact, even a light one, is overwhelming for them,” says Dr. Aimee Warner, resident veterinarian at Waggle Pet Insurance. “Physically, they may have histories of allergies or injuries that would make it uncomfortable to be booped. Mentally, if a dog already has traumatic associations with injuries on the nose and all that, then there is a strong chance that they would hate it if they touch the nose or even the face.”

Even if your dog has no such history or allergies, touching their nose could still be overwhelming, as dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses (humans only have six million) and the space in their brains devoted to processing and understanding scent is about 40 times larger than ours. Their nostrils work independently, and their brains combine the scents they gather into a single scent “picture,” much like our brains combine the images we take in through our eyes.

So, in a sense, dogs smell the same way we see: in 3D. And wet noses take in even more of this information, trapping scent particles in a thin layer of mucus, which means touching their wet noses can be jarring for them. It’s kind of like shaking up a camera and then distorting or blurring the final picture.

How can you tell if your dog likes being booped or not?

If you’ve ever bopped your dog, you probably already have a sense of whether or not they enjoy it. “If the dog approaches when you boop, then they enjoy it,” Dr. Warner says. “But if their body freezes up or they turn their back on you, then they don’t enjoy it.”

“OK,” I hear you saying, ”but is it really that big of a deal?” 

Well, do you like having your face poked without your consent? Even if the action is quick and gentle, it can still be disturbing and destabilizing. And if you insist on booping your dog anyway — because you enjoy it, and you’re not really hurting them — just know that you could be damaging the relationship.

That sounds dramatic, but hear Dr. Warner out. “Booping a dog repeatedly, even when they dislike it, has immediate and lasting impacts,” she adds. “To begin with, it might agitate and distress them, therefore leading them to shun interaction with you. When you continue booping them, even when they are exhibiting avoidance, they may not want to play with you. It also has an impact on your relationship as a whole with your dog, because it impacts trust building and their feeling of safety with you. Snapping and growling are self-protective behaviors and might also happen with some dogs. So, respect their space.”

And never, ever, under any circumstances, boop a dog you do not know. It’s one thing to boop your own dog, but quite another to do the same to someone else. Even if a dog doesn’t particularly like being booped, they are more likely to tolerate the occasional pop on the nose from their person than from some rando they just met. Let’s flip things around again: Would you like some new acquaintance or stranger on the street touching your most sensitive parts? No, you would not! That person would be liable to catch a fist, and you, touching a strange dog’s snout, run the risk of pulling back a bloody finger (or worse).

Good news: You can find an alternative to booping.

“If your dog dislikes being booped, find alternative methods to show your love to them,” Dr. Warner says. “Scratch their ears or the area below their chin and on the chest. Belly-rubbing and gentle patting on the head are also enjoyed by some dogs.” Or you could pat their butt, praise them, stroke their back, or give them a treat. There are so many ways to show your dog that you are bursting with love for them that they will actually enjoy. And you probably already know what those ways are. So, why not do one of those things, instead?

“Remember that it’s important for your dog to feel safe with you,” Dr. Warner says. “Understanding how your dog wants to be shown affection builds trust and intimacy. And understanding their body language is crucial in building a close relationship with them.”

What if you absolutely have to boop something? What if, when you look at your dog’s sweet little nose, you feel as if you’re going to pop like a balloon? Point your finger at your own nose and give it a poke. I can almost guarantee that you won’t enjoy it, and you’ll soon free yourself of the impulse altogether.