Smell your breath?

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

In the past couple of months 1st Stuart and now Rooney do this strange thing where they get right in my face, place their nose almost on my mouth and very gently sniff my breath for several seconds.  Rooney has also done this to my ear a few times.  Dh has seen them both do it and he agrees that it seems really strange.  Do they think my breath is bad?  I have heard of dogs being able to detect illness but I feel fine - so what gives?  Any ideas or does anyone else have a dog that does this?

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Cosmo has always done this. I didn't really notice it until he did it to our vet at one of his puppy check-ups. The vet noticed Cosmo raising his nose towards the vet's mouth, so he let Cosmo sniff his breath for a few seconds and then said that it's just one of Cosmo's ways of exploring and learning (like mouthing or licking).

Like Adina's Rosco, Cosmo does not lick or kiss (except for licking DH's toes after he takes his shoes and socks off, but that's another stinky story!). And he doesn't really sniff anything else on a human being (again, DH's toes excepted!).

Cosmo wants to sniff my breath in the morning (but I don't let him or anyone else do it until I've brushed my teeth!). And, if I leave the house without him, he wants to sniff my breath when I return.

Years ago, the first question my grandmother would ask anyone who'd been on a trip was, "What did you have to eat?" It never failed; that was always her first thought. We're kind of a food-obsessed family. I like to think this is Cosmo's way of carrying on the tradition!