It is therefore natural to wonder about the reasons for these behaviors in order to better understand your animal but also to make sure that these behaviors are not harmful for them.
Why do dogs lick urine?
Dogs have an organ that only exists as a vestige in humans and is called the vomeronasal organ. This organ, also sometimes called Jacobson's organ, is located above the dog's palate, just behind its incisors. Its main responsibility is to allow the dog to recognize pheromones. These are volatile chemical substances, left in the external environment by other dogs and which participate in olfactory communication between species.
So when a dog pees on a pole or on a bush, he's not just relieving himself. It also leaves a large quantity of pheromones in its urine as many messages that its congeners will be able to decipher.
To do this, dogs roll up their lips and inhale the pheromones contained in the messenger dog's urine with their mouths open. It also happens that, to "make it easier to read these chemical messages" , they lick a little of this urine by pressing their tongue against its palate and raising their muzzle as if they were "savoring" it.
So, if you observe your dog licking another dog's urine, it is therefore a completely natural behavior for him and the simple expression of his canine instinct. Licking urine is a way for dogs to better perceive their surroundings. It is therefore advisable not to scold your dog if you surprise him with such behavior.
Is licking another dog's urine dangerous for his he alth?
From a purely human point of view, this behavior is enough to disgust us. However, it does not present a great risk to the he alth of your animal because the urine of other animals, except in the case of urinary tract infection or leptospirosis, is generally sterile.
However, your dog is likely to ingest parasite eggs or larvae if he licks urine from contaminated soil.
It is therefore important to follow your dog's vaccination schedule carefully and to deworm him regularly to definitively rule out any risk of him falling ill by licking the urine of his congeners or other animals.