# Dog noses -- how cold?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 8, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769 "2009-11-08T04:41:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769/1 "2009-11-08T04:41:59Z")

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Ok, so there’s the common saying that dogs have cold noses, and when I’ve felt a dog’s nose it certainly feels cold. So how cold is it, compared to skin temperature elsewhere on the pooch?

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**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769/2 "2009-11-08T05:07:17Z")

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My female dog doesn’t have a cold or wet nose, never has. She’s the picture of health, though.

So I’m not sure that “dogs have cold noses” is really applicable, at least not to all dogs.

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**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769/3 "2009-11-08T05:14:22Z")

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> [@Todderbob](#):
>
> My female dog doesn’t have a cold or wet nose, never has. She’s the picture of health, though.
> 
> So I’m not sure that “dogs have cold noses” is really applicable, at least not to all dogs.

Perhaps not, but I’ve had my share of cold dog noses pressed against me, so I know they’re about. I suspect it may have to do with how hot the dog is at the moment.

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**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769/4 "2009-11-08T06:20:45Z")

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A dog’s nose tends to be a bit moist. Evaporation of moisture can reduce surrounding temperature. (I’m trying not to be too scientific.) Therefore, the nose is not really cold, but it may seem to be a bit cool to the touch.

Dog’s noses are not cold. Like any mammal, if they’ve been in an environment that is much colder than their core temperature, their extremities may be cooler. Do Inuit’s have cold noses? Do Michigander’s have cold fingers (after they’ve been outdoors during the winter)? There are plenty of anecdotal cases that will confirm such a phenomenon.

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-noses-how-cold/516769/5 "2009-11-08T21:44:03Z")

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I wonder if it feels cool because the rest of the dog is so furry and warm?