Do all dogs have nipples?

It’s a question you never thought you needed the answer to – but we’re here to educate! So let’s answer the question: do dogs have nipples?

It’s a mammal thing

Yes, all dogs do have nipples. In fact, all mammals have nipples – or something that acts in the same way as a nipple (more on that later) – because the word ‘mammal’ comes from mammary glands. These are the milk producing glands that help us warm-blooded creatures create milk for our offspring. And dogs are happy to follow the pack with this one, as they have several pairs of nipples running down their chests – they sort of look like little pimples (though they grow considerably bigger if they are producing milk for a litter of puppies).

Not all dogs are created equal – some dogs have six nipples, while others can have 10 nipples. What’s more, it’s not entirely uncommon for dogs to have an odd number of nipples, and if this is the case with your dog, it’s nothing to worry about – an odd number of nipples is just a genetic mutation that causes no harm to the dog.

What are the other options

While nearly all mammals have nipples, they are not all alike. Whales and dolphins for example hide their nipples in something called a mammary slit, while sea lions have retractable nipples. The only mammals that don’t have nipples are those belonging to the group known as the monotremes – these include the duck-billed platypus and the echidna (both of which lay eggs rather than birth live young). While they have mammary glands, the milk just sort of dribbles out of tufts of fur. 

The world of mammalian young-feeding options is quite a fascinating one, and is worth anyone’s time to study as there are some interesting facts out there on this subject. Just be careful what you put into Google while looking for the information.

So, not all mammals have nipples, but they all have a way of producing and delivering milk to their infants. And to answer the burning question – all dogs have nipples!