Smells like corn chips, right? (or tortillas, or popcorn, or some other corn-based salty treat).
Besides puppy breath, it’s one of the better smells our dogs naturally produce. Although, once you find out why paws smell so delicious, you might not want to put your nose so close again.
Even the cleanest dogs have trillions of bacteria living on their skin. But dog’s feet, trampling through the grass and dirt, being licked, with moist folds of skin and fur between the toe pads, are breeding grounds for bacteria and yeast.
According to an article in Mental_Floss magazine,
All these micro-organisms give off their own distinct odors (they’re what give us BO), and the popcorn/corn chip smell on some dogs could be the fault of yeast or the bacterium Proteus, which are both known for their sweet, corn tortilla smell. Or it could be the bacterium Pseudomonas, which smells a little fruitier, but pretty close to popcorn to most noses.
Commonly referred to as “Frito Feet,” this dog curiosity is totally natural – unless the smell is overpowering or bad, your dog’s salty scented feet are nothing to be alarmed about.