Why is a dog's nose sometimes wet and sometimes dry?

Snot. And your dog’s tongue.

Disgusting little beasties.

Dog nose should always be wet, well at least a little moisture on it and should never be dry.

slightly irrelevant, but my mom said that if the nose is dry, the dog might be sick.

I’m not a vet. I thought the dogs nose was like a radiator. I think it has something to do with their internal temperature.

I found this on a vet’s blog:

“For starters, dogs’ noses aren’t always wet. Sometimes they’re dry, sometimes they’re runny, sometimes they’re scaly. Most of the time, though, a bright, happy dog will continually lick his nose (and you, the air, and his private parts; it’s not like they’re discriminating) and so the nose is wet. When the dog isn’t feeling well, he tends not to lick his nose, and the nose is dry. This is not a direct correlation, however, and does not mean that dry noses equal fevers. The brachycephalic breeds (bulldogs, Bostons, pugs, also known as the snorty ones) have noses set so high on their muzzles that they can’t reach them with their tongues and thus the noses tend to become cracked and dry on top. The nose, known to its friends as the nasal planum, is unique in the dog in that it lacks apocrine sweat glands, as do the footpads. The footpads do have eccrine sweat glands, which is why nervous dogs and cats leave sweaty little footprints everywhere.

Some other animals do lick their noses. Their own, I mean. Cats do, but their tongues are so dry you don’t get the same sloppiness as dogs. Cows are the pre-eminent nose-lickers, as they can clean a little ways up each nostril with a swipe of the tongue: truly an awe-inspiring sight and one that should not be missed on your next trip to the farm. ”

Now that is a terrific description of nose-licking and nasal wetness in our canine buddies as well as in our bovine friends.

However I beg to differ on one point: dogs are discriminating about what they lick. They lick 1) what itches, 2) what feels good to lick, 3) what smells interesting (to them that is – it would be disgusting to us), 4) the person who has given them a treat in hopes that they will give another, 5) anything the smells as if it might be edible or at least chewable, 6) anything that smells a lot like a beloved owner/alpha leader, such as shoes, dirty underwear, and so on.

At least this is what I have observed while living with 5 dogs contemporaneously, and more over time.

Can i add that a dogs nose needs to be wet for it to smell or taste.
Also when an old dogs nose becomes scaley,the remedy to remove the scale is to use a cold cream then rub a pummice stone over the nose.That’ll do nicely thankyou.

Well if a dog’s nose is wet, it means that the dog is healthy and if it’s dry then it means that your dog is sick!