I should mention one good side of being sniffed–it gets our juices flowing (hormones, that is). Not that our hormones aren’t already flowing for those we love, but it’s a turbo boost to know you’re wanted by somebody else. As long as the man doesn’t stray, this may add some extra excitement to his actual relationship.

At least, that’s how I justify it. See! We try to find ways to justify it so we can have our cake and nibble it too!

Basically, the message I’d like to convey is that men know exactly what “sniffer dog” women are doing. Really. We know it and we like it. Who wouldn’t like that kind of attention?

The trouble is that we don’t want to admit that we know, even to ourselves, because that means that the fun will end. Every man could outright say to the woman that she is speaking to him inappropriately and she needs to stop. But few do. Because we like it. We don’t want it to stop. The ones who stop it are those I’ll call Real Men.

Also, naturally we wouldn’t admit this to women; not only because we barely admit it to ourselves, but because if we swear blissful innocence to you, we get to keep our sniffer dog. We get to let someone chase us. Remember in grade school when girls chased the boys? Did any boy admit that he liked it? Newsflash: We liked it.

The very fact that your boyfriend continues to correspond with this woman even though she hits on him constantly and continuously is a sign that he enjoys the attention. Does this make him disloyal? Maybe a little. But not much unless he actually acts on it or leads this woman on to think that she has a chance at getting him.

I’m letting you in on this HUGE secret about men, one that may outcast me from my own kind. But you need to know. In full disclosure, I am not a Real Man as I described above. I’m weak, and I like the attention. It’s certainly stimulating. I have no such sniffer dogs in my life right now, not for a while, and I feel more pure for it.

But should one come along, I’ll listen to her, indulge her sweet nothings. A little bit. I won’t act on it, and I’ll barely admit to myself that something is amiss. But I’ll know. We all know. (Sorry Mike!)

My wrath is saved entirely for the feller if he dares to notice or consider her come-on for a nano second.

I don’t get women who after their man has been unfaithful in thought or deed try and pin it on their sisters. If a bloke is with someone he should keep his extremeties to himself whatever the provocation ! And vice versa. So simple, eh ?

Anna May x

I understand that it is hard to believe, but in my (much) younger days there were occasions when my dearly beloved dragged me from a social gathering hissing that some hussy was putting the moves on me and every time I said “Blimey, I wish I had realised at the time.” Apparently that sort of reaction doesn’t win a feller any favours.

As to why women do it, who knows? You might as well ask why men will mix together five different spirits and down them in one while singing “Hold him down, you Zulu warrior”, or what compels them to eat a whole six-pack* of Mister Kipling mince pies in one sitting. Some people are just gentically hard-wired that way.

I do love the description “sniffer dog” by the way. But for literary sophistication, you could just dismiss her with the title of the John Ford play; “‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore”.