Why Do Dogs Sniff So Much?
Photo: Shutterstock
Why Do Dogs Sniff So Much?
Whenever your dog encounters something new, the first thing they probably do is sniff it. They sniff people, plants, and the same landmarks you pass on your daily walks. Luckily, this behavior is not only normal but ideal for a happy and healthy pup.
While humans developed keen eyesight to spot fruits and predators in our ancient history, dogs developed a highly refined sense of smell. As hunters, they would sniff out prey and track it over miles to find food. This sense of smell may not be used for hunting now, but it is just as sharp as it was millions of years ago.
Humans have several millions of scent receptors in our noses - but dogs have hundreds of millions more! And they use them to detect all kinds of scents. Bloodhounds, for example, known for their tracking abilities, have over 300 million receptors in their noses. They are some of the most common hunting dogs for this reason, as they can find other animals that are miles away by scent alone.
While your terrier or bulldog may not have quite as strong of a nose, they still use scent as a primary means of doing the following:
Identifying other animals and humans
Identifying age, mood, and hormonal state of other dogs
Finding food
Detecting urine of other dogs
Uses of the Powerful Canine Olfactory Sense
Because dogs’ sense of smell is their most prominent sense, and because they are so easily trained by humans, people have used this ability for all types of training and dog careers. A dog with a powerful sense of smell can:
Become a hunter
Work for the police department to detect illicit drugs or bombs
Detect the presence of disease
Detect blood sugar drops in diabetic patients
Tracking for scientific purposes such as finding rare plants and dissecting the presence of aquatic animals using scent alone.
These feats are incredible to humans but a normal part of a dog’s life. Special training allows them to communicate with humans to detect things we simply cannot understand. This is one of many reasons why dogs are humans’ best friends! A sniffing dog is a happy dog, so be sure to stop on your next walk and let them smell to their heart’s content!
