We humans interpret our world by sight but our furry friends predominantly use their incredible sense of smell. Here are some fun facts about your dog’s fascinating snout:
1. While a dog's brain is only one-tenth the size of a human brain, the part that controls smell is 40 times larger than in humans.
2. A dog’s sense of smell is about 1 thousand to 10 million times more sensitive than a human (depending on the breed).
3. The mucus on a dog's nose actually helps them smell by capturing scent particles. When a dog’s nose is dry, they may lick it to aid them in scent.
4. When a dog smells something they are not just registering a smell, they get an entire story. They can smell pheromone which is not only found in the urine and fecal, but on the skin and fur. From this they can tell a lot about another dog or human including if they are male or female, what they ate, where they have been, what they have touched, if they are ready to mate, if they have recently given birth, or had a false pregnancy and what mood they are in. They have even been known to smell cancer on people, alerting them to it and saving their lives. This means when your dog smells another person, tree that another dog has peed on, pant leg that another dog has rubbed up against, or a chair that someone has sat in, they are actually reading a story, not just smelling an interesting scent.
5. A dog can sniff and breathe at the same time. These are two different functions. Breathing is for air, but when they sniff.
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