Did you know that dogs have two senses of smell?
02:55:00
How does your dog smell? Terrible or terribly well?
The answer is probably both but look at you dog right now. Do they have a wet nose?Yes, then they are using a super power.
Dogs are renowned for their sense of smell, which is why they are utilised to support Police Forces, the armed forces, search and rescue in every country in the world. They can sniff out everyting from Cocaine to Cadavers.
The ability to smell up to 40 feet underground has proven invaluable in natural disasters, cave-ins or at locating gas leaks.
Apprently it has been discovered that they can even smell electricity, ovulation in cows and ... fingerprints!
The research into the accuracy of canine olfactory senses is regarded as so reliable that Medical Alert Assistance dogs are used to support individuals who live with dangerous health conditions such as diabetes, A dog will detect and respond when the blood sugar levels are dangerously low and warn the individual to take preventative action.
The most common examples of the extraordinary abilities are displayed every day in airports. That friendly Beagle that walks past us while we are waiting in line at check-in or at the baggage carousel may look like a sweet puppy, but this working member of the Border Secuirty team is on a mission.
That little nose can detect a variety of misdemeanours. The dogs at airports are specialists trained to detect currency, explosives, drugs, flora and fauna and even prohibited food using only their sense of smell.
So we know what dogs can do, but how can they do it?
Dogs have a super power - they have two ways to sense smell
As you would expect the first smell system is located in the nose. Like us in order for a dog to smell, we breathe in air containing odour molecules, which settle in the millions of olfactory receptors. The canine olfactory tissues are the reason the sense is so acute.
We as humans have half a square inch of this tissue in our nostrils. In comparison some breeds have up to twenty square inches. For dogs, the scent improves with the quality of airflow through their noses. This is why hounds in particular are phenomenal trackers, the faster the prey runs, the more the dog runs, the stronger the scent becomes.
The second smell system surprisingly is located in a dogs mouth! Close to the upper pointed teeth is a small tube that advances to a particular gland known as the vomeronasal organ (VNO), or the Jacobson's organ.
Found in most animals the purpose of this gland is to figure out and illustrate the most primal forms of smell. The Jacobson’s organ interpret smells. This allows the dogs to understand its world. Allowing distinction between other dogs or animals in their surroundings, choosing their mates, and naturally sense their prey and of course locating food.
Found in most animals the purpose of this gland is to figure out and illustrate the most primal forms of smell. The Jacobson’s organ interpret smells. This allows the dogs to understand its world. Allowing distinction between other dogs or animals in their surroundings, choosing their mates, and naturally sense their prey and of course locating food.
All very interesting but there is more!
Scientists have discovered that the average dog produces about 250 ml of mucus per day through his nasal cavities just to keep his nose wet.
The nose acts like a sponge seizing the microscopic odour molecules and liquefiying them through the wetness of the nose in order for the inner receptors to examine and identify them appropriately.
The nose acts like a sponge seizing the microscopic odour molecules and liquefiying them through the wetness of the nose in order for the inner receptors to examine and identify them appropriately.
Like most super powers there is a weakness.
Over time tumours and nodules develop in the nostrils causing the sense there to deteriorate. Dogs begin relying on the Jacobson's organ.
Bad dental hygeine and oral health can further weaken the sense.
Very senior dogs will probably lose nearly all sense of smell. It usually happens in conjunction with the new found ability to pass wind! (Joke).
Bad dental hygeine and oral health can further weaken the sense.
Very senior dogs will probably lose nearly all sense of smell. It usually happens in conjunction with the new found ability to pass wind! (Joke).
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