Has your canine companion ever woken you up by sniffing your face, or perhaps offering affectionate ‘snoot boops’? Does he sometimes get completely fixated on a scent he’s picked up on his walk? Fido’s cute nose is one of his most adorable features. It’s also pretty amazing in and of itself! Read on to learn more.
Keen Smell
We all know that our canine friends have a very keen sense of smell, but the actual data on this is a bit mind-boggling. Fido can have as many as 300 million scent receptors in his nose. (In contrast, we ‘only’ have 6 million.) To put that into perspective, pups can sniff out a single drop of liquid in 20 Olympic-sized pools.
A Helping Nose
We’ve long made use of Fido’s amazing sense of smell for hunting and tracking. However, these days, one can find pups that have been trained to sniff out many different things, including bombs, drugs, dead bodies, and even bedbugs. Some pooches are also able to detect illnesses and imbalances in the human body, and can smell things like upcoming seizures and/or blood sugar changes, and even cancer.
Something New
As you have probably already noticed, Fido is always on the ‘lookout’ for new smells. There’s actually a name for this: neophilia. Let your dog enjoy being a dog on his walks, and let him stop to smell the roses. (This is also a good life lesson from pets.)
Noseprint
Did you know that your furry best friend’s nose has a unique print? Much like our fingerprints, dogs’ noseprints are all different. That means that every time your pooch leaves a nose art masterpiece on your window, it’s a one-of-a-kind print! (Tip: Try using vinegar and newspaper to clear your pup’s ‘canvas’ so he can start on his next masterpiece.)
Wet Or Dry
You may have heard that if a pup’s nose is dry, it means that he’s sick. That actually isn’t the case! However, there is an advantage to having a wet nose. The extra moisture helps catch scent particles, making it easier for your furry friend to smell things.
Truffle Hunters
You have probably heard that pigs have often been used to sniff out truffles. However, they sometimes damage the truffles in the process. Man’s Best Friend has been more than happy to help solve that problem. Dogs—particularly the Lagotto Romagnolo breed—are now often used instead of pigs.
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