How Do Dogs See With Their Noses?

For humans, the primary way to experience happenings around the world is through the sense of sight but dogs see the world around them in a different world. We all are aware of the fact that dogs are blessed with a great sense of smell as they have amazing nasal architecture, and which actually explains the fact that dogs use their sense of smell to see the world. Many studies & researches have been done to explore the amazing anatomy of a dog nose and it has been found in those studies that a dog’s sense of smell is million times better than that of humans which is why dogs rely on their nose to experience the world around them.

Most people wonder why do dogs sniff everything that came across them? Well, the answer is because all the receptors present in their nose are highly functional & helps in gathering information regarding the world around them. For a dog, his sense of smell is as important as eyesight is for any human. Our reality is based on our sight but a dog’s reality is based on his sense of smell. Surely, humans are gifted with many other senses such as taste, smell, touch but the primary sense which we rely on to experience the world is our sight, and in the canine world, dogs are gifted with a powerful nose which helps them in connecting with the outside world.

A dog’s vision is not much powerful which is why they majorly depend on their sense of smell to gather information. Due to the presence of millions of receptor in a dog’s nose, they can detect any smell from far away.

Let’s understand how a dog’s small snout helps in fetching a perceptive of the outside world:

Most people are really curious to know why do dogs have such a great sense of smell? Well, the answer to this question is hidden in the anatomy of a dog’s nose.

A dog’s nose is different from a human’s nose both physically & functionally. Humans inhale & exhale using the same passage due to which all the sense of smells that get in, exhales immediately when we exhale but it isn’t in case of dogs. Dogs are blessed with 2 different air passages, one is meant for breathing & the other allows to smell so when a dog exhales, the odor molecules remain intact in the nose.

Dogs have a great sense of smell because they are capable to smell independently from each nostril. Also, a wet nose symbolizes a healthy nose so on noticing dry snout of your dog, you should take him to a veterinarian as a dog without a healthy nose is like a human with partial blindness. Every human has a different scent fingerprint which helps a dog in differentiating one human from another. Dogs are Olympic sniffer, and they can sniff and differentiate anything & everything.

Dogs love to sniff around & smell all the scents present around them, it helps in soothing their mind which is why it is highly important to regularly walk your dog as it helps in keeping their behavior, hormones & emotions stable. By sniffing, dogs communicate to the outside world and they tend to associate things with their smell so it also largely affects their mind.

For example- if you put a small rotten apple among the three million barrels of apple then just a sniff is enough for a dog to bring out the rotten apple from the lot.

A dog’s nose is extremely powerful which is why every police squad has sniffer dogs in their team who helps them in catching the faulty criminal. Even dogs can remember the smell and its source.

In the canine world, dogs sniff each other to collect information about each other. For example- through sniffing, they can find out the other dog’s gender & whether they are healthy or not.

The astonishing sense of smell of a dog proves them to be a magnificent sniffer.

Now, let’s look into some amazing facts associated with a dog’s sense of smell:

• Dogs noses evolved for survival

Since the beginning of the time, a dog’s sense of smell has evolved drastically to help them in survival. Before the domestication, when dogs used to live in wild then they used to hunt small animals to survive & also has to keep them secure from predators so in managing all the major events, their nose used to play a crucial role.

• Dog’s nose help them in finding a mate

A dog uses his sense of smell to find a mate. Through smelling a male dog can find out whether the female dog is ready for mating or not.

• Dogs smell in 3-D

As we discussed earlier that dogs can smell independently from each nostril. Well, using the different odor profiles then their brain forms a 3-D image to locate the source of the smell.

• Dogs have a unique scent-detecting organ

All canines possessed a unique scent-detecting organ named vomeronasal organ which helps in detecting the chemicals released by the other members of the canine world.

• Dogs can locate the narcotics & explosive

Dogs powerful nose can easily locate narcotics and explosives in luggage & vehicles. They are very good at searching narcotics that’s why dogs are widely used to find hidden suspects.

• Dogs can detect cancer & diabetes correctly

In many studies, it has been found out that dogs can accurately detect cancer & diabetes. By smelling a person’s odor, dogs can easily find out whether he is diabetic or not.

• To a dog, every human being stinks

No matter how much perfume you apply to hide your body odor, still a dog can easily find out. Due to millions of receptors present on a dog’s nose, he can easily identify the odor of every person. Every human has a unique smell & to a dog, every human being stinks.

• Dogs judge through their sense of smell

A dog’s sense of smell is directly connected with his brain which implies that a dog uses his sense of smell to judge anyone or anything. Dogs make accurate judgments which makes them a great resource for human beings.

Which breed of dogs has the most powerful sense of smell?

When it comes to the sense of smell, no breed can be a better sniffer than hound breeds of dog. Some of the popular dogs that belong to the hound group are Basset Hound, Basenji, Beagle, Bloodhound, etc. Other breeds of dog that are a fairly good sense of smell are german shepherd & Labrador. Their noses are highly functional & they have incredible smelling power which makes them the best police dogs.

Final Thoughts

To conclude this, we can say that our canine companion has a dazzling sense of smell which makes them a great sniffer. It is their primary tool to interact with the outer environment. Their astonishing capability to smell & remember it makes them a great resource for humans. Every dog owner should ensure to keep their dog’s nose moist & healthy so that they can easily sniff around the world.