Why the Sense of Smell is So Important to Dogs

Dog's Sense of Smell As humans, we utilize multiple senses to make sense of our world, but we tend to pay less attention to smell than to other senses. Dogs, on the other hand, make extensive use of their sense of smell. Here’s why the sense of smell is so important to dogs.

Dogs have an incredibly powerful and effective system of scent detection. This system starts with a dog’s nose, which is filled with more than 100 million sensory receptor sites. Humans, by contrast, have only about six million such sites. Dogs are also equipped with something known as “Jacobsen’s organ.” This is an olfactory organ that allows dogs to detect substances that are not known to even have an odor. A dog’s Jacobsen’s organ communicates those detected substances directly to its brain. The result of this marvelous scent detection system is that dogs have a sense of smell that is thousands of times more powerful than that of humans.

A dog makes constant use of its powerful sense of smell to learn much about the world. This incredible sense of smell allows a dog to reliably distinguish between different humans even without sight, to assess the gender of other dogs, to ascertain if another dog is aggressive, and even to quickly determine a human’s mood. A dog can also use its excellent sense of smell to determine if other dogs have been in the area or if a human has been around another animal.

Dogs are amazing animals that make wonderful pets. Part of what makes dogs so incredible is their outstanding olfactory system. This sense of smell allows dogs to understand and interact with their world in a very interesting way.

If you’re looking for a fun way to interact with your four-legged friend, consider using scents during play time or training time. For example, you could play “hide and seek” with their food, and let them use their noses to go find a treat. You could also lay out a trail of scents, and leave your dog’s favorite toy at the end of the trail, which will surely excite him or her. Check out this article for other great game ideas.

At Copper Canyon Australian Labradoodles, we consider our dogs to be part of the family. All of our puppies are born and raised right in our home. Contact us at 877-850-2022 to learn more about our Labradoodles or to inquire about expected litters.