Do you know why your dog sniffs?

You know that your dog is an outstanding companion but are you aware that because of an excellent scenting ability your pet can be an efficient detector too? Smell is the most efficient and sensitive sense of a dog. The ultra sensitive senses make the dog an excellent hunter.

Owners of hunting dogs that greatly depend on the tracking abilities of the pet would be aware of the power of the dog’s nose. Breeds of hounds can find a wounded animal by following a track that has gone cold not only for hours but for several days. This is how powerful dogs noses are. Can this be the reason why the dog is often seen sniffing? Dog have many common and not so common habits that amaze humans. Nonetheless, you would still be perplexed by the dog’s habit of sniffing anything in its environment.

Dogs sniff the ground, the grasses, the food and even the feces. Dog not only sniff humans but the backside of other dogs too. Something must encourage the dog to sniff. Dogs are very curious animals thus they have the tendency to investigate their environment and in the absence of hands the nose will be the dog’s most excellent tool.

Although dogs are hunters their lives are also in danger from their predators too. The nose is the dog’s greatest asset that will not only find the location of prey but most importantly an asset that will be efficient in detecting danger. Simply by sniffing the air, the dog in the wild will be aware of the presence of danger.

Dogs have a unique way of communicating with other dogs. We know how dogs efficiently use different movements of their body to transmit a message to other dogs. However, it cannot be doubted that the dog’s nose and consequently sniffing, have played an important role in dog to dog communication. Have you seen how dogs meeting for the fort time would sniff each other butt? Nature has gifted dogs with a smell distinctly their own to be used as an identification not unlike humans thumb print. Although a dog’s scenting ability is far superior to what we humans have, dogs are still seen sniffing a lot. The inclination to sniff is a valuable asset of rescue dogs as with this ability, a lot of people have been saved from death. Dogs are now being used to detect cancer in humans. All these can be done by man’s best friends by sniffing.