subject: Do You Know Why Your Dog Sniffs? [print this page] Are you aware that the nose is the greatest asset of your dog? The sense of smell is the most sensitive sense of man's best friends. This sense coupled with the excellent hearing ability is what makes these animals excel as hunters.
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. Hounds for instance can track and find a wounded animals even if the track has gone cold. This is how powerful dogs noses are. Is this the reason why dogs are seen constantly sniffing? Dog have many common and not so common habits that amaze humans. Nevertheless, a dog owner would still wonder at the dog's inclination to sniff.
The ground, the grass, the food and especially the feces will be sniffed by the dog. Dog not only sniff humans but the backside of other dogs too. Something must encourage the dog to sniff. We know that dogs are energetic and inquisitive animals but because they don't have hands their noses will be used to satisfy their desire to know everything about their surroundings.
Dogs are hunters but they are hunted as well. The nose is one efficient survival tool as not only can it point to the location of a prey but it can also disclose the presence of predators. Dogs in the wild only have to sniff the air to know the presence of predators in the area.
Dogs have a unique way of communicating with other dogs. To communicate with other dogs as well as with other animals, dogs use varied movements of the different part of the body. Given the power of the dog's nose, it would not be impossible for dogs to sniff a lot in order to communicate with other dogs more effectively. 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. Dogs sniff a lot and their sense of smell is far superior to what humans have. A rescue dog would sniff for people buried in rubble and in avalanches. Studies have also verified the dog's ability to identify people with certain types of cancer. All these can be done by man's best friends by sniffing.
