The Superb Snout: Understanding Canine Sense of Smell

Dogs have a lot going for them. They’re fun to be around, smart, amusing, and make great companions. However, perhaps their most distinguishing attribute is that wet, sometimes in-your-face feature: the nose. Not only is it terrific for waking you up each morning, that canine sense of smell has its own special powers as well.

Pup’s Anatomy

For humans, the air we smell is the same as the air we breathe. With dogs, however, when air is sucked in through their nose, a fold of tissue inside the nostril splits the breath between smell and respiration. Researches discovered that nearly 12% of each breath is dedicated to olfaction, while the rest goes to the lungs. This percentage of air filters through turbinates, the bony structures responsible for recognizing odor molecules and signaling the brain. Also:

• Dogs can move their nostrils independently, allowing them to hone in on an odor’s location.
• Exhalation through the side slits of the nostrils allows for nearly continuous sampling of smells.
• The Jacobson’s organ, located toward the bottom of the nasal passage, picks up on pheromones. This organ has its own nerves and a path to the brain designed specifically for analyzing these chemicals.

Breaking it Down

Contemporary research helps us understand the jaw-dropping nature of the canine nose. To grasp the sheer magnitude of the canine sense of smell, consider your own sight for a moment. If you can see up to ⅓ of a mile, a dog can see 3,000 miles or more without compromised vision.

Apples and Oranges

When it comes to humans, our own abilities wilt in comparison to the power of the canine sense of smell. A dog’s nose has up to 300 million scent receptors, while we typically have around 6 million. Considering that a large portion of our brain is dedicated to seeing the visual world around us, the canine sense of smell is 40 times better when it comes to deciphering smells.

Superior Sniffs

The canine sense of smell has been put to great use over the years, particularly in tracking and law enforcement. Try these facts on for size:

• The long, floppy ears of a Bloodhound stir up ground odors and send them up to the nose.
• Some canines can smell up to 40 feet under ground.
• Week old fingerprints left on a surface can be easily detected by a dog.
• Over 800 canine teams are employed by U.S. Customs to smell for drugs, people, pests, explosives, and other contraband.
• Dogs have been instrumental in detecting cancer by smelling a person’s breath or urine.

Canine Sense of Smell for the Greater Good

With their powerful noses, specialized anatomy, and incredible cerebral processing, it seems there’s nothing a dog can’t do. From hunting to herding to protecting, they’re instrumental to our existence and success.

The following breeds excel at a variety of tasks, as they collectively employ the finest that the canine sense of smell has to offer:

• Bloodhound
• Beagle
• German Shepherd
• Basset Hound
• Labrador Retriever
• Coonhound
• Pointer
• Spaniel (Cocker and Springer)

If you haven’t already guessed, we’re fascinated by the canine sense of smell. We hope you are, too! Please contact us with any questions or concerns.