Little Sniffers
Everyone knows that a dog’s nose is remarkable. Their sense of smell is so strong that they are even able to detect cancer through smell alone! But how is this possible you may ask. The answer is right here before you. So what are you waiting for? Lets sniff out this mystery together.
What allows them to smell?
First, we need to understand what allows dogs to possess such an amazing sense of smell. Dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses —which allows them to smell- compared to the 60 million olfactory receptors humans have. That means that a dog’s sense of smell is 1,000-10,000 times better than ours and 40 times larger than our olfactory section of our brain!
How do they smell?
Dogs have a nose that functions differently than humans. When humans inhale, we breathe and smell through the same airways but for our furry friends, they have a flap of tissue in their nose that separates these two functions. About 12% of the air dogs inhale go deeper into their nose which is dedicated to olfaction with the rest going into the lungs. This 12% of air allows dogs to distinguish smells even those with minute differences. The way they exhale is different as well thanks to the shape of their nose. On the sides of a dogs nose are slits and this is where the exhaled air exits from the nose. This allows for more efficient and effective sniffing as there are two separate paths for inhaling and exhaling.
How do they smell? (Continued)
Not only do they possess a lot more olfactory receptors, a different respiratory system, and a different nose than us, dogs also have an additional olfactory tools their further increases their ability to smell! The Jacobson’s organ is located inside the nasal cavity and opening into the roof of the mouth behind the upper incisors. This organ is specially designed specifically for chemical communication. The nerves from Jacobson’s organ lead to the brain where the nerves are different from the other nerves in the nose in which that they don’t respond to ordinary smells. In addition, these nerve cells respond to substances that often have no odor at all which are known as “undetectable odors”.
Damp Noses
A dog’s nose works best when damp. Why? This is because when the nose is damp, it allows the dog to pick up even more scent particles thanks to the moist outer nose and mucus-covered nasal canal. For this reason, dogs will often be seen licking their noses when they become dry. They don’t want to miss out on some important information!
The Power of having a Great Sense of Smell
Dogs are able to detect many smells and odors that humans cannot which enables them to gather more information about their surroundings and -for specially trained dogs- to save many lives from various situations and diseases such as saving someone from a collapsed building and cancer. They can also sniff out if a person feels fearful, anxious, or happy. There is nothing hiding from your best friend! In fact, their noses are so great that there is a quest to make a robot that can smell as well as a dog!
I hope you have found and learned something interesting and new in this blog! As always, wear a mask and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. Stay safe and I will see you next time!
Citations:
[1] Harrison, Sara. “The Quest to Make a Bot That Can Smell as Well as a Dog.” Wired, Conde Nast, www.wired.com/story/quest-to-make-robot-smell-cancer-dog/.
[2] How Dogs Use Smell to Perceive the World, et al. “How Dogs Use Smell to Perceive the World.” vca_corporate, vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/how-dogs-use-smell-to-perceive-the-world.
[3] Tyson, Peter. “Dogs' Dazzling Sense of Smell.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 4 Oct. 2012, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/dogs-sense-of-smell/.