Has your dog ever woken you up with affectionate ‘snoot boops’ or by sniffing your face? Does Fido sometimes get completely obsessed with a scent he’s picked up on his walk? Your canine companion’s cute nose is one of his most adorable features. It’s also pretty amazing in and of itself! A local vet talks about Man’s Best Friend’s sniffer below.

Keen Smell

While we all know that dogs have a great sense of smell, the actual data is pretty mind-boggling. Fido has 300 million scent receptors in his nose. In contrast, we have a mere 6 million. To put that into perspective, this means dogs are able to sniff out a single drop of liquid in 20 Olympic-sized pools.

A Helping Nose

We’ve long made use of Fido’s keen sense of smell for tracking and hunting. However, these days, you can find pups trained to specifically sniff out many different things, including drugs, bombs, dead bodies, and even bedbugs. Some of our furry buddies are also able to detect imbalances and illnesses in the human body, and can smell things like blood sugar changes, cancer, and upcoming seizures.

Something New

Fido is always on the ‘lookout’ for new smells, as you have probably already noticed. (There’s actually a name for this: neophilia.) Indulge your four-legged friend a bit. Let him stop to smell the roses on his walks. That’s also a great life lesson!

Noseprint

Here’s another fun fact: your furry best friend’s nose has its own unique unique print. Much like our fingerprints, dogs’ noseprints are all different, with no two being alike. (Note: if Fido likes making nose art on your windows, use newspaper and vinegar to clean your pup’s ‘canvas’ so he can start on his next creation.)

Wet Or Dry

You may have heard that if your dog’s nose is dry, it means that he’s sick. That isn’t true at all! However, having a wet nose has its advantages. That moisture helps to trap scent particles, making it easier for Fido to smell anything and everything.

Truffle Hunters

As you may know, pigs are commonly used for sniffing out truffles. However, they also damage the truffles along the way. Fido has helped to solve that dilema. Dogs—particularly the Lagotto Romagnolo breed—are now often used instead of pigs. As your animal clinic, we’re always here to help. Please contact us anytime!