UNDERSTANDING YOUR DOG'S SENSES

Hi Alex,

Welcome to this issue!

Have you ever wondered if your dog has the same senses as you? The answer just might surprise you! In this issue we are going to address that very question and look at some of the most important senses your dog possesses! Read on for more details!

Just like humans, dogs have different senses. However, they just don’t always use them in the same way and order of preference that we do.

A human’s most valuable sense is his sight. Whereas, a dog finds his sense of smell to be his number one sense. This is actually the reason why dogs and humans work so well together, particularly in crime investigation.

With a man or woman’s ability to use sharp eyesight skills, and a dog’s ability to use precise smelling skills, the two make a very compatible team.

Sense of Smell

A dog truly has a phenomenal sense of smell. It is the most developed of the dog’s senses. A dog’s life is to a large extent guided and conditioned by the scents that he picks up.

A dog’s sense of smell is significantly stronger than a human’s. In fact, the lining inside a dog’s nose has about 200 million receptors, while a human only has about 5 million receptors.

Sense of Hearing

A dog’s sense of hearing is also highly developed and highly sensitive. So developed, in fact, that it can pick up on ultrasonic vibrations—which is something humans cannot do!

A dog’s sense of hearing is so sensitive that a sound a man can barely hear at 13 feet, a dog can hear at 80 feet. This is why a dog makes such a good watch dog—he can hear someone approaching from a greater distance.

A dog can really pick up on how we speak to him too. For example, in training exercises, a dog will respond to our words—not necessary because of the words we use but how we say them.

Sense of Sight

A dog is also known for its keen sense of sight. A puppy that is only a couple weeks old has underdeveloped eye sight as it still has a short focal distance. As he develops and grows, his focal distance increases significantly.

However, it is not necessarily a dog’s sense of eye sight that is so excellent, but rather his ability to detect gestures and movements from a far away location—his sense of motion. For example, a dog might not see an animal hiding in a bush, but as soon as the animal moves, the dog can detect the movement.

Since dogs are so low to the ground, they have a harder time determining three dimensions, but it improves with experience and age.

Sense of Touch

Some dogs are highly sensitive to touch and others are not. Handle your dog according to his degree of sensitivity.

A dog’s head includes vibrissae, which are sensitive hairs around both of his eyes, along his muzzle, and underneath his jaw. Additionally, the remainder of his body consists of sensitive nerves. A dog is most sensitive along the spine and towards the tail. This is one of the reasons why a dog enjoys rolling around in the green grass!

Sense of Taste

A dog likes to chew on things that humans would never consider such as magazines, old shoes, electrical cords, and tree branches! Therefore, we tend to believe that a dog’s sense of taste is not as developed as humans.

A dog’s sense of smell is closely connected with his sense of taste. He can detect the difference between something that is sweet or sour, bitter or salty. There are some foods that dogs like to eat, and other foods that they don’t, however is usually happy with anything he can sink his teeth into!

In our next issue of our newsletter, we will look at some other critical elements related to dog training. Good quality dog training resources can make the process of training your dog much easier. Be sure to review the resource box below for more information about dog training topics and resources.

For more helpful dog training help, please visit our DIY Dog Training Course.

Kind regards, Shandra