Dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell that compensates for other less developed senses, such as touch or sight. It could be said that your dog sees the world through his nose. They are capable of receiving information that you are unable to see or feel.
This is why dogs smell everything on the street, they are recognizing everything around them and discovering new information. To give us an idea, dogs smell up to 1000 times better than humans.
If you wonder why my dog smells everything in the street keep reading this article on our site where we explain the keys of canine smell.
The anatomy of his snout
To understand why your dog smells everything in the street, it is necessary to know the special anatomy of his nose, which makes them so powerful
Have you ever noticed how they move their nose every time they sniff something? They do this to better capture the particles that cause odours In addition, one of the reasons why they are wet is also related to smell. Moisture traps these odorous particles and the dog can process them better. Dogs can sometimes get a dry nose, but usually it's a one-off, minor thing.
In their long noses they have around 200 million olfactory receptors, while humans have only five million. These receptors connect with the olfactory nerves, which in the case of dogs extend over approximately 100 cm2. It is believed that the Jacobson's organ or vomeronasal, which other animals also have, also aids in the interpretation of odors.
Why do dogs smell?
Dogs identify each other thanks to their smell and this is one of the reasons why your dog smells everything in the street. They usually smell every corner and every car wheel, they are discovering who has urinated there, if he was male or female, if he was in heat or what he ate, for example. That is, they are finding out all the news of the dogs in the area.
In the same way they sniff objects to find out what they are and understand everything possible about them, if it is food, if it is in poor condition, if another dog has sniffed it before, etc.
When you walk down the street you like to find out what's going on and to do so you use your senses and dogs act the same way. You have to understand that thanks to their sense of smell they are able to discover the world around them and not letting them smell things when you go for a walk is the same as prohibiting them familiarize yourself with your surroundings.
Especially in stressed or anxious dogs, sniffing relaxes them and is a great way to help calm their nervousness. Precisely, preventing him from sniffing the ground is one of the five common mistakes when walking a dog, since we prevent him from relaxing and socializing with the environment in which he lives, preventing him from receiving information and feeling disoriented.
It is very important that you allow your dog to sniff!
If I let my dog smell everything in the street, can he get sick?
In principle, if your best friend has correctly followed the vaccination schedule for dogs, is correctly dewormed and is completely he althy and he althy he shouldn't get sick, even if you smell urine and feces. However, remember that sniffing is not the same as ingesting. You should prevent your dog from eating another's feces or trying to lick her urine
Remember that sniffing is a very positive habit. If you are afraid that your dog may get sick when in contact with dirt, it is better to offer him long walks in wooded places. It is very important that you can have quality walks with him and that we allow him to enjoy his own nature
What does it mean if my dog doesn't smell on the street?
If your dog smells absolutely nothing during his walks and is only aware of other dogs, their toys or your attention, it is probably that he suffers from some kind of problem related to your wellness.
Sniffing and tracking is a normal and positive attitude. For this reason, if you notice that your dog avoids sniffing and is tense and restless, you probably have at your side an animal with stress, anxiety, nervousness or fear problems In such a case, it is important to review the five freedoms of animal welfare and make sure that our best friend is he althy. If not, it is advisable to see an ethologist.
In the meantime, you can help him sniff through exercises such as sowing, in which we have to spread treats or dog food in a wooded area. The animal must look for them in order to eat them, thus practicing the search for food.
Do all dogs smell the same?
Whether a dog sniffs more or less is also influenced by its morphology There are breeds that are more sniffing than others and that are genetically trained to follow traces, which makes this type of dog stop more to smell objects on the street. This is the case of beagles, basset hounds or dachshunds, for example.
On the other hand, there are breeds that because of their flattened snout they have more olfactory problems and don't stop as much during walks, like the pugs or bulldogs.
