The Nose Knows! Just How Powerful Is A Dog's Nose 

While we have 5 million scent-detecting cells, the bloodhound boasts 300 million, and even the dachshund puts us to sniffing shame with his 125 million scent receptors.

The Powerful Nose and Brain

Your canine can identify smells somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times better than you can. A dog’s olfactory skills are not just limited to his snout power. A dog’s brain is specialized for analyzing and identifying scents; the percentage of a dog’s brain devoted to smell is 40 times larger than that of his human.

Interesting Dog Nose Facts

Even the moisture on your dog’s nose plays a role in his keen sense of smell. The mucus on your dog’s nose provides a surface for dissolving chemicals in the air. Have you ever noticed that Fido’s nose is wetter when he is actively sniffing and investigating his surroundings versus taking a nap? A dog will often lick his nose in order to introduce the chemicals to another olfactory sense organ on the roof of his mouth.

Between a dog’s brain, mouth and the sensitive folds of tissue in his nose, it is no wonder we recognized hounds for their sense of smell. However, it is not the ability to smell, but rather their discerning sense of smell, that has made this trait so renowned. Their ability to smell and identify individual odors within a scent makes them crucial for everything from rescue missions to drug investigations. While we smell chicken noodle soup, they smell individual ingredients within the soup!

Our dog’s noses are amazing! They can wiggle each nostril independently. Their nose carries their own unique nose print similar to how a human has fingerprints.

Marking Territory

Have you ever wondered what your mutt is analyzing as he sniffs out where another dog marked? From a single drop of urine, your dog determines the other animal’s sex, health, diet, and mental state. From his sniff, he knows whether the animal is dominant or submissive, and friendly or aggressive.

Talk about leaving your mark!

The odor image that our dogs see is far more detailed than what the human eye can see. This characteristic and capability baffles science. A dog is so effective at detecting diluted odors, that even the most sophisticated scientific instruments have not mastered measuring these diluted odors.

As though his sniffing capabilities were not cool enough, a dog’s nose has another purpose. The tiny holes in a dog’s nose also help him to release heat, making it useful for cooling off.

The next time your dog sprints from the room after passing gas, make sure you leave, too. After all, Fido “nose” best!

Dr. Susan Wright DMV is a veterinarian with more than a decade of experience. Susan is a writer and serves as a dog bark collar expert. Dr. Wright and her staff share their love of dogs both professionally and personally by writing informational and entertaining pieces on the proper care of domestic animals.