It is well known that dogs are real super noses. It is not for nothing that you hold out your hands to a friendly dog to greet you so that he can sniff it calmly and decide whether he likes us or prefers to keep his distance.
But what extremely fine antennae the olfactory sense of fur-noses actually has has been researched more and more closely in recent decades. The results exceed even the wildest expectations – now all the dog owners who always reported the premonitions of their four-legged friends have finally the confirmation: Yes, dogs really know a lot of things earlier than humans, because their nose has already told them.
1. Pregnancies
Dogs can perceive even the smallest changes in the body odor of “their” humans. During pregnancy, drastic hormonal changes take place in the body and a dog will notice early on that something is different here than usual. Perhaps he will be upset at first because his person suddenly smells like someone completely new.
2. Identity
Dogs recognize others less by their appearance than by their very own, typical smell. If you dress up artfully, you can deceive other people with it, but at most a dog will be a little confused until he is close enough to you that he can identify you by its smell. Then there is no longer any doubt – wigs and false noses do not help either. Well-trained dogs can even distinguish identical twins by their smells.
3. Cancers
Cancers change the way our cells work, causing cells to sprawl out of control and tumors to grow. The sick cells produce a special protein that dogs can detect. Research has shown that this is not a myth: dogs can smell lung cancer from the breath, and bladder and prostate cancer from the urine.
4. Epileptic seizures
Dogs can anticipate an epileptic seizure in humans up to 45 minutes before it starts. It is believed that the actual attack is preceded by a very specific change in body odor. Dogs then often begin to bark angrily and can thus warn their humans in advance.
5. Interactions with other dogs
A well-known situation: You have petted another dog on the way and when you come home your four-legged friend doesn’t want to stop sniffing at people with interest. What does he find out there? For example, what breed, what gender and what mood the other dog was. Incredible!
6. Changes in blood sugar levels
Studies have shown that dogs can smell when our blood sugar levels are low – our sweat smells differently. For dog owners with diabetes, it can be a valuable warning signal if their fur nose reacts nervously to the changes.
7. Storms and thunderstorms
If animals suddenly seek safe shelter for no apparent reason, then humans would do well to follow their example – something is literally “in the air”. Dogs can sense the slightest changes in the air and are also very sensitive to vibrations in the ground. If the dog suddenly escapes, do nothing like afterwards.
It’s hard to believe what dogs perceive through their fine noses that we humans don’t even notice. We are well advised to pay attention to their behavior and to take their warning barks seriously – it could one day save our lives.
Thumbnails: © Instagram / g_reiner © Instagram / booandmanu