Why Your Dog Can Remember Smells and You Can't

Dogs have some seriously impressive sniffers. But why are dog noses so powerful and how is it that they can remember precise smells over long periods of time?
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It all comes down to the structure of the nose and the sensory abilities of the brain. When the dog inhales, the nostrils pull in air packed with molecules that contain smells. A fold of tissue just inside the nostrils separates the airflow into two paths - one for olfaction or smells and one for respiration. This prevents the dog from immediately breathing out the smell like we do.

When they do exhale, air exits through different slits in the sides of their nose. This helps pull new odors into the nose through the nostrils and allows the dog to sniff practically continuously. It also helps that dogs can identify which nostril a smell came through so that they can locate which direction the smell is coming from.

After inhalation and separation from the air headed to the lungs, a small amount of air passes over turbinates. Turbinates are these plates of bony structures that contain scent-detecting cells. There’s even a separate section called the vomeronasal organ, which is used primarily for social interactions.

#dogs #science #seeker #tusktotails #anatomy

Read More:
The fluid dynamics of canine olfaction: unique nasal airflow patterns as an explanation of macrosmia
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2009.0490
"The canine nasal cavity contains hundreds of millions of sensory neurons, located in the olfactory epithelium that lines convoluted nasal turbinates recessed in the rear of the nose."

Dogs' Dazzling Sense of Smell
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/dogs-sense-of-smell/
"My dog Jones used to do the most curious thing whenever my friend Burk visited my house."

Crittervision: What a dog's nose knows
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128262-000-crittervision-what-a-dogs-nose-knows/
"Ever wondered how a dog, with a sense of smell that may be thousands of times more sensitive than ours, can bear to bury its face in the trash can?"
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