THE EUKANUBA ADULT
DOG GUIDE.

Just because he's no longer a puppy does not mean his
owner cannot learn a few new tricks

The Science Behind Sniffing

If you're an oncologist in the year 2050, what tools would you use to determine whether or not a patient has cancer? Sure, you could subject the individual to a battery of invasive and expensive tests, but it might be simpler to call upon your hospital's team of German Shepherds to help sniff out an answer. That's right: Scientists expect canines will someday be able to detect prostate cancer from smelling a urine sample. In fact, dogs might already have the capacity — we humans have only to figure out how to get them to identify what it is they smell. Such remarkable feats can be tracked back to receptors in the dog's nose — which is between 10,000 and 100,000 keener than that of a person.

This is why your pet knows when you've had a bad day at work: He can literally smell the bitter hormone secretions on your body—and that you had mustard on your cheeseburger for lunch. But that's not all:

A Nose for News

Dogs use their sense of smell to understand the world around them. That's why they can't stop sniffing. Your jog in the park might present dozens of points of information indicating the physical and emotional well-being of his doggie pals Maisy and Duke, as well as the people who live with them. It tells him what flowers are about to spout—even the types of pests nibbling on their delicate stems.

Curtailing the Sniffing

While such an organ is downright miraculous, there are times when you might want to keep your dog from sniffing. After all, many of us have suffered undo embarrassment when a pet sniffed out a colleague's nether regions (or maybe we were horrified to be the target of the sniffee). Here are some suggestions to keep the behavior at bay:

  • Offer a diversion in the way of a treat, hand claps or rein in the leash
  • Crate train your dog so that he will willingly stay out of the way during a soiree
  • Exercise him prior to any event so that he'll be tuckered out, his nose sated

A dog's nose is an incredible tool. Just make sure his insights do not include your friends' inseams.