The Science of Dogs: Dogs Have Second Nose

In this video, we ll discuss 12 unbelievable scientific facts about dogs Dogs are complex and amazing creatures. You probably know quite a bit about these fascinating animals, but there’s always more to learn and, as we continue to love our devoted doggies, research on them moves forward at lightning speed. Here are our favorite scientifically proven facts about dogs. Dogs have a “second nose” We all know that dogs have amazing sniffing capabilities - but what most people don’t know is that dogs have a “second nose”, also known as Jacobson’s Organ. It’s a very small organ that is only receptive to certain odors. most namely, the ones that humans aren’t receptive to. It allows them detect specific compounds, find mates, and smell the special glands in another dog’s rear. And there is more to it than that. This part of their nose allows them to ignore the smell of feces. So, in other words, dogs have one sensitive nose and another that is super-sensitive. Dogs Understand and Smell Time Recent studies suggest that dogs understand time. In fact, dogs have a circadian rhythm, an internal clock inside of their brain which allows them to predict reoccurring events like walks or treats. This gets even more interesting. Dogs smell time because odors change over time. Morning has a different scent from afternoon, which smells different from night-time. When you leave the house to go to work each day, the smell of you in the house decreases with each hour of your absence, and your dog can detect the difference. Perhaps your dog has learned through repetition that when the smell of you has weakened to a specific degree, you come home. In other words, the strength of your odor predicts the time of your return. Dogs do dream. Both dogs and humans go through Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stages. During the REM stage of sleep, dogs dream. When your dog is snoozing away and his paws are moving and eyes are twitching, they’re most definitely dreaming. This gets even more interesting. Scientists believe that dogs not only dream as we do, but also that they dream in a similar fashion to humans, meaning that they replay moments from their day while they’re asleep. Dogs prefer to poop along a north-south axis Yep, you heard that right! If you’ve ever wondered why your dog seems to do a million circles and then poop facing the same direction each time, this is why. Dogs, according to science, disregard personal preference and prefer to poop facing the North-South magnetic axis. As of right now, scientists have no theories as to why this is. So the next time you walk your dog, it might be a good idea to take a compass! Dogs have unique nose prints. Humans have unique fingerprints. Dogs have these, too – except, they have nose prints. A dog s nose is unique to that dog. If you look closely at a dog’s nose, you will see lines forming patterns, just like our fingerprints. You cannot find two dog noses that are the same. If you don’t think this is a jaw-dropping fact, then I don’t know what is! Dogs are smarter than cats. Wait! Before you come after us, remember that science said this, not us. According to scientists and researchers, dogs have twice the number of neurons in their brain than cats do. This suggests that dogs can be up to twice as smart as cats. Dogs see fewer colors than humans. The idea that dogs see only black and white is an old-fashioned idea that is highly inaccurate. Dogs do see colors; they mostly see shades of blue, yellow, white, and black. Dogs can see in the dark. A dog’s eyes have a special membrane that allows them to see in the dark. This membrane is called the “tapetum lucidum”. Dogs are unselfish. When conducting research on dogs’ emotional states and values, it was found that dogs are among a small group of animals that show kindness without the promise of a reward. Your dog actually enjoys showing you unselfish kindness, and is willing to put your needs or wishes before its own. Dogs can detect illness. Dogs can detect cancer. Simply by sniffing someone’s body. A study conducted at the University of California Davis has shown that dogs can detect Cancer-affected tissues out of many samples by smelling them. Cancer-affected cells have a unique odor that doesn t exist in healthy cells. This gets even more interesting. There s an organization in the United Kingdom called Medical Detection Dogs in which dogs are trained to find the odor of cancer in samples such as breath, urine, and swabs. Dogs sweat only through their paws. While humans sweat through their entire bodies, dogs mainly sweat through their paws. More specifically, their sweat glands are located between their paw pads. This is why your dog appreciates it when you wet their paws on a hot summer’s day. Service dogs can go to the bathroom on command. Have you ever wondered where and when service dogs go potty? Well, service dogs are trained to do their business on command!