If you own a dog you will know that on some strange occasion they will get up from their comfortable spot and go look at a certain spot where there is nothing there. Now we know that dogs have pretty bad eyesight with some estimating that it is 20/75 compared to our 20/20 and also some issues with color. Yet if they can’t see well then what has got them to be so alert. The answer is often a smell. A dog’s nose is so highly tuned that the slightest change in the air will alert a dog to the presence of something else in the environment. Here are the most amazing things that a dog can smell.
Drugs
Let’s start with the most well-known one. Everyone knows that dogs can be trained to smell certain drugs. This is why they walk around the airport bags. They are looking for drugs or other contraband items like fruit. If they get excited near your bag it likely means you are in trouble. While we all love to pet a dog you should never pet one who is working on such a serious task.
Coronavirus
Now let’s talk about the most surprising one. While we are all trying to find different vaccines for the coronavirus at the moment. One of the best prevention methods may be canine. It turns out that dogs can actually smell the virus and could be used to screen people similar to how temperature checks are used today.
Cancer
If that wasn’t amazing enough it has also been shown that dogs can smell cancer. If you have lung or breast cancer in its early stages some dogs will be able to smell that. They can actually smell the change in proteins in your urine. If your dog acts strange when you pee, it may be time to visit the doctor.
Emotion
It is not just related to a disease. Dogs are so sensitive with their noses that they can actually smell the chemical change in your sweat and breath and understand that your emotional level is changing as a result. This can allow dogs to know when we are happy, stressed, or frightened. If you ever noticed that a dog is sometimes really nice to you and sometimes not so friendly, it may be smelling something different at your emotional level.
Natural disaster
One of the most amazing things dogs and some other animals can do is predict a natural disaster before it happens. There are some natural disasters that humans can predict coming but most still arise out of nothing. Yet before they come the air in the environment often changes. This is something that a dog can understand quickly. If you ever see animals upset in a coastal area, it may be time to head for higher ground.
People
One of the nicest things that dogs do is recognize their owner’s smell. Every dog knows its owner very well and will find them in a large crowd by smell alone. This means that dogs are often used as a key part of any rescue party, if given the scent they can track down a missing person over incredibly large distances.
Pregnancy
If you have a dog and are trying to get pregnant your dog may be the advantage you need. Not only can they sense when you are pregnant but they can sense when you are ovulating and so will know when the best time is for you to try to get pregnant. Now if only there was a way that we could train them to tell us.
Dogs are incredible creatures that we simply don’t give enough credit to. Dogs do amazing things and we have to learn to appreciate all of their skills and how to properly use them to help save more lives.
