The Smell of Sight:
- Jun 6, 2018
- 3 min read
It should be said that most dogs born with all they are supposed to like vision, hearing, and the ability to smell. Dogs usually learn things through a very particular way. What sense do they rely on for curiosity or actual navigation through the world around them? The answer that I believe is they rely heavily on their nose. Their nose is such that it that they can pick and choose certain things in an object they want to smell. I always make the analogy of a smell in the cartoon that you can see. Smells for a dog are generally like that. They can see the scent trail with their nose. Why is it that they need a sense of smell. Why does it matter to use this side of them during training? That's what we will dive into. My belief system on the nose. We don't honestly know do to the dog not being able to directly explain everything.
The nose for me is a tracking device as well as a social device. Let me explain the tracking first. The tracking or hunting is simple. They will track the animal they're looking for. If wolves they will be migrating behind smelling the chewed grass for the smell of saliva, and animals waste. They smell these things to find one that may be sick or is not in good health. Once they catch up to the herd they then start the dance of irritation. They will poke and prod and smell. Once they found the one they've been smelling on the whole track, they will lock on with their eyes and their nose will also lock on. You will see the ears become erect. Now through the nose none of the other senses will lose the site of that animal. The herd will try and hide it. By the time the association and smell is associated to the other senses there's nothing that will make the wolf lose that particular animal.
How the nose is used to be social. Take a momma dog in the den with her babies for example. When she comes out of the den or away from the litter for a break, she is actually gathering information about the environment like going to see the owners, some of the other dogs, and other pieces of the environment. Each time she comes back to the pup she will bring a new smell with her. She will teach the puppies how much respect, playfulness, or fear to give it. By how she reacts to them when they smell her when she gets back. The pups are naturally curious about where, and what momma did. If in the wolf pack the mom will rub against one member each time and go back in and tell the pups how to interact with that particular smell. Crazy cool right?
Dogs learn to associate through their nose. That's why when dogs have problems it's very hard for the owners of that dog to get a hold of some of the behaviors. You are in a pattern and the dog is also in a pattern. Your smell has to end up meaning something different. It's important to remember that the nose is the gateway to making sure your pup stays social. In training always utilize the nose. For the dog who uses it's nose will continue to work social skills. Some dogs become overly visual and have to be retrained on how to actually be social again.
Comments