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I'm sure that we all know that we put emotions onto a dog that most of the time they do not fully comprehend. Most of us can say objectively that they are not as emotionally sound as us. What is actually going on? How do they view and remember us? Where does the memory come from if they forget what they were doing 5 seconds later? I believe all of this is related to the dogs nose and how they use it. This is the super power they have that humans and machines still have not cracked to understand how powerful it is. Fun fact! To understand how powerful a dogs nose would be amazing but to understand an elephants would be simply crazy. Their olfactory system and the amount of scent receptors is 10 times that of the blood hound. That's crazy!!!
It has been shown that dogs are very reactionary. Most of their learning is through association and repetition. We all are aware that they can forget after about five seconds what they were doing. Then how if their mind forgets they were doing something five seconds ago how do they feel love or even bond to us? I think the answer is rooted in the canines most powerful sense. It sense of smell. It is through this sense, that I believe allows them to really remember experiences. It's true that we have not developed a machine yet that can actually measure the capacity that the dogs nose can smell under. It is said that the scent organ the olfactory part of their brain is 40 times larger than a human. How does a dog actually remember. I believe they learn through the all of the senses but they learn how to interact socially through the nose. Which in means of how did that smell react to me before which then causes the dog to react as it did the first time. Causing him/her to us its nose to gather information and how to socially react. It's weird when you think how fast the dog forgets. But the experience when presented will act mostly the same way. I had this experience when my brother came home from Kansas City for the holidays after not seeing Snickers my dog for nearly five years. When he saw him, visually he was just another person. But when he smelled him it took him back to being a puppy. Thus remember how to interact with that person. To me it's obvious that the nose is the most trusted and misunderstood part of the dog. Our dogs are reactionary and may not be able to change the course of what their minds or maybe nose tell them on how to interact do to previous circumstances. In return this is their survival tool. If it was not pleasurable in the past then the dog would do everything it could to stay away. How does all of that matter with when you hear my dog hates men? All men? How can that be if I just stated basically it's a case by case basis and all men may smell different right? Well... like I also said associations. What is the dog actually picking up that would make it afraid of all men? In this case it could be testosterone. The truth is is that is a case by case basis of what that particular dog will associate that person, experience, animal, or environmental change.
Please leave your comments! This is a topic I could talk about all day. One thing I would like to say. This is mostly my experience with dogs and working with them. Studying them. I have never done any type of tests to prove my theories.