The sense of smell can be said to be a dog's greatest advantage. Not only can they detect odors coming from afar, but they can also distinguish between them. Therefore, it is very difficult to escape dog pursuit at night. This is why dogs are capable of working as search and rescue dogs, narcotics detection dogs, and police dogs. Their excellent sense of smell plays a crucial role. Why is a dog's sense of smell so outstanding, and what are the characteristics of dogs' olfactory sense?

      First is sensitivity to odors. Dogs' ability to perceive odors can reach the molecular level. For example, when there are 9,000 butyric acid molecules in one cubic centimeter, a dog can smell it. When concentrated sulfuric acid is diluted 10 million times, military dogs can still detect it. Dogs can also detect one teaspoon of salt dissolved in 500 kilograms of water or one tablespoon of acetic acid added to 500 kilograms of water.

      Second is the ability to distinguish odors. Dogs have a strong capacity to recognize odor substances. Trained dogs can distinguish the presence or absence of valeric acid in very similar mixtures containing propionic acid, acetic acid, and ketones of lanolin, and can discern 2 million different odor concentrations.

      The sense of smell holds an extremely important position in a dog's life. Dogs mainly use olfactory information to recognize their owners, identify the gender of conspecifics, recognize their offspring and companions, distinguish paths, kennels, directions, and find prey and food. When sniffing, dogs always flap their nostrils and take shallow, short breaths to inhale more air, enhancing their ability to distinguish things. For example, when food is thrown to a dog, it will sniff repeatedly before deciding whether to eat it; when encountering a stranger, a dog always sniffs around to smell them. It is said that a dog's life completely relies on its nose, and this is not an exaggeration.

      Thus, it can be seen that a dog's sense of smell plays a key role in its life. It can be said that if their olfactory ability is impaired, it is a fatal blow to them. Therefore, in daily care, we must pay more attention and be careful about the care of their nose.