The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [4]
PAW PRINTS
Laika, a Siberian husky mix, was the first dog in space. The Soviets launched her aboard Sputnik II in 1957. Laika is Russian for “bark.”
Hearing prowess, however, takes second place to a dog’s acute ability to smell. The phrase “led by the nose” takes on a whole new meaning in the canine world. Olfactory receptor cells inside the canine nose are bolstered by tiny hairs called cilia that are coated with mucous to help trap scents. People have about 5 million olfactory receptor cells compared with more than 100 million in dogs. These receptors are capable of breaking down the individual ingredients in each scent. So not only can your dog tell if you’re baking a chicken or a turkey, he can also distinguish the particular spices you put in the stuffing.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Hertz (Hz) is a measure of sound frequency or cycles per second. People can hear sounds in a frequency range between 63 and 23,000 Hz. Dogs can hear in ranges between 67 and 45,000 Hz, but they take a backseat to the family cat in hearing abilities. Cats can capture sounds between 45 and 64,000 Hz, making them much better at tuning in to a mouse in the house.
Bottom line: your dog can smell a whole lot better than you can (although he probably smells worse before bath time)! The bigger the dog and the longer the muzzle, the better his ability to smell. A bloodhound, for example, has about 300 million of these cells compared to a dachshund with 125 million.
In the battle of the senses, we compete with dogs most closely in the field of vision. We rely on our eyes more than our dogs do. Canine eyes are much more sensitive to movement and to light than ours, but they can’t focus on objects as well as we can.
Dogs also tend to be nearsighted, which explains why your dog can spot a bird flying by at dusk but may fixate on a motionless object that you can clearly see is not a squirrel, or have trouble spotting a bright yellow tennis ball from a foot away. Their large pupils and wide field of vision enables them to zoom in on moving objects or potential prey. Dogs do have better peripheral vision, however. Standing still, dogs can see up to 250 degrees without turning their heads, while humans can see, at best, up to 180 degrees.
In summary, your dog wins by a nose and is all ears, at least compared with you.
Psychic Pooch
Q My three-year-old Australian shepherd must be psychic or a mind reader. Each day before I arrive home, he waits for me in front of the living room window. My kids get home from school before I do and they watch in amusement as Rocco stops playing and heads for his designated spot. Rocco likes everyone in the family, but he is definitely my dog. I don’t arrive home at the same time every day, but he is always there waiting. Does he really know when I’m on my way?
A You are blessed with an ESP — Extra Sensory Pooch. The quick answer is that some dogs do seem to possess extrasensory powers, but we have yet to unravel the mysteries behind such canine abilities as sensing an earthquake in advance, finding home from miles away, or alerting a person about to have an epileptic seizure. The topic has attracted scientists from all over the globe, including Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, former director of studies in biochemistry and cell biology at Cambridge University in England and author of Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals.
Dr. Sheldrake suggests that the ability of some dogs to accurately anticipate the arrival of their owners depends on a kind of telepathic bond. He calls this his theory of morphic resonance. He has tested his theory with many different dogs and their owners. The story of JT may help explain why Rocco seems to be able to read your mind. JT, a mixed-breed