Did you know your dog has superpowers?
It’s true! Compared to humans, your dog has amazing superpowers they use every day using just their bodies!
Super smellers: Dogs possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about six million in us. And the part of a dog’s brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is about 40 times greater than ours!
Super hearing: Like their sense of smell, dogs’ sense of hearing is far more acute than ours. Not only do they hear much louder and more clearly than we do, they’re able to discern subtle differences in sound that we humans can’t hear. They also hear sounds in completely different frequencies than humans do, which is why they can hear dog whistles, but we can’t.
Super feelers: A dog’s entire body is covered in touch-sensitive nerve endings that “feel” the world around him, like the wind blowing or a fly landing on his back. And, dogs have touch-sensitive hairs called vibrissae – better known as their whiskers – on their muzzle and above their eyes. Dogs continually use their sense of touch to communicate with other dogs and with you. Physical affection, petting, scratching, and massage are all positive and important ways to communicate to your dog through touch. That’s why a great way to show affection through touch is brushing.
Not so super, but still awesome:
Taste: Dogs have fewer taste buds than we do—about 1,700 in the average dog compared to 9,000 in us. But unlike us, they also have special taste buds aimed at tasting only water. So, I guess in a way, that’s a superpower!
Sight: While many believe that dogs have poor eyesight, especially compared to humans, the truth is that they just see differently. A dog’s sense of sight has evolved in such a way that makes them see movement as opposed to clear objects. Also, dogs can see better in the dark than humans. But, unlike humans who see in full color, a dog is only able to see the world around them in shades of blue, yellow, and gray (something to think about when choosing toys for your dog).