Dogs are known for their prominent sense of smell, however I often wonder if they can perceive bad smell.
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Dogs are known for their prominent sense of smell, however I often wonder if they can perceive bad smell.
There are lots of smells that dogs dislike. My dog wrinkles her nose and turns away from the smell of coffee or whiskey. And she never stops to smell the roses. But she always stops to smell the pee and poop from other dogs.
I surmise that dogs did not evolve eating coffee or roses or whiskey. But pee and poop tell them something about who has been there and maybe how long ago. Another dog? A deer or fox or cat? Last night or maybe still nearby?
I don’t know how much information a dog can get from pee or poop. The smells may contain information on diet, age, and health problems. But I don’t know where my dog would have learned all the associations needed to interpret that information. Maybe it’s just interesting that the pee in this yard smells different from the pee in the last yard.
Dogs definitely have a more acute sense of smell than humans, and they are attracted to smelly things that we find revolting. But some things that we enjoy smelling are not as pleasant to them. Every dog I have had has disliked the smell of fabric softener sheets for the dryer. If I forget and add a dryer sheet when I wash their bedding, they won’t lie on it