The Secret to a Happy Dog is to Let Them Get Their Sniff On

Dr. Alexandra Horowitz is a psychologist with Barnard College, and she specializes in dog cognition, particularly relating to their sense of smell. Last fall, she published the illuminating book, Being A Dog: Following A Dog Into The World Of Smell, which detailed how poor humans are compared to dogs when it comes to our sense of smell. Where we humans have maybe six million olfactory receptor cells in our noses, our canine counterparts have anywhere between 200 million and one billion, depending on the dog’s breed.
Related: Why Do Your Dog’s Paws Smell Like Corn Chips?
Where we depend mostly on sight (and by the way, we only have three receptor genes that allow us to see all the colors in the world), dogs have about 800 receptor genes for smell alone. They are literally creatures built with super noses, and we had the chance to talk to Dr. Horowitz about what this means for our pups, and for how even we can interact better in our world with them and others around us.
Q. When researching for your book, what was the most surprising thing that came to you?
Q: Wow! Me too!! How in the world does that even happen? What breed dog was that? Is there a difference in breeds?
Q: That’s an interesting concept. Anything particular you are talking about that?
Q: What kind of potential?
Related: Why You Should Let Your Dog Sniff During Walks
Q: So, if dogs are such olfactory-driven creatures, since we love them so much, what can we do to best accommodate their needs and who they genetically are?
Dr. Horowitz’s book is really fascinating and sheds light on how to make the most of your dog’s sense of smell, and the relationship you have with Fido. Check it out!

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