Things You Should Know About Dog Part 9

Dogs have a much better sense of smell than humans. They are particularly good at sniffing out certain scents such as sweat. In fact, it has been estimated that domestic dogs are one million times better at smelling sweat than us and they can even match a person to the smell of their sweat!

Dogs can follow a trail using only their sense of smell. Dogs such as bloodhounds have been used for centuries by police to find missing people and criminal suspects by tracking they scent. Bloodhounds have followed four-day old trails over distances of more than 120 kilometers.

A strong sense of smell helps wild members of the dog family to survive. Wolves sniff the air to find out if other wolves are invading their territory. wolf packs mark their territories with urine and the smell contains a message telling other wolves to stay away. They also use their sense of smell to find a mate or their prey.

Members of the dog family have eyes that help them follow the movement of other animals. This helps them chse down their prey. Some dogs, such as greyhounds, have very good eyesight but most types of dog can see less well than humans. Like cats, dogs are able to see some colours and have good vision in the evening and early morning when there is little natural light.

Wolves's ears are large, upright and pointed, but modern domestic dogs have ears in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Wild dogs can move their ears in the direction of a sound, to help the animal hear it better. Some dog breeds have long, drooping ears that cannot be so easily moved.