4:00pm, exploring other rooms with different floor surfaces, different sights, sounds and smells. They act differently when away from mom and siblings. Everyone was eager to check out all the smells. Who knows what smells a dogs sensitive nose can pick up out of the carpet!

The canine nose is an awesome organ, perhaps a million times more sensitive than the human nose. Fido's nose can discern the presence of a friend or foe, find a submerged dead body, sniff out a bomb or drug cache, and locate objects bearing the scent of a particular person. L. Wilson Davis, writer, trainer, and one-time AKC tracking consultant, described the incredible depth and breadth of a dog's sense of smell in his book Go Find! Training Your Dog to Track:

“If a skunk sprays your rose bush, you will be unable to smell the roses. If the assumption that the dog's sense of smell is simply keener than ours is correct, certainly the odor of skunk would obliterate any other odor even more for him than it does for you. This is not true. Tests have been made with skunk odor and it has been proven that a dog trained in scent work is capable of correctly designating a particular article among a number of articles, all of which have been sprayed by a skunk.”

The source of this incredible ability is a nasal cavity rich with blood vessels and nerve endings that connect to a highly developed olfactory center in the brain. This combination allows Fido to gather information from minute particles of scent and to translate it into action.

Odor can travel depending on climate, weather conditions, and terrain; but Fido's keen sense of smell is seldom fooled. Whether following the odor of crushed grass mingled with prey scent or seeking the telltale odor of contraband or a dead body, the dog's nose leads him to his quarry.

It hardly seems possible that the leathery patch at the end of a dog's muzzle could be such an important communication device, yet it is with his nose that Fido becomes acquainted with his surroundings. It is also his nose that makes him useful as a hunter, tracker, police dog, military dog, search and rescue dog — and a fascinating family pet.

Here are some facts about your dog's nose:

• The canine nose is normally cool and moist, but not wet. It has no sweat glands; the moisture is caused by the mucus lining. The nose is generally dark-colored, but may be pinkish or spotted on some dogs. White dogs often have pale noses, but some breed standards penalize pale or spotted nose leathers.
• If Fido has a runny nose, suspect a foreign body in the nasal passage or illness, allergy, or a tumor. Dogs don't get colds like people do, but they do get respiratory infections.
• Dogs do sneeze, however, generally from some irritation in the nose. Some dogs sneeze from excitement or nervousness that stimulates the nerves in the nasal passages. Many Akitas make “happy sneezes” after greeting a favorite person or playing.
• Persistent sneezing without discharge indicates a problem such as a polyp or tumor or an inhaled foreign body. A dog with something in a nostril will generally paw at his nose and rub his muzzle against a hard surface. The irritant may cause the nose to run or bleed on the affected side.
• Owners should not try to remove a foreign body from a pet's nostril. The inside of the nose is easily damaged and the object may be too far back to be easily plucked with tweezers. Some dogs may need to be sedated or anesthetized to have the object removed. Cases of irritation or inflammation should be treated with antibiotics to prevent tissue buildup that can lead to chronic breathing problems.
• Both polyps and tumors can cause breathing difficulties if established in the nose. Polyps are not malignant; tumors can be benign or malignant. Early removal is recommended for these growths.
• A discharge from the nose generally means trouble. Several diseases involve nasal discharge, including distemper, bacterial rhinitis, infected sinuses, and kennel cough (in puppies and toy breeds), so a trip to the veterinary clinic is definitely in order if Slugger' nose begins to run.
• Some dogs experience loss of pigment on the nose leather or blistering of the nose. Collies and related breeds can get a weepy, crusty dermatitis on the nose if they spend too much time in the sun. Treatment for Collie nose involves keeping the dog out of the sun and treating the ulcerated area with a steroid preparation. Once the nose is healed, it can be blackened with tattoo ink to protect it from sunlight.

  Other causes of loss of nose color are vitaligo, snow nose, and plastic dish nasal dermatitis

  Vitaligo causes black pigment in the nose and sometimes the lips to fade to brown.

  Snow nose causes the nose to fade to brown in winter; normal color returns as summer approaches. Snow nose occurs mainly in white-coated breeds; the color change can become permanent in older dogs. It is not associated with disease.

  Plastic dish dermatitis can occur if the dog eats or drinks out of plastic or rubber bowls. It is triggered by a reaction to an antioxidant found in the dishes.

Nose games are great fun for pet dog owners. A dog that finds his toy, a treat, or his owner by using his nose is a dog that looks forward to interaction with his family and is less likely to be destructive when left alone. Training begins by placing the object in plain sight; then, as the dog understands “find it,” moving the object further away. The goal is to be able to hide it completely between sofa cushions, inside a shoe in the closet, under an upholstered chair, etc. and send the dog to look. A variation on the game involves placing a dog biscuit under one of three or four upturned flower pots or plastic cups, then telling the dog to “find it.”

A pet can learn to find his leash, find Billy, or find the toy he left in the back yard. Pet owners interested in more than fun games at home might think about teaching their pet to track. For information contact a local breed, all-breed or training club

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1/24/2003 Day 45!

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