Amazing Dog Senses
updated: February 10, 2025
There are so many things to love about dogs. They're loyal, cuddly, and always happy to see us. But what many people don't know is that dogs have some pretty amazing capabilities.
Something that makes our dogs so cool and interesting are their incredible senses. From catching a scent of a missing person to hearing sounds we couldn't fathom, how your dog experiences the world is entirely different than your own perspective. Here are five fascinating facts about the incredible senses of our furry friends.
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Amazing Dog Senses - 5 Fun Facts
Sniffing has physiological benefits and slows down your dog’s heart rate.
A dog can hear 4x more than we can - both lower and high pitches.
While a dog can’t see the colors of the rainbow, they have wider peripheral vision than we do and are great at catching movement in low light.
Dogs have fewer taste buds than humans but can taste water.
Whiskers function as the touch sense by helping dogs navigate and understand their environment.
Dog Sense of Smell
When it comes to your dog’s sense of smell they are scent-sational! With 300 million scent receptors and the part of their brain dedicated to analyzing smells a dog’s nose is 40 times more powerful than yours. (And you thought you were good at identifying flavors in wine!) A highly trained dog can find missing people, identify diseases like cancer, diabetes, covid and even stop contraband at the borders.
But smell is important to all dogs, not just highly trained ones. Sniffing is for all dogs! Scientists Cristina and Aurélien Budzinski, looked at the physiological benefits of sniffing. They found that long sniffs slows down a dog's heart rate (Dog Field Study), just like when we take deep breaths. Sniffing is good for their health, so indulge your dog with extra time on walks to smell the roses or rather the ground, the curb, and the hydrant.
Dog Sense of Hearing
A dog’s incredible sense of hearing enables them to hear sounds which range from 40 hertz (hz) up to 40, 000 hz. That's four times more than what we can hear! So rather than quickly dismiss your dog for issuing a warning bark for something you can’t see, give them hearty thanks in appreciation for their keen sense and dedication to keeping your property and you safe.
As a dog mom to one dog with floppy and one dog with erect ears, I can attest that those with erect ears are particularly sensitive to noises. All those herding dog guardians know just what I mean!
Dog Sense of Sight
Our dogs have two cones in their eyes unlike us that have three cones making sight a key difference between our species. While people can see far more colors and detail than a dog it doesn’t mean your dog can’t see color - they can see blue, yellow and shades of grey. Every one will think you have a really smart dog if you teach them dog to differentiate between yellow and blue objects. Its fairly easy to do and is guaranteed to wow friends and family.
Another significant difference in dog sight is their wider peripheral vision and ability to catch movement in low light. It's no wonder why my Ginger never misses when catching a treat and is an excellent critter hunter.
Dog Sense of Taste
Most dogs tend to be the opposite of fussy, expressing a ‘get in my belly’ attitude when it comes to food. With just 1700 taste buds compared to our 9000 plus taste buds, a dog eats by crushing and swallowing not by chewing. However much like us, our dogs use their noses to determine whether something is worth tasting. That's why smelly treats make great rewards for training.
Surprisingly, dogs can taste water - unlike humans. My dog Chip was refused to drink tap water in Tampa, but now he happily laps up the taper water in Bergen County. It's unclear if it was Chip's sense of smell or taste buds that aided in his decision, but I must agree - Tampa tap water just didn't taste right.
Dog Sense of Touch
Probably the least relatable sense between dogs and humans is a dog’s sense of touch. This is because dogs don’t pick things up with their paws like we do with our hands. It’s the dog’s whiskers that help them navigate and understand their surrounding environment.
Whiskers are so sensitive they provide a dog with information about size and speed of objects based on airflow - all without ever actually coming into contact with the thing. Can you imagine being able to cross the street with your eyes closed, relying solely on your sense of touch? A dog's remarkable sensory skills are truly unfathomable.
Conclusion
Although we share the same 5 senses as our canine companions, sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are uniquely different for humans and dogs. Thinking about those differences, embracing them and celebrating them gives all of us an alternative perspective and better understanding our best four-legged friends.
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