By Florida Bill Our dogs are incredible Cairn terriers who like nothing better than to take a walk and check out the terrain. Their noses are an incomparable machine and they go to work, sorting out the various smells and odors. Sometimes, the fouler, the better; so foul, in fact, that rolling in it is a compulsion that only a leash can forestall. One dog aficionado has noted that canines have a "bizarre obsession with a pile of poo."
They enjoy sniffing the earth and foreign objects and I wonder what is so interesting to them? As to us humans, we pick up a scent here and there. Gasoline or the pleasant aroma of a bakery can catch our attention. But the noses of our four-footed friends can really put us to shame when it comes to picking up a wafting aroma or a down-in-the-ground miasma. Some experts put the ratio at about 100,000 to one in terms of superior canine sniffing power. Others say a million to one is more like it.
What they are smelling is pheromone (a chemical substance) which is not only found in the urine and fecal deposits, but also on skin and fur. From this they can tell a lot about another dog, including if they are male or female, what they ate, where they have been, what they have touched, if they are ready to mate, if they have recently given birth, or had a false pregnancy, and what mood they are in.
Dr. Stanley Coren, a professor of psychology and a prize winning dog trainer and authority on dog intelligence, is pretty much the final word for me when it comes to scoping out what our friendly canines can do. He explains that for dogs and certainly for our Cairns, sniffing is like reading the headlines in a newspaper. Dog urine is like a gossip column and the sniffers are able to pick up all kinds of hot info. Could be that some young lady barker is in heat or that other virile newcomers are hanging around?
How sensitive is that dog nose? In one test, it has been reported that a single mouse was placed in a one-acre field and it took a few beagles less than a minute to nail the tiny rodent. Now that is smelling. Interestingly, Coren notes that Scottish terriers are not at the top of the list when it comes to tracking but they can certainly hold their own.
Dogs can detect some odors in parts per trillion, dog scientists say. The federal government often speaks in trillions of dollars so we know that is a mighty big number. In her book, "Inside of a Dog," Alexandra Horowitz, a dog-cognition researcher, has written that where a coffee drinker might notice the addition of teaspoon of sugar to his brew, a dog could detect a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water. Another dog expert has reported that the "foodaholic" canine is able to catch a whiff of one rotten apple in two million barrels. The really great sniffers are a familiar sight at airports. They are trained to spot illegal substances, including explosives, in the air, on persons or in luggage. Loyal noses go side by side with our soldiers and with policemen sniffing and warning of danger in one way or another. And dogs have been known to identify the beginning of diseases when no equipment in the hands of a physician can find anything amiss and they are often seen at the sites of disasters helping to find corpses. How could they not have our respect and admiration--and maybe a little envy from a species unable to sniff out all but the most obvious odors?
Maybe the Cairn's nose won't match up to a Beagle or some other police dogs or trackers, but their noses are still a quivering hot spot and they know when there is food in the air or a treat in a pocket. Those ears go up and the tail stands tall. The Cairn's sense of smell is not a million times better than ours, maybe only a couple hundred thousand times as good.
So what about that Cairn nose in our house? Naturally, a good long walk is the place where Sammi Smith and Wendy will glean information from the ground, hydrants, telephone poles, even a blade of grass. But inside our home, we add another sniffing opportunity: we occasionally play the game "where is it?" In that game we give our dogs a whiff of a treat, and then close them off while we carefully hide the treasures. We pick the room, but don't tell them, we just leave all doors open. When they get the command, 'Where is it" they take off and they do not stop until the treat is gobbled down. The hunt is frantic, and usually over in just a few minutes.
Do you think that your welcoming Cairn can detect with his nose any fear or sadness or anxiety? Researchers say that when you are down, your four-footed buddy will know. Such human conditions are accompanied by increased heart rate and blood flow which sends tell-tale chemicals to the skin surface. A smile might convince some associates that you are at the top of your game, but you won't fool your best friend and his handsome black nose as he extends his greeting.
We love to see examples of our cairns' sensitive noses, but sniffing and hunting are just part of their canine charms. They can amuse in a million ways--chasing a tennis ball to the point of exhaustion, drooling over the same old boring kibble day after day, snuggling up to us on the couch in the evening. But the best part of having a dog is the lifetime of companionship they provide. I cannot imagine a home without a dog. For me, I'll take the Cairn Terrier with the inquisitive look and the carrot tail. Do you agree?
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