Dogs are famous for their incredible sense of smell. In fact, dogs’ noses are 10,000 times more powerful than humans’! Because of that, dogs are able to smell tons of scents that are completely undetectable to humans. Here are eight of the most surprising things dogs can smell that humans cannot.
1) High Blood Sugar
Studies have shown that dogs can detect when humans’ blood sugar levels are getting too high. Dogs can detect this scent in humans’ sweat. This is very helpful for people who have diabetes—now, service dogs are trained to alert their owner when they notice their blood sugar level rising.
2) Cancer
Researchers have learned that dogs can smell cancer cells in people’s bodies. These cells have a different scent than normal cells, and dogs are often able to detect the smell on their owner’s breath. Scientists are still in the early stages of this research, but it seems very promising!
3) Bed Bugs
Bed bug extermination companies have started training dogs on how to detect bed bugs. These companies will often bring their pups with them to clients’ houses, and the dog will be able to sniff out the bed bugs.
4) Storms
Does your dog often start whining or pacing right before a big thunderstorm? This may be because they can smell the storm in the air! This is also one of the reasons why dogs often get so agitated by thunderstorms—they can smell and feel the electricity from the lightning.
5) Pregnancy
Dogs are able to detect hormone changes in our bodies, and because of that, they can tell if their owner is pregnant. The pup’s behavior may change a bit once they detect their owner is pregnant—they may bark a bit more or become more affectionate with their pregnant owner.
6) Oncoming Seizures
Scientists have learned that dogs can detect epileptic seizures up to 45 minutes before they start. Because of that, service dogs are now being trained in how to alert their humans to these seizures. These service dogs will often bark to alert their owner about the seizure.
7) Electronics
You may think that electronics don’t have any scent, but it turns out, they do have a unique odor. Police officers have trained dogs to detect this odor, and now, the pups help the police find stolen electronic goods. These dogs have become a vital part of these police search teams.
8) The Passage of Time
Dogs can tell how much time has passed in a day by the smells in their house. Dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz explains:
“Smells in a room change as the day goes on. Hot air rises, and it usually rises in currents along the walls, and will rise to the ceiling and go to the center of the room and drop. And so, if we were able to visualize the movement of air through the day, what we’re really visualizing is the movement of odor through the day.”
Horowitz also says that dogs can tell how long their owner has been away from home by the smells on their clothes. Pups’ noses truly are incredible—what other animals can say that they can smell time?
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