Friday, August 17, 2012

Why is a dog's nose cold?

By Jerry Welsh


Dogs are noted for their legendary scenting ability. Undoubtedly, the nose have played a very significant role in a dog's survival in the wild. The dog's scenting ability is behind the excellent survival skills of these animals. Thanks to the excellent scenting ability, dogs in the wild were able to survive by hunting and by avoiding their predators. Dogs are not only wonderful companions because due to the smelling ability dogs have become the dependable helpers and protectors of man . Present day dogs that are kept mainly as pets may not have much use for their scenting ability but the nose is still a valuable asset of dogs working for a living.

Aside from being home companions dogs are used in other capacities as well. The excellent scenting abilities are valuable assets of dogs utilized to herd and to detect bombs and narcotics. Dogs have been the wonderful companions of man but these animals have saved a lot of lives as rescue dogs as well. In recent years, the dog's nose is proven to have the ability to detect some types of cancer. A dog indeed is a cut above the rest not only because of its loyalty to mankind but also because of its excellent olfactory skills

A wet and cold nose is one of the distinct characteristics of dogs. Dogs are probably the only animals that have cold noses and an owner can't help but wonder if the cold nose is behind the dog's excellent scenting ability. The awesome olfactory capabilities of dogs is attributed to the moisture that makes the nose cold.

Dogs like humans, would have cold noses too when the weather is cold Dogs are very active and curious animals. Dogs are inclined to roam and when they do they would do a lot of sniffing along the way. It is not surprising for a dog to have cold noses because when they sniff the grasses and plants wet with dew, the moisture will that is sniffed will make the nose cold. Dogs have the propensity to lick as this is a normal canine behavior. Dogs will be seen licking the nose after a meal.

The moisture from the long tongue can be easily transferred to the nose. The cold nose aids in regulating the body temperature of dogs. Because of the limited number of pores, dogs do not have an efficient cooling system. Dogs don't sweat and to regulate body temperature, they have to loll the tongue to pant. The fluid that keeps the nose cold also helps in cooling the body.




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