The Bloodhound's Scenting Abilities
The image of bloodhounds tracking make us wonder about how powerful their noses must be to track the most minute traces of scent left behind by others.
As humans, we see the world through our eyes, while dogs "see" the world through their noses.
To a bloodhound, the world must be a complex mix of odors that's just waiting to be explored. With a sense of smell far way better than ours, we really need to put ourselves in their shoes to have an idea of how they manage to track.
Super Powerful Sniffers
It's no wonder the bloodhound is often referred to as "a nose with a dog attached," their powerful sniffers are so strong that our mere noses are nothing in comparison.
Blessed with around 300 million scent receptors in their noses, the bloodhound makes us look miserable in comparison with our mere 5,000.
But it doesn't end here, when it comes the number of scent receptors among dogs, the bloodhound wins again as the most powerful sniffer of dogdom.
According to Stanley Coren, no other dog breed has so many scent receptors. The dachshund has about 125 million, the Fox terrier has 147 million and the German Shepherd has about 225 million.
The bloodhound even beats the the beagle, who has a reputation for being very scent-oriented, but just checks in with 225 million!
Long Helpful Ears
On top of having powerful noses, bloodhounds boast several features that makes them rank at the top of the list as the super smelling dog par excellence.
Those long ears that are terrifically long, aren't there just for decoration. One may assume that those ears must play a role in hearing better, but no, they're actually helping them smell.
How? All it takes is a slight swing of the head to get those ears touching the ground, sweeping more scent molecules up to their noses ready to be analyzed.
Streams of Drool
Even drool seems to have an important function for the bloodhound. Sure, bloodhounds will drool when they watch you eat a hamburger with the saddest, pleading eyes, but these dogs also drool when they're busy following scent.
As bloodhounds drool, the heat from their saliva produces steam which aids them in detecting scent, explain Kim Campbell Thornton and Michele Earle-Bridges in the book "Bloodhounds: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Breeding, Behavior."
The Wrinkles
There's even more. All those wrinkles around the bloodhound's face, aren't there just because. They also play a role in trapping scent particles.
The Tenacity
And let's not forget a major quality: tenacity. Bloodhounds are very determined when they catch a scent and start tracking. If they weren't tenacious enough and gave up quickly, they wouldn't make the wonderful tracking dogs they are!
Putting Noses to Work
Equipped with a body just crafted to track smells, one would think that training a hound to track would be easy as pie, but they still need lots of learning.
Through training, blood hounds are taught to discriminate certain smells so when they're working they don't go after the pizza person carrying a pie instead of following scent from a missing person.
Disclaimer: this article is not meant to be used as a substitute for professional veterinary advice or behavioral advice. If your dog is acting sick or aggressive please consult with a qualified professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.
