There are many theories on how dogs perceive the passage of time. Many say they do not feel it, while others believe that they feel alone if they are without the company of their masters for a long time. A new study says dogs know what time it is thanks to their sense of smell .
Is your furry friend always behind the door when you come home? He seems to know what time it is. He comes to wake you up every morning just before the alarm goes off. Do you know what time you wake up? It seems so. But let’s see what’s true in this theory.
Dogs know what time it is thanks to their nose
If you are waiting for a member of your family to come home, you will see that shortly before their arrival, your dog will begin to fidget.
According to scientists, every moment of the day smells different. And the smell of dogs recognizes it through the air. So instead of saying they know what time it is thanks to their nose, we have to declare that they can smell the time.
Dogs’ noses have many more olfactory cells than ours. In fact, they are able to detect cancers and diseases long before their owner notices that something is wrong.
And not only do they have around 220 million of these cells, but they also have a wide variety of them. This is why they are more skilled than human beings in this field.
Their sense of smell works like a stereo. That is, each of their nostrils is independent of the other, which is why they are able to smell two different smells and assimilate them.
In addition, they possess an olfactory memory. They are able to memorize all the smells they smell under all circumstances. They are able to relate them and know where and from what moment they come.
How do they smell the time?
During the day, the rooms and places change their smell. This happens because the hot air tends to circulate and impregnate the walls with a certain odor, while the cold air below replaces it, thus modifying the scent.
If people were able to perceive this change, they would be able to know what time it is even without looking at the clock.
Dogs sense this and, in addition to being able to recognize smells, they also know how long they have been released. The newer ones have a more intense aroma.
When you are close to home, the breeze of the wind brings your animal and the smell of the street to the animal: in this way it knows that it must come to welcome you.
We discover something new about dogs every day. They can be as similar to us as they are very different, and these innovations help us to improve coexistence with them.
Now you know why your pet is waiting for you behind the door and why it wakes you up at the same time every morning.
Remember that sometimes he may even choose not to come and wait for you. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you.
