DOGS can do some incredible things like find hikers lost deep in the woods or spot intruders sneaking around in the dark How do they do it They use their keen senses Long ago before they became the pets we know today dogs were wolves And their senses had developed in ways that helped them survive in the wild For example they used their senses to protect themselves from danger search for food and water and find their way home That past still shapes the way dogs experience the world today Only now they mostly use their senses for more fun activities like spotting squirrels waaay across the park and hunting down unattended hamburgers When a dog’s senses detect something such as that delicious hamburger they send messages to her brain Then her brain tells her body what to do in response to the information That burger on the picnic table looks and smells like it’s going to taste really good Go for it FIDO FACT Dogs evolved from wolves at least 15,000 years ago
Each person and dog senses the world in their own unique way You might have a terrific sense of smell while somebody else has anosmia meaning they are unable to smell One dog can be born without sight while another works as a guide dog for blind or partially sighted people In this book we are talking about how the senses of dogs and people work in general We humans experience our environment through our senses too They allow us to enjoy our favorite TV shows and know what’s cooking for dinner before we’re told and also to avoid danger and find our way home So since both dogs and humans see smell taste feel and hear their way around the world who do you think would win in a showdown of the senses Who would spot that squirrel first And who would smell every ingredient in dinner Let’s find out if dogs will be crowned top dog or if humans will win the prize
ROUND 1 Who SEES It Better Lots of humans wear glasses but not very many dogs do That must mean dogs are the clear winners when it comes to vision right Well let’s just see about that You might be surprised to learn that when it comes to seeing details in the distance humans run circles around dogs In fact if a person with average vision can see something clearly from the length of a city bus away a dog would need to stand much closer just the length of a small car to be able to see it as well So how do dogs spot those squirrels scurrying around at the other end of the park Dogs eyes are built for detecting movement From far away dogs can recognize objects that are moving better than objects that are still This ability helped their wolf ancestors spot and chase running prey
Q Why did the eyeball become a dog trainer A He wanted more pupils Our eyes face forward but most dog breeds have eyes that face slightly out to the sides This difference gives humans more overlap between what their two eyes can see That means better depth perception which is what allows you to reach out and pick up a glass of water without knocking it over or missing it entirely
