Wet Noses

Discussion, video & vocabulary activity

Have you seen dogs sniffing everything? Dogs love to sniff. Using their nose is usually the best part of their walks. Dogs sniff their entire day. Why do you think they do that? Do we humans also sniff? When?

VIDEO: How do dogs "see" with their noses?

TED-Ed  -  4.27 min
Video by Alexandra Horowitz & Província Studio.

“You may have heard the expression that dogs ‘see with their noses.’ But these creature’s amazing nasal architecture actually reveals a whole world beyond what we can see...”  (TED-Ed)

1.Pre Watching DISCUSSION: Look at the list below and discuss with a parter/in small groups whether you think the statements are TRUE or FALSE.

1.When a dog’s nose is wet sometimes it’s difficult for them to capture scents in the air.

2.Dogs can smell different things with each nostril.
3.Dogs can determine someone’s location simply by using their noses.

4.Unlike humans a dog’s nose has two different areas, one for breathing and the other for smelling.

5.Humans have more cells than dogs in their olfatory system but dogs have them more developed.

6.A dog’s brains has a larger area related to smelling.

7.Humans can remember scents as precisely as dogs can.

8.A dog can smell everything in the street, every passing person and car.

9.A dog can smell insects in a tree.

10Their sense of smell is extraordinary but they cannot smell things that are not visible.

11.It’s a myth that dogs know when someone is sick or pregnant.

12.A dog's nose can traverse time.

2.Watching Segment: Play the video and find the answers to the previous activity.


3.Vocabulary research: The terms in the box are mentioned in the video. Look them up and find examples and further explanations.

Olfactory receptors   -  Hormones  -  Vomeronasal organ  - Thalamus

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