Skills That Dogs Have You Probably Didn’t Know

dog sniffing water leaks

Snipe the dog sniffs different jars filled with water CREDIT: AARON CHOWN/PA WIRE

Humans and dogs have been living side by side for over 15 000 years. As a result, you might be tempted to think we know each other quite well. But there’s more to the man’s best friend than just Jumping and playing dead.

Here are some of the skills that dogs have you probably didn’t know.

  • Dazzling sense of smell

You know that scent is essential for your dog only because it can smell you from a distance. But up to how far do you think a dog’s sense of smell can reach? Unlike humans, smelling for dogs is not just for exploring their surroundings.

Dogs can smell in every single nostril, which makes them able to analyze different smell and perceive the world through their nose from a mile away. They can detect different scents that are diluted to one or two parts per trillion.

This helps them to smell things buried 40 feet or beyond. In an experiment, a dog was able to sniff out one mile away poop floating whale in Puget Sound.

  • Dogs can smell our diseases

If you have diabetes, epilepsy or cancer, your dog could be the first friend to know. When subjected to prudent training, studies have shown that dogs can sniff out cancers of breast, lungs, bladder and prostate cancer.

Specially trained dogs are capable of detecting scents of various fluctuations such as acidic, implying low blood sugar and sweet for high.

Most mysteriously, scattered reports have it that dogs can anticipate an epileptic seizure 45 minutes before occurrence. To that end, no one knows what dogs might be picking up on.

  • Spot thinking

Research has shown that dogs such as border collies in the intelligent category are capable of understanding up to two hundred words. Some breed like Golden retrievers, poodles and Dobermans are said to be among the five smartest breeds with up-stair smartness close to that of a 2-year-old child.

  • Emotional intelligence

Dogs are said to have an emotional contagion which expresses their empathy. For instance, when you make eye contact and yawn, most probably your dog will yawn too.Also, dogs emphasize with humans in many ways and are sensitive to their guardians’ emotions and even tend to respond accordingly.

Dogs brains have voices areas where they process voices. These help them to respond differently to emotional sounds, such as laughter or crying sounds.

Just like humans, dogs can get annoyed when they see other dogs getting a fair shake for a trick they could have performed without being rewarded. In an experiment, dogs were found agitated and scratching themselves when they saw other dogs getting treats for tricks they’ve been playing unrewarded.

  • Ability to generalize

This is another significant reason humans has dogs in their jobs. In other words, dogs can learn from one particular situation and apply the same to similar locations. For example, when you guide a dog on how to cross a street, it will use the same skills when crossing all other roads. The skills also work with the UK water leak detection specialist.

  • Clear gesture understanding

When you talk about understanding gestures, dogs are ranked just after young children. For example, when you point to an object, the dog will be able to interpret your hand movement and find the purpose. More so, dogs can understand the meaning behind the gesture, say to find food or objects.

  • Theory of mind

Dogs can attribute their mental states such as desires, beliefs, knowledge and even pretending. For example, a dog can hide a stolen treat or cover it until the owner leaves the place.

A study revealed that dogs could discriminate an object based on its relevance for the owner. Meaning, they can indicate where a relevant object is more quickly than an irrelevant one.

  • Dogs interact with humans just like children do

Behavioural research shows that among many domesticated animals, dogs are the only one that interacts with humans the same way babies do with their parents.When worried or scared, dogs will often run to their guardians for help and comfort, unlike cats and hoses.

Although all dogs don’t have the same abilities, dogs are mostly used as a pet while others use them to do their work. Now it is clear about what skills our playful and loyal canine friends have. Always take good care of your dog, feed them and give them a comfy life; they’ll amaze you with what they can give back in the form of loyalty and extra ordinary abilities.