Smells like doggy spirit

Are there chemicals which trigger the drive or is the dog’s interpretation so different that it defies understanding?

One theory is that the scent-roller may be camouflaging its own odours – a valuable inherent tactic when stalking prey. Prey animals may find the strong smell confusing and less threatening, rendering them more susceptible to predation.

Some experts believe they roll in scent for the same reasons humans put on aftershave, perfume and deodorant. They like the smell of faeces, carcasses and compost and they roll in it to please themselves and make them more attractive to other dogs – the equivalent of human beings dressing in colourful, attractive clothing.

What do dogs sense when pet owners spray all types of chemicals on their bodies, including extracts from sperm whale intestine, ambergris, musk from deer bellies, secretions from civet cat anal glands and plant genitalia? Almost everyone likes to smell good. We share with dogs a lust for anointing ourselves with scents that make us and others feel good.

But humans are eons away from understanding the world of smells in which our dogs exist. We need to determine if some dogs smell items better than others. It is obvious that a Basset Hound will sense much more than a Pekingese but then how does the Belgian Shepherd compare to a Beagle? In an experiment a researcher placed three untrained dogs on a one-acre field, a Beagle, a Fox Terrier and a Scottish Terrier and released a mouse none of them could see. The Beagle found the mouse in one minute, the Fox Terrier found it in 15 minutes and the Scottish terrier never found it.

So there are genetic variances in the extent of scenting, mostly due to anatomical features and inherent physiology. Maybe some breeds find putrid odours more attractive. Maybe they smell them better because of volatile airborne particles floating into their nostrils. Rolling in faeces and carcasses does increase with warmer weather. The smells are stronger. Dogs may be able to detect a grain of cocaine in a warehouse full of coffee beans but they cannot smell anything at all unless they come in physical contact with some of its airborne molecules.

Maybe one dog’s meat is another man’s poison!