It’s a big world out there, full of amazing smells. At least that is what your dog would tell you if they could, while dragging you across the sidewalk so he or she can better investigate that fire hydrant.

But why do dogs sniff everything?

For the most part, humans will use their eyes to see the world around them, while dogs will use their noses. Depending on the breed, a dog’s sense of smell is between 100,000 to 1,000,000 times stronger than a human’s sense of smell. Some breeds, like bloodhounds, may have a sense of smell that is 100 million times better than that of a human. Dogs use this powerful sense to recognize other animals, other dogs, people, foods and much more. The dog’s wet nose also helps amplify these smells.

Imagine being a dog and encountering a pizza. If you were human, you’d just smell that delicious “pizza” smell, but a dog will actually be able to detect each individual ingredient in the pizza. However, dogs aren’t able to order pizza and aren’t really supposed to eat it, so at least we have that going for us.

A dog’s powerful nose can also catch them up on all of the morning gossip in the neighbourhood. Other dog’s urine can tell your dog about all kinds of changes, like their mood, where they’ve been and what they have recently been touching or doing. This works for smelling humans, too!

The way dogs use their sense of smell to explore and “see” what’s going on around them also allows deaf or blind dogs to live great lives without having to rely on their other senses like sight or hearing.

What smell does your dog go crazy for?