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In this part of our site another results of studies performed together with our partners and connected with the issue of chemical communication and animal behavior are included.
- Kokocińska-Kusiak, A., Woszczyło, M., Zybala, M., Maciocha, J., Barłowska, K., & Dzięcioł, M. (2021). Canine olfaction: physiology, behavior, and possibilities for practical applications. Animals, 11(8), 2463.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/8/2463
Simple Summary
Dogs have an extraordinary olfactory capability, which far exceeds that of humans. Dogs’ sense of smell seems to be the main sense, allowing them to not only gather both current and historical information about their surrounding environment, but also to find the source of the smell, which is crucial for locating food, danger, or partners for reproduction. Dogs can be trained by humans to use their olfactory abilities in a variety of fields, with a detection limit often much lower than that of sophisticated laboratory instruments. The specific anatomical and physiological features of dog olfaction allow humans to achieve outstanding results in the detection of drugs, explosives, and different illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, or infectious disease. This article provides an overview of the anatomical features and physiological mechanisms involved in the process of odor detection and identification, as well as behavioral aspects of canine olfaction and its use in the service of humans in many fields.
Abstract
Olfaction in dogs is crucial for gathering important information about the environment, recognizing individuals, making decisions, and learning. It is far more specialized and sensitive than humans’ sense of smell. Using the strength of dogs’ sense of smell, humans work with dogs for the recognition of different odors, with a precision far exceeding the analytical capabilities of most modern instruments. Due to their extremely sensitive sense of smell, dogs could be used as modern, super-sensitive mobile area scanners, detecting specific chemical signals in real time in various environments outside the laboratory, and then tracking the odor of dynamic targets to their source, also in crowded places. Recent studies show that dogs can detect not only specific scents of drugs or explosives, but also changes in emotions as well as in human cell metabolism during various illnesses, including COVID-19 infection. Here, we provide an overview of canine olfaction, discussing aspects connected with anatomy, physiology, behavioral aspects of sniffing, and factors influencing the olfactory abilities of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris). View Full-Text
Keywords: dogs; olfaction; behavior; chemical communication; disease detection; COVID-19
- Kokocińska, A., Woszczyło, M., Sampino, S., Dzięcioł, M., Zybała, M., Szczuka, A., ... & Rozempolska-Rucińska, I. (2022). Canine Smell Preferences—Do Dogs Have Their Favorite Scents?
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/12/1488
Simple Summary
There are many products that are targeted to pet owners. One category of these products is dog repellents—strongly aromatized solutions designed to stop dogs from approaching and investigating particular areas; the second are cosmetics which should be pleasant for dogs. Dogs have a particularly sensitive sense of smell; therefore, strong scents may be very intense, and not always pleasant, stimuli. It is truly interesting, then, that canine cosmetic products often have very strong fragrances designed mostly to appeal to the dog owners, rather than to the dogs themselves. Indeed, the scents that dogs choose to put on their fur differ strongly from those of common cosmetics. Dogs choose mostly intense, animal-derived smells, such as feces or carcasses, so there is a need to differentiate between canine and human smell preferences. As there is limited scientific data related to canine smell preferences, the purpose of this study was to verify dogs’ reactions to selected scents, which can also be appealing to humans. Our study shows that dogs were more likely to interact with the scents of blueberry, blackberry, mint, rose, lavender, and linalol.
Abstract
The available evidence on dogs’ scent preferences is quite limited. The purpose of this study was to verify the canine response to selected odors that may also be preferred by humans. The experiment was performed using 14 adult dogs (10 female and 4 male) of different breeds, body size, and age (1–14 years). During the experiment, dogs were exposed to 33 odor samples: a neutral sample containing pure dipropylene glycol (control) and 32 samples containing dipropylene glycol and fragrance oils. The dog was brought to the experimental area by its handler, who then stopped at the entrance, unleashed the dog, and remained in the starting position. The dog freely explored the area for 30 s. All dog movements and behavior were recorded and analyzed. The methodology of observing the dogs freely exploring the experimental area allowed us to determine the smells that were the most attractive to them (food, beaver clothing). Our study shows that dogs interacted more frequently with the scents of blueberries, blackberries, mint, rose, lavender, and linalol. Keywords: dog; olfaction; smell preferences; cosmetics repellents
- Woszczyło, M., Dzięcioł, M., & Kokocińska, A. (2021). Ocena stresu u zwierząt na podstawie pomiarów stężenia kortyzolu. Weterynaria w Praktyce, 18(10).
The ability to objectively assess the stress level in companion animals is an issue of increasing importance in assessing welfare. The use of rapid stress assessment based on blood biochemical parameters during training or during the evaluation of the work progress of behavioral patients is just some of the examples of use. In addition, it enables easy assessment of the level of pressure in the work of service dogs, objective comparison of training methods or easy assessment of the patient’s well-being without the need for behavioral observation. It is therefore not surprising that the evaluation of biochemical parameters correlated with stress in dogs is widely and readily carried out.Stress in animals is evaluated by measuring clinical, behavioral and biochemical parameters.