A dog’s sense of smell is incredibly powerful, almost like a superpower. If our eyesight was as strong as a dog’s sense of smell, we would be able to see objects perfectly from a distance of 3,000km!
While it is known that dogs can be trained to detect illicit substances by masking smells, such as coffee or paraffin, you may wonder if they can smell food in your stomach.
The answer is, they can detect recently eaten food if they are trained to do so. However, the human body is not static. Once the food is in the stomach, it begins to change as it is digested. The scent signature of the food changes as stomach acids break it down, making it undetectable to the dog’s nose, just like smoke dissipating in the wind.
Signs a Dog can Smell Food in Your Stomach
Dogs follow scents in a specific way. If a dog is trained to detect a certain food, it will start by casting a wide net to pick up any scent molecules in the air. The dog quickly moves from side to side, taking rapid, shallow sniffs to sample the air and determine where the smell is strongest.
Once the dog detects the strongest smell, it follows the scent path, sniffing along the way. As the scent becomes localized, the dog slows down to survey the air in more detail. It may even stop and hold its head up or put its nose to the ground to scent the air. The dog takes fewer, deeper breaths to process the scent molecules it encounters.
As the dog gets closer to the substance it is trained to detect, it will signal a “find” in different ways. Some dogs may howl to draw attention, while others may quietly drop to the ground and lie still to alert their handlers discreetly.
Body Language
Some cues that your dog may give if it smells food on your breath or further are:
– Staring
– Alertness
– Panting
– Pacing
– Sniffing
– Tail up
Other Signs
Other signs that a dog is picking up an interesting scent include:
– Flehman (curling of the upper lip to expose the vomeronasal organ)
– Twitching nostrils
– Rapid, shallow sniffs followed by slower, deep breaths
– Excited behavior
– Zig-zagging movements
– Head held high to scent the air
History of Dogs and Their Sense of Smell
Dogs have been closely intertwined with human history. Early humans relied on dogs as hunters and protectors, and their eagerness to please their masters made them ideal companions. As humans transitioned to farming, they needed dogs with herding abilities. Over time, dogs were selectively bred to develop specific traits such as tracking, guarding, and protecting.
One branch of this development focused on scent hounds. These dogs were bred for their superior sense of smell and were primarily used for hunting. In the 1940s, the American military discovered their ability to sniff out unexploded landmines, saving many lives. This led to training dogs to detect various substances, from illegal drugs to cancer and low blood sugar levels in humans.
The Science of How Dogs Scent
Dogs have a better sense of smell than humans, with some breeds having a more developed sense of smell than others. This is due to the selective development of their noses and scent-processing centers in the brain.
Inside a dog’s nasal cavity are ultra-fine scrolls of bone lined with a scent-sensitive moist membrane. This membrane has a much larger surface area than a human’s, allowing dogs to capture individual scent molecules more effectively, even when the smell is faint.
Once scent molecules interact with the mucous membrane, messages are transmitted to the olfactory center in the brain. In scenting breeds, this processing area is much larger than in humans, giving dogs a superior ability to interpret scent signals.
Dogs also have a leathery, moist nose that helps trap scent molecules for inhalation and processing.
Training a Dog to Track Scents
While a dog can smell freshly swallowed food in your stomach, it needs to be trained to communicate its findings to a handler. This training follows classic drug detection methods.
The first step is selecting a dog with a good nose and a strong play drive, which serves as a reward for the dog during training. The training begins with playing tug with a clean, unscented towel and then rubbing the towel with a little of the food substance to be detected. Another game of tug follows.
The next step involves offering the dog a choice between an unscented towel and a subtly scented one. If the dog chooses the clean towel, it is ignored and no play is initiated. But if it chooses the scented towel, it is praised and rewarded with a game of tug.
The training progresses by offering several towels, only one of which is scented. The dog is rewarded when it chooses the scented towel. Finally, the scented towel is placed out of the dog’s line of sight, and it is encouraged to find it using its nose. And voila – a dog trained to detect a specific food scent!
“The incredible sense of smell in dogs goes beyond detecting illicit substances – they can even smell the food in your stomach!”
Tips & Things to Know
1️⃣ Dogs have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell, which allows them to detect a wide range of scents, including food in your stomach. However, as the food is digested, its scent changes, making it difficult for dogs to detect it once it reaches the stomach.
2️⃣ Dogs follow a specific pattern when sniffing out scents. They start by casting a wide net and then move along the path of the strongest smell. As they get closer to the source, they may exhibit behaviors such as howling or lying still to signal a find.
3️⃣ Some signs that your dog may be smelling food in your stomach include staring, being alert, panting, pacing, sniffing, and having their tail up. Other signs of a dog hot on a scent include flehman (curling of the upper lip), twitching nostrils, rapid shallow sniffing followed by slower deep breaths, excited behavior, and zig-zagging movements.
Frequently Asked Questions, Answered ✅
1. Can dogs smell food in your stomach?
– Yes, dogs can smell food that has been recently eaten if trained to do so. However, the scent of the food will change as it is digested and will no longer be detectable.
2. How do dogs follow a scent?
– Dogs follow a scent by moving rapidly from side to side, taking rapid shallow sniffs to sample the air. They then move along the path of the strongest smell, sniffing as they go. As the scent becomes localized, they slow down to survey the air in more detail and take deeper breaths to process the scent molecules.
3. What are some signs that a dog can smell food on your breath?
– Some cues that your dog may give if they smell food on your breath include staring, being alert, panting, pacing, sniffing, and having their tail up.
4. What are some signs that a dog is hot on an interesting scent?
– Some signs that a dog is hot on an interesting scent include flehman (curling their upper lip to expose the vomeronasal organ), twitching nostrils, rapid shallow sniffing followed by slower deep breaths, excited behavior, zig-zagging to and fro, and holding their head high to scent the air.
5. How do dogs have a better sense of smell than humans?
– Dogs have a better sense of smell than humans due to the selective development of their nose and scent-processing centers in the brain. Dogs have a larger scent-processing area in the brain, a larger surface area in their nasal cavity for capturing scent molecules, and a moist nose that helps trap scent molecules for inhalation and processing.
