Imagine the delicious smell of burgers on the grill, making your stomach growl and your mouth water. Humans have evolved to appreciate taste and spend time and money seeking out new flavors. But have you ever wondered how dogs are satisfied with the same food every day? Do they have refined taste buds like us? Let’s explore how your canine companion tastes.
Signs of Dogs’ Taste vs. Human Taste
Dogs and humans both taste food through taste bud receptors. The molecular process of how our bodies perceive food is similar. However, dogs register food differently. Their sense of taste begins with their nose, not their tongue. A membrane in their nose captures food molecules and sends them to their brain and a special organ on their palate. If food smells good, dogs are likely to eat it, regardless of taste.
Dogs can detect the four primary taste categories like humans
– salty, bitter, sour, and sweet. However, their taste buds are less developed. Dogs have only 1700 taste buds compared to the 9000 in humans, giving them one-sixth of our tasting ability. This explains why dogs chew on things that we find repulsive, like socks or rotten trash.
Signs of a dog’s less sensitive taste
include eating bland food, getting excited over the same food every day, and putting things in their mouth that make us gag. Excitement over food can be seen through behaviors like sniffing, tail wagging, chewing, alertness, head tilting, guarding, raised ears, and whining.
Body Language
When a dog encounters something appetizing, you may notice signs like growling, whining, chewing, wagging their tail, and sniffing.
History of Dogs’ Taste
Dogs’ taste dates back 20,000 years to their wolf ancestors. Wolves relied on their sense of taste to survive, distinguishing harmful from safe food. A newborn puppy develops its sense of taste within a few weeks. Early exposure to different flavors may make them less picky in adulthood. Meat is a dog’s main craving due to the food available to wolves historically.
Science of Dogs’ Taste Being Inferior to Humans’
Dogs rely more on their sense of smell than their taste buds. With fewer taste buds than humans, dogs cannot discern taste on a complex level. The number of taste buds varies among animals, with herbivores having more than omnivores and carnivores. This difference is related to survival.
Training Your Dog to Taste Better
Due to their limited number of taste buds, dogs cannot be trained to have refined taste like humans. We can satisfy their cravings by providing delicious-smelling dog food, treats, and toys.
“Their noses guide their taste, as dogs rely on scent to savor flavors.”
Tips & Things to Know
1️⃣ Dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell to determine the taste of food. They have fewer taste buds than humans and their sense of taste is less refined. Therefore, they may eat food that smells appetizing to them, regardless of how it actually tastes.
2️⃣ Dogs may show excitement and positive body language when they encounter something that smells good to them, such as growling, wagging their tail, sniffing, chewing, and whining. Pay attention to these signs to understand their preferences.
3️⃣ It is not possible to train dogs to have a more developed taste like humans. Instead, you can satisfy their cravings by providing them with high-quality and great smelling dog food, treats, and toys.
Frequently Asked Questions, Answered ✅
1. How do dogs taste food compared to humans?
Answer: Dogs taste food through their sense of smell, as the molecules are captured by their nose and transferred to their brain and a special organ on their palate.
2. How many taste buds do dogs have compared to humans?
Answer: Dogs have approximately 1700 taste buds, while humans have around 9000 taste buds, meaning dogs have one-sixth the tasting ability of humans.
3. Why do dogs eat things that humans find unappetizing?
Answer: Dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell to determine whether a food is appetizing or not, which is why they may chew on things that humans wouldn’t consider edible.
4. How can you tell if a dog is excited about the taste of food?
Answer: Signs of a dog being excited about the taste of food include sniffing, tail wagging, chewing, alertness, head tilting, guarding and growling if another dog is present, raised ears, and whining with excitement.
5. Can dogs be trained to have a better sense of taste?
Answer: Dogs cannot be trained to have a more developed sense of taste, as their taste buds are limited. However, their cravings can be satisfied through providing them with great smelling dog food, treats, and toys.
