Canine nose power has fascinated humans for eons.  We're probably just jealous, since our noses pick up tiny fraction of what our dog's noses easily gather.

Dog noses have two purposes, breathing and gathering info. All mammals have turbinates, which are bony, curly scroll-shaped plates, that air flows over in the breathing process. This consists of a thick, spongy membrane that houses most of the scent-detecting cells and the nerves that send info to the brain. 

When a dog inhales the air is diverted into two sections of their nose – one path is for respiration (the regular breathing) and other goes to the canine olfactory system or smelling area. They are literally built to have a better sense of smell.

• Mammal noses have tough, bony plates called turbinates. When air is inhaled it flows over the plates. Inside the turbinates is a thick, spongy membrane that holds scent-detecting cells and nerves that zap info to the brain

• The complex turbinates in dog noses allowed dogs to adapt to a vast range of climates, from frozen, harsh cold to arid, scorching hot. This heightened thermoregulatory capabilities and moisture conservation allowed dogs to migrate with early people the world over.

• These canine uber-turbinates also cool the small veins on the maxilla bone. This means dogs can run fast and far to chase prey aka dinner. Most cats don’t have this type of nose power, hence the fast pounce style of attack they use.

• Our human odor analyzing “real estate” is about one square inch, while your dog has about 60 square inches of odor detecting mojo. (My dogs looked at me with pity mixed with horror when I shared this info).

• The mucus on a dog’s nose helps capture scent particles

• Dogs lick their dry noses to recover this scent capturing mojo

• Dogs store smells in a special olfactory chamber in their nose until they can identify the scent completely – smell bookmarking

• Dogs can wiggle their nostrils separately, we can’t

• Did you know your dog has energy centers or chakras in their nose?