How can I smell like my dog?

tr0ubley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:37:58 -0800

How do I learn to smell like my dog? I once read an article (referenced here) about how humans can follow a scent trail through a meadow if down on their hands and knees with nose to the ground, much the same way dogs can. In fact, I seem to remember reading that with some practice, the people involved in the experiment became so skillful that their speed at following the scent trail was limited only by how fast they could crawl.

When I come home from being out, my curious dog doesn’t just smell me from across the room. Instead he places his nostrils right on my hands and clothing. I have noticed that many, many household items have a very distinctive odor if I put my nose very close to them. I now feel that I have been missing out on a major sensory experience because humans don't generally smell things (except laundry) by touching them directly to our noses.

My question is this: while I know my dog has a better sense of smell than I do, how much of this is related to real physiological differences, and how much can I make up for by using new methods (i.e. putting my nose close to things, actively trying to remember smells, etc.)? What other tips and tricks do you have for being more scent-conscious?

Microolfactoryfilter

Eiwalker — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 08:32:02 -0800

What's the smallest thing that can be smelled by a human? Where the human can identify (accurately and reliably) what it is, such as, "Oh, I'm smelling a such-and-such!"

Greek goddess of olfaction?

mowglisambo — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 10:41:51 -0800

Is there a greek goddess of olfaction? Or at least some sort of ancient figure associated with perfumes or odors or the nose? (Perhaps with an affiliated myth or story to go along with the association?) Forgive the randomness of my inquiry.

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How can I smell like my dog?

Microolfactoryfilter

Greek goddess of olfaction?