Tuesday, December 22, 2009

DOG - SENSE OF TOUCH

Touch is the first sense the dog develops and remains a powerfully important sense throughout his life. Mothers begin touching newborn puppies almost immediately after birth by licking and nuzzling. Touch-sensitive hairs called vibrissae, which are capable of sensing airflow, develop above the eyes, on the muzzle, and below the jaws. The entire body, including the paws, is covered with touch-sensitive nerve endings. The physical sense of touch is very sensitive, although dogs do have a high threshold of pain. The most sensitive nerve endings are along the spine and towards the tail, and dogs show great enthusiasm when patted or extended rolls and slides on the grass.
The dogs' senses leads to some surprising behaviors.

# A dog knows when you're going out
# It can sleep next to the TV when it's on but you can wake it with only crumpling paper
# Some dogs like to watch their surroundings from a high place even though it's sense of sight isn't very developed
# A dog can distinguish the family cars' sound
# A dog can differentiate the touch of family members
A dog alerts the family member at home, even if you are on the other corner of the street

No comments: