olfaction in dogs

Olfaction in dogs is their sense of smell, which is extremely sensitive and highly developed compared to humans. Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors in their noses, while humans have about 5 million. Their olfactory system includes a specialized organ called the Jacobson's organ that detects pheromones. When a dog sniffs, air molecules pass over these receptors, sending signals to their brain to identify and interpret scents. This extraordinary sense allows dogs to track trails, detect drugs, find missing people, and recognize individual animals or humans by their scent.