Adrienne is a licensed dog trainer and a former veterinary assistant who collaborates with some of the world’s top vets.
Five Interesting Facts About Your Dog’s Taste Buds
Your dog would probably tell you how much he would love to have some kind of meat on his menu if he could express his opinions. A dog’s diet in the wild consists primarily of meat, but he may occasionally treat himself to some fruits and berries. Scruffy is endowed with receptors specifically tuned for appreciating meats, fats, and other meat-related chemicals in addition to taste buds designed to detect sweet, salt, sour, and bitter flavors.
How Good Are a Dog’s Taste Buds?
When you watch Scruffy lick his chops and wolf down tasty morsels of food, you might wonder how your dog’s taste buds function. But don’t jump to the conclusion that your friend must have the best taste buds ever before. Contrary to what many dog food advertisements would have you believe, keep in mind that dogs aren’t particularly sensitive to flavor.
Yes, of course, when it comes to appreciating a tasty morsel of food, Scruffy must thank his taste buds. Generally, the more taste buds an animal has, the better his sense of taste. If a taste competition between humans and dogs was ever held, humans would win hands down with an astounding 9000 taste buds compared to Scruffys mere 1700, according to an article by Stanley Coren. Scruffys self-esteem though may quickly bounce back once he competes against Felix the cat, who is left with only 470 buds to enjoy!
Therefore, things are not as rosy as they appear in terms of taste buds. Scruffy’s voracious appetite might deceive you into thinking that he has superior taste buds. Scruffy’s taste buds appear to function a little differently than those of humans, and this is partly a result of a dog’s evolutionary past.
His Sense of Smell Helps
Given that dogs have a nose that is a million times more sensitive than the average human nose, it is not surprising that dogs are trained to use their sniffers in police work, search and rescue operations, and airport security checkpoints. On a lighter note, Scruffy’s nose appears to make up for the lack of taste buds when he is determined to wolf down his dinner. In fact, it turns out that dogs use their powerful sniffers instead of their taste buds to learn much more about their food.
FAQ
Do dogs think their food tastes good?
In conclusion, some dogs enjoy eating anything, while others have picky eating habits. They have a similar tasting infrastructure to ours, and it is undeniable that different people have stronger food preferences. A dog’s sense of taste is actually less significant to him than his sense of smell.
Do dogs even taste their food?
In comparison to the average dog’s 1,700 taste buds, humans typically have 9,000 taste buds on their tongues. However, this does not imply that dogs lack a sense of taste or taste preferences. Dogs can actually taste bitter, salty, spicy, sweet, and sour [1].
What is the best tasting thing to dogs?
According to tests, the majority of dogs favor beef and pork over chicken and lamb. They also prefer warm, moist foods over cold, dry foods. Of course, just like people, each dog has individual preferences.
Do dogs have a lot of taste buds?
For starters, a dog’s ability to discern flavors on the tongue is inferior to a human’s, so it’s unclear how many taste buds they have. Dogs typically have 1,700 taste buds, compared to 9,000 in humans.