Understanding your dog : Part 1

The dog's skeleton

The dog's skeleton is made up of tow main type of bone; long bones that are located in the spine and flat bones which are found, for example, in the skull and pelvis. Although all dogs have the same basic skeleton, their bones do vary in size and shape form breed to breed.

Sight

The dog's eye has upper and lower eyelids with a duct to drain away fluid and a third eyelid which helps to keep the surface of the eye clean. The dog's eye has developed from the time when packs hunted at dusk and light was limited. In semidarkness the dog's eye reflects back light and this enhances any slight movements in the distance.

Sense of smell

A dog's sense of smell is much more developed than a human's “Sniffing” is a very important part of a dog's life. When dogs meet each other, smelling is part of there greeting. A dog also uses smell to mark out its territory. When your dog or puppy urinates it leaves its scent and, by doing so, marks its territory which other dogs can smell when they visit the same spot. A healthy dog has a wet nose. This helps it to detect smells.