How sensitive is the nose of a hunting dog.

[treeman]

I come home after buying meat and the little one follows me around, smells my hands and stands with pleading face waiting for some.

I came home today and she has been following me up and down and all over my legs, mainly my foot. I must have walked over something interesting ?

Later this evening the itch from a tick bite on my ankle just got too much, I have already scratched it open, but hell, I was going to scratch again.

As I moved my trouser leg she was up and in, I could not even get a scratch in with her nose in the way. The whole late afternoon she has been trying to get into my boot covered area - now I know why.

Is it even possible that she can get going on a open tick bites bleeding.
Really made me wonder about a world we just do not understand.

She was in there, straight to it, sniff sniff , study it.
20211026_221344 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

I know she is getting bored during the week, but this is like mind blowing.
The spot is clean now after bathing etc, but even so its such a tiny little lead to her "love doing" thing.

[Finkelstein]

Possible.

If you look in an animal anatomy atlas you will see how thick the Olfactory nerve of a dog is, then go and look at how poorly a human olfactory nerve is against that.
A good hound even pick up sent on wet grass.

Think of the dog nose as the equivalent of the human hand- a super specialised paw that can do things no other animal can do. Dogs can smell a bitch in heat street blocks away.

[treeman]

Ok so the dog is trained not to chase our animals, chickens, cats, rabbits - Knysna Loerrie and doves muisvoel etc, all about house, come and go as released or acquired.

Now forgive me this once for doing so, but all the hunting dog guys tell me I must put her on a animal that may cause her hurt or pain as such, using rather a bite from a rabbit or kick from a Springhare as a lesson than a bite from a Bush Pig or kick from a Kudu - the its not just a game lesson.

Last night the guys were catching Spring Hares by the tail and releasing (its a Cody thing), the little dog was beside herself watching out the window pleading to go with the boys. Somewhere during the games I thought "what the hell" and stopped van, picked her up, held her in direction of a hare and said "Go Rat Get It" I was not expecting much, perhaps some running up down and barking like my Collie does, but !

The Terrier hit the ground like a 495 Maica out a berm, grass and sand flew and she was straight at it like a cannon ball, it jigged and she overshot by a hair and ended up bouncing head over butt in a attempt to turn in the air. There was no Collie, this is fun stuff from the words "Get It" The little dog was a dead serious child at work.
She came back again, but you could see that she would never overshoot again, that lesson learnt. The hare jigged, she jigged and it jagged, she jagged.
You could see the lessons taking place.
Suddenly the hare jigged and she jagged, when the hare landed from its jig and jagged rat was already there, chase over.
The dog is less than 12 months by a few days, the inbred sponge ability to learn on the run was amazing to see, amazing, I think she will kill every spring hare allowed to chase every time from this lesson forward. No doubt about it.
The hare cooks as I type, next I think I will allow her one kill a hunt and use it as the hunt food for her and the Collie.

Side note, I do not know how people use dogs to kill as a sport, its really not nice or what we would call humane - perhaps its Dogane ? This whole run and chase thing seems ? Not Right? Cruel ? Natural ?, dunno ?
Was very interesting and very exciting, but not, ? Nice ? or whats the word?

The natural instinct was startling, my wife would die if she saw her baby girl at work.