Do dogs have a sense of taste? The answer to that is Yes! But why do some dogs seem to prefer some flavours of food in comparison to others? In this article, we will look at how dogs experience food flavours and why some dogs are picky eaters.
Taste in dogs
Humans have on average 9000 taste buds on their tongues, while the average dog only has about 1700. However, this doesn’t mean that dogs have a lack of taste, they can in fact taste sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter foods.
In addition to these five tastes, a dog’s taste buds can also taste water. This is because they have special taste buds on the tip of their tongue that react to water as they drink, which become more sensitive as they become thirsty. When a dog’s water buds become more sensitive it encourages them to drink more.
Smell
A dog’s ability to taste is only a fraction of what humans are, however, their sense of smell is far superior to ours and plays a crucial role in how a dog experiences the flavour of their food. There are 125 million sensory glands in a dog’s nose compared with 5-10 million glands in humans.
Picky Eaters
From time to time, some dog’s may become “picky eaters”, this could be down to a number of reasons such as being fed table scraps and treats more frequently. Over time this can become a problem for pet owners. There are a few tips to help to stop picky eating such as:
- Training the dog to eat at specific times of the day
- Limiting the number of treats and table scraps they are given
- Keep the food fresh by ensuring the packaging is sealed or closed properly
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