Everybody knows that dogs have a far superior sense of smell than humans, but what I can’t figure out is why they seem to enjoy, and even seek out, smells that we find revolting?? Logic dictates that a more sensitive nose would find the smell of, say, another animal’s bodily excretions disgusting, and a less sensitive nose wouldn’t mind it. Plus, most dogs hate smells that don’t seem so bad to us, like perfume. Any thoughts, people?
My WAG…
I’d say like and dislike are subjective. To a dog a pile of poo is a calling card and worth investigation. Perfume is probably VERY powerful smelling to them (so our weak noses can pick it up) and relatively worthless to them as a source of information.
I imagine nature programmed them to ‘like’ smells that benefit them…poo, pee, sweat, blood, food, etc., since it’s to their benefit to identify those smells.