You can particularly notice them when your dog expresses an emotion
or communicates a desire to you such as begging for that last mouthful of food
on your plate.
So, why do dogs have whiskers?
They are part of an important sensory system that allows dogs to
navigate around them.
What are dog whiskers?
Whiskers are
sensory hairs called vibrassae, tactile hairs, or sinus hairs.
They differ in structure from the hairs that make up your dog’s
fur, not only in appearance, thickness, and stiffness but also in how they are
connected to your dog’s body and brain.
Whiskers are found only on the face of dogs, above the eyes, around
the nose, under the chin, and on the cheeks.
Since dogs use their faces and noses to glean
all sorts of information about their world, it makes sense that whiskers would
develop in these areas to provide extra sensory input.
What are dog whiskers for?
Whiskers help
dogs perform a variety of vital functions, including:
- Distinguishing objects up close where eyesight is less reliable.
- Determining threats in the environment.
- Picking up small objects with the mouth1.
- Locating food and water.
- Finding their way in the dark.
- Navigating through narrow or tight spaces.
- Detecting wind direction for locating smells.
- Expressing interest or curiosity.
Whiskers inform the dog ahead of time when a stick or pointed
branch is close to the face, allowing the dog to avoid potential injury.
For blind dogs or older dogs who are visually
impaired because of aging, whiskers are crucial for these dogs to continue to
navigate their home in comfort.
Dangers of removing dog whiskers.
Dogs with their whiskers removed are more prone to injury, and
blind dogs without whiskers will bump into walls and corners.
Whiskers should never be removed because of the important sensory
function they perform in dogs unless there is a medical reason to do so, like
treatment of a wound or an abscess.
While the whisker itself does not feel pain when cut because there
are no nerves in the actual hair, dogs will still feel discomfort when their
whiskers are cut or shaved.
Dogs with trimmed whiskers have difficulty fetching balls and have
been observed dropping the ball immediately after picking it up a possible
indication of discomfort due to missing or shortened whiskers.
Dogs may sometimes damage or lose a mustache here and there, but as
long as the follicle underneath the skin is not damaged, the mustache will grow
back.
Dogs rely on whiskers for information about their environment, and
it is important to never deprive them of this critical sensory organ.
And the next time you see your dog sniffing or exploring, you'll be aware of the incredible interaction of the senses that gives your dog a precise image of the world.
You can watch the video from here if the video don't paly: https://youtu.be/FYrxWoglg9w
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