1
00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,280
Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain

2
00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,080
Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren vogel bomb here with a classic episode of

3
00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,200
Speaker 1: the podcast. In this one, we get back into the

4
00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:18,240
Speaker 1: delightful science of dogs, and specifically today, why their noses

5
00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:24,160
Speaker 1: are sometimes wet and sometimes dry. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren

6
00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:26,640
Speaker 1: vocal bomb here. If you've ever shared a home with

7
00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,080
Speaker 1: a dog, you've probably had the startling experience of, while

8
00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,640
Speaker 1: minding your own business, having a cold, wet nose thrust

9
00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,720
Speaker 1: into your skin like a friendly ice cube. It's your

10
00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,600
Speaker 1: pup's way of getting your attention, and it's an old

11
00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:41,800
Speaker 1: wives tale that's such a wet nose is a good

12
00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,680
Speaker 1: thing because it supposedly means your dog is in good health.

13
00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,800
Speaker 1: But this idea has no basis. In fact, whether a

14
00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,879
Speaker 1: dog has a wet nose is not a signal one

15
00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,760
Speaker 1: way or another of health. But why are dogs noses

16
00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,960
Speaker 1: sometimes dry and sometimes wet. The short answer is that

17
00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,760
Speaker 1: dogs sometimes lick their noses, But the catch is that

18
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,800
Speaker 1: no one knows for sure why they do that. One

19
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,760
Speaker 1: theory suggests that because dogs are always licking their noses,

20
00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,080
Speaker 1: their saliva helps paint their schnas with the mucus produced

21
00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,320
Speaker 1: in the nostrils. As a result, all that mucus licking

22
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,600
Speaker 1: improves a dog's ability to smell things. Oh, let's break

23
00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,360
Speaker 1: down how that works. When dogs sniff the air, and

24
00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,440
Speaker 1: they are always sniffing the air, they inhale tiny suspended particles.

25
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,720
Speaker 1: These particles get trapped in their nasal mucus, which helps

26
00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,520
Speaker 1: the dog figure out what they're smelling. As a dog

27
00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,679
Speaker 1: licks its nose, it picks up some of these scent

28
00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,360
Speaker 1: latin goop. The tongue then brushes against an olfactory gland

29
00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,560
Speaker 1: on the roof of the mouth, which helps our four

30
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:41,080
Speaker 1: legged companions figure out exactly what they're smelling. Another reason

31
00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,800
Speaker 1: some have suggested could be that a wet nose helps

32
00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,680
Speaker 1: keep a dog cool in warm weather. When we human sweat,

33
00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,920
Speaker 1: the perspiration our sweat glands produce evaporates off of our skin,

34
00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,120
Speaker 1: cooling us down. Dogs, however, do not sweat. That's because

35
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,520
Speaker 1: they have no sweat glands except for on the bottom

36
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,040
Speaker 1: of their pop heads. Instead, they pant to cool off. However,

37
00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,560
Speaker 1: a dog's nose, unlike the rest of its body, is

38
00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,040
Speaker 1: not covered in fur. It also brims with blood vessels.

39
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,079
Speaker 1: When a dog licks its nose. The theory suggests it's

40
00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,760
Speaker 1: cooling itself down as its saliva, like human sweat, evaporates.

41
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,919
Speaker 1: That leaves the surface area of the nose cool along

42
00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,880
Speaker 1: with the blood circulating in and around Fido's snout. Consequently,

43
00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,160
Speaker 1: cooler blood flows the dog's head and body, keeping our

44
00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,600
Speaker 1: best friends a little bit cooler. But then, why are

45
00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,960
Speaker 1: dog's noses often dry? A few factors can lead to

46
00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,320
Speaker 1: less licking. Touch your dog's nose in the morning, chances

47
00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,079
Speaker 1: are it'll be dry as the sahara. That's because as

48
00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,440
Speaker 1: a dog sleeps, it rarely licks its nose, and certain

49
00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,560
Speaker 1: breeds like bulldogs and pugs, have noses that are mostly dry.

50
00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,320
Speaker 1: Age also tends to make a dog nose drier. The

51
00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,360
Speaker 1: bottom line is that if your dog has a dry nose,

52
00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,400
Speaker 1: chill out. The dog isn't sick. Wait a few hours

53
00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,480
Speaker 1: and it will be wet again. Oh and a bonus

54
00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,359
Speaker 1: pup nose fact. Have you noticed that your dog has

55
00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,239
Speaker 1: slits on the sides of its nose. There's a reason

56
00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,480
Speaker 1: when dogs exhale, they do so out of those slits.

57
00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,200
Speaker 1: That so that the exhaled air does not mix with

58
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:16,720
Speaker 1: the scented inhaled air which flows into the nostrils. Today's

59
00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:18,960
Speaker 1: episode is based on the article why do Dogs have

60
00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,000
Speaker 1: Wet Noses? On how stuffworks dot Com written by John Parretano.

61
00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,840
Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with

62
00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,320
Speaker 1: how stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang.

63
00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,880
Speaker 1: Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

64
00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,880
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.