Dogs Sense of Taste

A dog's sense of taste is tied in with his sense of smell and just as it is with us humans, a dog's main taste sensations are sweetness, sourness, and saltiness. But, in fact his sense of smell seems to be the more prominent. If you've ever watched a dog eating he tends to devour his food before he has time to taste it. It would appear, the smellier the food, the better.

Some dogs are fussy eaters and will only eat certain types of food. A lot of this can be put down to the eating habits of the mother but with a little patience and training you will be able to convince him to eat a diet that's good for him.

The dog's sense of taste is not as developed as ours, so it will eat almost anything it comes across if it smells good, regardless of how revolting it looks. This can sometimes result in an upset stomach or worse. You would think he'd learn from this experience, but the next time he is on his own, you will likely find him rooting through the garbage for something smelly to eat or even eating the feces of other dogs or animals.

Unfortunately for some dogs, they will become exposed to poisons that could be fatal and they shouldn't eat, such as anti-freeze, chocolate or grapes.

It's important to feed your dog a good balanced diet at regular times to keep him healthy because if you leave him to his own devices you can't trust a dog's sense of taste, he will eat anything he finds, so get some dog proof lids on your trash cans.