Smell helps the dog to navigate familiar and unfamiliar terrain. Thanks to him, being close to home, she will certainly find him. But at long distances, the animal needs different abilities and skills.
Dog owners who have lost their pets always hope that they can find their way home. There are many cases when an animal returned safely to its owner even over long distances. And yet, they are quite rare compared to those when the pet was irretrievably lost.
What helps a dog find his way home?
Possessing a sensitive scent, the dog is able to smell familiar smells from afar. Perhaps this is the only landmark that helps her return home. It is believed that these animals retained the ability to determine the location of the house by the moon and the sun, which is inherent in wolves. But there is no data that reliably confirms this assumption.
The dog is able to quickly remember the territory in which it is walked. In this, she is helped first of all by an excellent scent, and secondly by visual memory. If a pet is lost near this territory, it will certainly be found, unless hostile circumstances prevent it. For example, if he is not kept in his house by any person. Even being at a fairly decent distance from the mastered space, thanks to its sensitive nose, the dog is able to orient itself in which direction it is located.
Can a dog find a home from afar?
Statements that a dog is able to intuitively find its home, being tens and hundreds of kilometers away, are largely exaggerated. Unfortunately, cases when, lost in an unfamiliar place, the pet returns on its own are very rare. Usually he waits for the owner for a long time where he parted with him. But hunger and thirst force the animal to explore new territory.
Hunters will confirm that a dog lost in an unfamiliar area rarely finds its way home. But if she's been here before, the chances of a successful return increase. Once far from home, only chance will help the dog to find him. Smelling smells reminiscent of the owner, the animal can begin to move in this direction, but this is not enough for him to have a correct idea of where the house is. The only reassuring thing is that having received a signal in the form of a familiar smell, the dog will begin an intuitive search, which will turn out to be effective. If she left the house on her own initiative, there is confidence that the animal will return.
The wolf, the closest relative of the dog, has a kind of internal compass that helps him move in the right direction. These predatory animals are able to travel great distances and return to their former places. Perhaps those dogs that have managed to find their home, located at a distance from them, the ability inherent in wolves is more developed. Therefore, whether a pet will be able to return depends largely on what its natural data are.
