According to a recent study, Shih Tzus can sense when their owner is about to arrive home! If you own a Shih Tzu, you probably know that they often seem to anticipate your arrival, even when you’re still far away. There are two main factors that explain this “premonition” in our pets: their well-developed sense of smell and hearing, and their conditioning.
Shih Tzus have a much more refined sense of smell, known as olfaction, compared to humans. According to animal behavior expert Ricardo Tamborini, while humans have an average of five million olfactory receptor cells, certain breeds like scent hounds can have up to 220 million.
See also: Shih Tzu Natural Recipe To Get Rid Of Ticks And Fleas
Additionally, the area of a dog’s brain responsible for processing smells is about 40 times larger proportionally than that of humans. To grasp the sophistication of a canine’s sense of smell, consider this: while humans can detect the presence of a teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee by scent alone, a Shih Tzu can detect the same amount diluted in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
This highly developed sense of smell allows Shih Tzus to not only sense someone’s arrival before humans do but also distinguish individuals by their unique scents, such as perfumes.
Shih Tzus also have superior hearing compared to humans.
It is believed to be ten times more sensitive, capable of detecting sounds four times farther away and pinpointing the sound’s origin within a mere six-hundredths of a second. This heightened sense of hearing evolved due to the positioning of a dog’s eyes, which are more lateral and less developed compared to humans. Dogs rely on their hearing to compensate for their less accurate vision.
Apart from their anatomy, another contributing factor to a Shih Tzu’s ability to anticipate their owner’s arrival (or anyone else’s) is conditioning. If someone consistently arrives home at the same time every day, the dog naturally recognizes this pattern and starts to anticipate their owner coming home.
See also: Shih Tzu Negative Traits
“Dogs have no concept of time, but anything that happens every day becomes conditioning,” explains Tamborini. This conditioning often occurs during mealtimes as well. If you regularly feed your Shih Tzu at 7 AM every day, whether it’s a holiday or a Sunday, your furry companion will be there, waiting for you at that exact time. Ensure the well-being of your Shih Tzu by understanding their unique sensory abilities and using consistent routines to provide them with a happy and fulfilling life.
Therefore, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments on Facebook.