Dogs sense of taste: 5 facts you don’t know

1. Dogs have less taste buds than humans: 1700 taste buds compared to humans that have 9000.

2. Young puppies sense of taste is not fully developed: puppies are born with their sense of touch, taste and smell but the taste buds do not fully mature until after a few weeks of life.

3. Dogs do not crave salt like humans do: Since meat has a high sodium content and wild dogs primarily eat meat, dogs ancestors already had enough salt in their diet and never developed the highly tuned salt receptors that humans have.

4. Dogs have meat taste receptors: Like humans, dogs are omnivores but unlike humans, a wild dogs diet consists of more than 80% meat; therefore, dogs have specific taste receptors that are fine tuned to meats, fats and meat related chemicals.

5. Dogs can taste water, while humans can’t: “Dogs also have taste buds that are tuned for water, which is something they share with cats and other carnivores, but is not found in humans.”

My dog loves to lick habanero peppers.  What crazy thing does your dog think tastes good?  Answer in the comments section below :).

*Johanna*