~ Licking the Air ~ tasty? 
When our griff seems to be licking the air, I've learned heis not having seizures, that he hasn't got bad teeth, that he doesn't have a sore throat, and that he isn't simply weird. He has a habit common to the breed: licking to smell / taste the air. (Be safe: Always check with your vet when a new habit appears.) The average dog has over 200 million scent receptors in its nose - - Humans have 5 million. Wow!
| | - Your dog also has a Vomeronasal Organ. (like we humans do)
This is a cigar shaped organ that is above the roof of the mouth past the nostrils and between the incisor and third premolar teeth, connected to the mouth by a duct that runs from an opening between the upper lip and the teeth. Maybe the shape of the Brussels Griffon's head increases the sensitivity of the organ? |
| | Have you ever noticed your dog flicking the tip of his tongue against the roof of
his mouth or lightly snapping his teeth together? Or seeming to lick the air? He is making use of the structure called the vomeronasal organ. It's purpose is to sense pheromones, and the tonguing and teeth snapping are the dog's way of activating the organ. Scientists have known that wolves and moths could communicate using chemical signals called pheromones for more than a century. These are odours that are detected by their pair of tiny, cigar shaped sacs (Vomeronasal Organs) inside thier nose. It is also thought that dogs that are used to search for drowning victims snap at the water do so because chemicals released from the drowned body float to the top and by snapping at the water, the dog is passing the chemicals over the VNO organ. March 2002 HM magazine reports that --- Vomeronasal Organs were first reported in humans in 1703 by Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch who noticed two small pits in a soldier's facial wound. For centuries afterward, though, doctors considered these organs a useless souvenir of evolution. When Canadian scientists reported that these are common structures in the nose people began to suspect we might have a 'sixth sense'. |
Feline Facts tells us about Cats and their Vomeronasal Organ:
Both male and female cats <SPRAY>, whether neutered or not,
can do this. Cats regularly revisit sprayed areas to "freshen up" the scent when
it starts to decline. When investigating another cat's urine mark, the cat will
display a curious, grimacing pose with its mouth partly open. It is using the
vomeronasal, or Jacobson's organ, which is located behind the incisor teeth in
the roof of the mouth. This extra sense allows the cat to smell and taste an
odor at the same time and sends a powerful signal to the cat's brain activating
a territorial response.
| What is a Pheromone? Webster's Dictionary says it is a chemical substance (as a scent) that is produced by an animal and servers to stimulate behavior of other individuals of the same species. A female dog in heat emits pheromones that, we know very well, attract male dogs. | PEOPLE: It is said that people emit their pheromones through the air. They may be may be sensed or received by our vomeronasal organ inside our nose. Perfume creators take that special sensor into account. |
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So, although it may look strange if your pets are licking the air,
it's likely they are only doing what comes naturally!
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