Watch My Whiskers

Just like watching a dog's ears change due to changes in their surroundings, so too can the same be said about their whiskers! The scientific term for this finely tuned sensory structure is Vibrissae.  While the hairs don't actually contain nerve endings, their base is surrounded by erectile tissue and a rich nerve supply. Just like human eyelashes dogs whiskers are highly sensitive to currents and vibrations. They will react quickly when anything brushes against their whiskers. See for yourself!!

Canine whiskers are not only located on and around the soft velvety muzzle, but above the eyes, on the chin and they also surround the face. They are made up of special sensory stiff and coarse hairs that sense textures, such as rough, smooth or fine. Whiskers are an important tool for orientation and hunting for dogs. they use their whiskers as sensitive feelers, allowing them to sense their surroundings, any objects, their food and each other. For example, they can judge spaces and know exactly where to put their head in a bowl so they can eat.

Sometimes a dog's whiskers may twitch while he is sleeping meaning he is in a deep sleep. Also at times the hair surrounding the lips of young dogs are dark which appears to make them look like they are grinning. Whiskers may come forward and stand out straight. This can be due to awareness of something around them. For example, curiousity, excitement, alertness, friendly playfulness, or at times maybe even aggression. Most of the time your dog's whiskers will remain fairly flat against the muzzle. So next time your dog gets excited make sure you have a look to see how the whiskers are positioned!! 

 As all mammals have Vibrissae, here are some in action. And as you can see they are not always black!!!

This Bengal Tiger has pure beautiful long white whiskers.





To the right is one of Australia's native possums, a Ringtail Possum. Notice the length of the whiskers. These guys are totally nocturnal and even though their eyesight is excellent in the dark their whiskers assist them greatly while moving around in the Australian bush and rainforests.  

Born as an extremely intelligent member of the Canis family our domestic dog (familiaris domesticus) can exhibit some interesting forms of communication that we can all learn from. Probably the easiest for us as humans to see, in order to assess simple behaviour in our best friends we need to understand the visual signals they use to communicate. Like their ancestor the wolf, the dog is much attuned to the sounds, sights and smells that make up his world. They also use other forms of communication whereby they show facial expressions, alter body postures and movements. We are going to cover the five senses that contribute not only to a dog's communication but to it's body parts and body movements as well. I would encourage you along the way to stop and observe your dog and begin to understand him or her in a whole new light!

From birth, touching is a sense that remains extremely important throughout a dog's life. We know that patting a dog is rewarding to both dog and human. However when dogs play and communicate with each other, touch is of utmost importance. Closeness is often expressed by sleeping with their backs pressed tightly together, a paw on the next dog's back, or the head of one dog resting on the body of another.

Watching your canine and the signals they use to communicate can feed you an enormous amount of information. So even though this may play a small part in something that dogs "just do", you may very well have grasped the opportunity to be more in tune with your dog and be well on the way to 'reading his/her behaviour.

Still to come...... what the ears, mouth, feet, eyes tail and neck can tell you.

Also coming soon is a special introduction of HARLEY and LILY,our 2 VIP's of the 'Whiskers Pack'. You will be able to follow their day to day lives based on the five senses. Special appearances from their friends will also feature.  Check out the Vibrissae on Lily!