1- Why can dogs find their way home?
Dogs can find their way home even if they are miles away using their sense of direction . This ability comes from the ability to use the Earth’s magnetic field and their sense of smell to create a sort of mental map of places.
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2- How do dogs get home?
- Using the sense of smell.
The truffle is an essential organ for dogs that is used to create odor maps of the area in which they live.
The sense of smell of these animals – as is known – is particularly developed and is used to create mental olfactory maps, taking advantage of the movement of the various air masses.
3- What to do if your dog gets lost?
- Keep calm;
- Explore the area;
- Contact the relevant authorities;
- Create an ad and spread it.
If the dog has run away, the first thing to do is to stay calm. Most of the time, in fact, the animal is nearby. So stop and start calling him.
Stay close to where you last saw him, continuing to call him, then gradually widen your radius.
The next step is to contact the competent authorities. Report the loss immediately to the ASL civic kennel, contacting the Municipal Police .
If there is no kennel in the area where your dog got lost, you should report the loss to the ASL Veterinary Service that is competent in the area.
Is your dog lost in the woods? Then call the Carabinieri Forestali immediately . Also remember to contact the canine registry: in this way, whoever finds the animal will discover that the dog has been lost and will be able to track down the owner.
Then create a missing person notice. Indicate the date he was lost and the location. Also add physical characteristics (and maybe details to identify him) and a clear photo.
Don’t forget your microchip number and contact details. Spread the announcement to associations and neighborhoods, also using social media to reach as many people as possible.
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4- How do dogs orient themselves?
- Exploiting the Earth’s magnetic field;
- With the scouting run;
- Through smell.
According to some studies, dogs can orient themselves by exploiting the Earth’s magnetic field. These animals are particularly sensitive to this factor, so much so that they tend to orient themselves from north to south when doing their business.
This alignment is also essential for the dog to understand where he is in relation to different points.
In other cases, dogs orient themselves using the scouting run , a technique that allows the animal to create a knowledge of the territory using a sort of mental map, built during its explorations and accumulating various experiences.
This happens, for example, when we see the dog, along a path, stop and run quickly for about 20 meters (right on the north-south axis), then starting again towards another destination.
This behavior serves to give the animal a geographical reference and to understand where to go, providing it with a sort of compass.
Just like wolves do to return to their den, dogs also manage to reach home using their sense of smell. Usually, they retrace the path they have already taken, following the scent trails they have left. This behavior is called tracking.st and who will treat him as if he were their own.
5- How to find a dog that has run away?
- Call him;
- Ask for help;
- Leave someone at home;
- Bring a photo with you;
- Bring his favorite food ;
- Follow the paths he knows;
- Stop anyone you meet
- Don’t stop looking.
To find the dog that has run away, start by calling calmly and clearly, trying not to scare him . Ask for help from relatives and friends who can participate in the search. In fact, seeing strangers the animal could get scared and run away.
While you are busy searching, ask someone to stay home. Often, lost dogs find their way back home on their own. For the same reason, if your dog runs away on vacation, make sure you leave a gate or door open.
Bring along the food he loves, hoping that the smell will attract him, then try to follow the route you usually take, visiting the areas where the animal is used to and that he knows well.
Don’t lose heart and remember to stop everyone you meet to ask if they have seen your dog. For this reason, remember to also bring a photo of the animal with you to show if necessary.
Finally, expand the area where you are looking for the dog little by little, without losing heart and using, if necessary, also the car.
