Wow it’s windy down here in Bedford today, which got me thinking… Does your dog like the wind? does he put his head out of the car window and pose there, ears and hair flowing in the breeze as if he was auditioning for a shampoo advertisement on the television?
Some dogs don't even need to be in a car to enjoy the wind in their face. They'll stand as still as a statue facing the wind in the park, in the garden or on the beach, just letting it blow over them. Strange isn't it? So why do dogs like to feel the wind in their face? The root of the behaviour for a dog is that the wind is akin to the mail service or, in other words, it could be the canine substitute for a mobile phone. It carries messages. No, not spoken ones nor text messages or letters either, but scents and sounds which your dog's amazing senses translate into information in his brain. To him, standing with his face to the wind is like us humans suddenly getting a 4G internet connection after you've been on 2G for the past year. He receives a thick and fast flood of communication which his heightened olfactory sense will decode so he knows exactly what's happening around him. When your dog's got his eyes closed, head into the breeze and nostrils twitching, he's reading the air like a book. He'll know who's been where, who's done what and he'll find it more exciting than any page-turning thriller. While dogs do love to feel the wind in their face, there's a correct time and place for doing it. When he's out for a walk in the park or on the beach is the perfect time for him to scent adventure on the breeze.