Ball or stuffed toy -- Do dogs 'know' what they're smelling?

(Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) Dogs' excellent sense of smell is well-known, whether it is in the context of searching for people or for contraband substances. However, the question of how dogs understand what they perceive with their sense of smell has largely been unexplored. In a study published today in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, scientists investigated this question and found evidence that dogs create a 'mental representation' of the target when they track a scent trail.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news