How Dogs Experience Their Environment: What Strong Noses Teach Us About Clean Spaces
By Dani Nading, Marketing and Communications Specialist, DPI GLOBAL
The Power of a Dog’s Nose
Dogs experience the world through their noses. With a sense of smell up to 10,000 times more powerful than ours, they detect scents we can’t even imagine. This allows them to pick up incredibly faint odors, differentiate between individual smells, and even detect health changes in other animals or people.
This remarkable ability gives dogs a unique perspective on their surroundings—especially when it comes to odors and air quality. What may seem like a mild or unnoticeable scent to us can feel overwhelming to them. That’s why maintaining clean environments—whether at home, in kennels, or in barns—is essential to their comfort, health, and overall well-being.
Why Odor Matters in Animal Environments
Animal environments naturally produce odors, often from waste or emissions. While some odor is unavoidable, poor air quality can cause discomfort for both animals and their caregivers in multiple ways:
- Stresses animals and alters behavior
- Impacts respiratory health and overall well-being
- Reduces comfort and cleanliness in shared spaces
- Creates unpleasant working and caregiving conditions
Creating cleaner spaces isn’t just about making environments more pleasant for people—it’s about supporting the health and welfare of animals themselves.
Nutrition’s Role in a Cleaner Space
What goes in impacts what comes out. Diet plays a major role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and the resulting waste. When digestion isn’t optimized, it can lead to stronger odors and emissions—creating less comfortable and less healthy environments for both animals and their caregivers.
Plant-based compounds, such as saponins, are often used in feed to help support gut health and naturally reduce odor-related emissions. These functional ingredients work by improving digestive function and reducing the formation of odor-causing compounds, which helps:
- Support animal well-being
- Promote cleaner, more breathable spaces
- Improve caregiving and working conditions around animals
By helping create fresher environments for pets and livestock alike, saponins benefit both the animals and the people who care for them.
The DPI GLOBAL Difference
At DPI GLOBAL, we know that cleaner environments aren’t just about comfort—they’re about health, well-being, and sustainable animal care. What may seem like a faint smell to us can feel overwhelming to animals, making clean air an essential part of proper animal management.
For over 60 years, DPI GLOBAL has been dedicated to delivering science-based solutions trusted by livestock producers and pet food companies worldwide. Our technologies are designed to:
- Support animal performance and well-being
- Help reduce odor and emissions naturally
- Promote cleaner, healthier environments where animals can thrive
Our mission is simple: to improve the lives of animals and the people who depend on them, creating sustainable value across the globe.
Fresher Air, Healthier Dogs
Dogs remind us every day how important clean spaces truly are. Their strong sense of smell highlights the need to manage odors and maintain air quality where animals live. Clean environments mean healthier animals, more sustainable operations, and better living conditions for everyone involved.
From livestock operations to family pets, our commitment to cleaner air and better animal care remains the same.
Visit DPI GLOBAL or contact us to learn more about how we’re creating cleaner, healthier environments for animals worldwide.
Meet the Author: Dani Nading
Marketing and Communications Specialist, DPI GLOBAL
Dani is a Marketing Specialist at DPI GLOBAL, where she focuses on crafting engaging content, managing media planning, and promoting the company’s innovative, science-based solutions. Passionate about sustainability and effective communication, Dani enjoys collaborating with the DPI team to share meaningful stories that connect with producers and industry stakeholders.
When Dani isn’t creating marketing strategies, she enjoys reading, judging livestock shows, and raising show pigs with her family.
