Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How aging affects a dog's sense of smell
By Montgomery LI et al.·2026·Department of Psychological Sciences, United States·View original on Europe PMC →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Evaluating effects of aging on dog olfactory performance.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how aging affects a dog's sense of smell by testing 65 dogs aged 5 years and older. It found that older dogs generally had a harder time with smell tasks, but this decline varied depending on their training level. Interestingly, the dogs' ability to complete the tasks was also influenced by factors like motivation and physical condition, rather than just their sense of smell. Overall, while older dogs may struggle more with smelling, those with more training seemed to do better.
People also search for: why is my older dog not smelling as well · dog age effects on sense of smell · training impact on dog olfaction · how to help older dogs with smell issues
Abstract
Aging is a dynamic process across a dog's lifespan, with age-related changes impacting how dogs function in their companion and working roles. However, the impact of aging on key sensory modalities, such as olfaction, is not well understood. The current study aimed to characterize age-related changes in canine olfactory abilities via an adaptation of the Natural Detection Task. Data were collected on 65 dogs aged 5 years or older, with 44 dogs completing all components of the task. We found age-related decrements in olfactory performance, but only under certain conditions and with differential effects as a function of training level. Age also affected whether dogs completed the entirety of the task, indicative of non-olfactory (e.g., physical or motivational) factors. Additionally, dogs completed the Cylinder Reversal Task (CRT) to determine whether olfactory changes were correlated with cognitive changes. We found no age-related changes in CRT performance and no significant associations between cognitive and olfactory task performance. These findings indicate that dogs' olfactory capabilities decrease with age but, critically, training experience may have protective effects against age-related declines, and effects may only be apparent under certain conditions. Future studies should continue to consider olfaction when studying aging impacts upon the dog.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41184694