Why does my dog have whiskers?
This is a question that we often get from sitters and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!
4 Answers
Whiskers are sensory receptors for dogs. Each whisker has a mass of nerves underneath it. They can even feel vibrations that tell whats around them.
Highly sensitive to subtle changes in air currents, canine whiskers serve as receptors for important information about the size, shape and speed of nearby objects. This helps dogs — for whom vision is not the most highly evolved trait — "see" objects more clearly, even in the dark. Being able to feel vibrations in the air also helps dogs sense approaching dangers.
The hair follicles at the base of whiskers have several nerves that send messages to a dogs brain. When a dog feels these vibrations, it helps your dog sense approaching dangers!
They are follicles that sense things like we do with our fingers. Except they are much more sensitive and can detect the speed and size of near by objects, the weather, They help determine if they can fit in a certain place, basically it just helps your dog navigate through life.