狗的胡须是干什么用的?

狗的胡须是干什么用的?

Most dogs are hairy things. Whether their fur is long or short, their bodies are mostly covered all over in hair of some sort. But separate from the fluff and the fur, your pup has long, coarse hairs sticking out of his muzzle and above his eyes.

大多数狗都有毛。无论它们的皮毛是长是短，它们的身体大部分都覆盖着某种毛发。但是，除了绒毛和皮毛，你的小狗的鼻子和眼睛上方都有长而粗糙的毛发。

Whiskers do so much more than make your dog look cute. (Photo: marielinden4 [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

Dogs might not be as well-known for their whiskers as cats, but these distinctive features play an important role in your dog's daily life.

狗的胡须可能不像猫那么出名，但这些独特的特征在狗的日常生活中扮演着重要的角色。

The purpose of dog whiskers

狗胡须的用途

Dog whiskers are usually as wide as a dog's body. (Photo: flopac87/Shutterstock)

Although whiskers might just look like stiffer, coarser hair, they have a much different job to do. The follicles at the base of each whisker are filled with nerve fibers so that even the slightest touch will transmit messages to the dog's brain.

虽然络腮胡可能看起来更硬、更粗糙，但它们的作用却大不相同。每根胡须底部的毛囊都充满了神经纤维，因此即使是最轻微的接触也会向狗的大脑传递信息。

These special facial hairs play many roles, according to research published in Veterinary Research Communications. They can play a key role in helping a dog monitor his environment by picking up changes in wind direction or water currents.

根据发表在《兽医研究通讯》上的研究，这些特殊的面部毛发扮演着多种角色。它们可以通过感知风向或水流的变化来帮助狗狗监控周围环境。

Coren points out that the whiskers above the eye are situated so that when something disrupts the airflow or some object gets in the way, causing the hair to bend, there's a reflexive blink in response to protect the eye from a possible impact.

科伦指出，眼睛上方的触须是这样设置的:当有什么东西破坏了空气流动，或者有什么东西挡住了视线，导致头发弯曲时，眼睛会反射性地眨一下眼睛，以保护眼睛不受可能的冲击。

You can see this in action by lightly brushing the whiskers above your dog's eyes. Instinctively, his eye should close.

你可以通过轻刷狗狗眼睛上方的胡须来观察它的动作。出于本能，他应该闭上眼睛。

Whiskers also might assist in locating food, dispersing pheromones, and maintaining an upright head position while swimming.

胡须还可以帮助寻找食物，散发信息素，并在游泳时保持头部直立。

Whiskers and communication

胡须和沟通

Dogs move their whiskers when they feel threatened and when they're happy. (Photo: Konstantin Zaykov/Shutterstock)

Besides keeping a dog from bumping into things, whiskers also can help avoid skirmishes and bad relationships.

除了防止狗撞到东西，胡须还可以帮助避免小冲突和糟糕的关系。

We're used to looking to a dog's tail or maybe his ears to see how he is feeling. But whiskers can also convey information about canine emotions, according to LiveScience.

我们习惯于通过观察狗的尾巴或者耳朵来了解它的感受。但是根据《生活科学》的报道，胡须也可以传达狗狗的情感信息。

If a dog feels threatened, he will automatically flare his whiskers and then point them reflexively in a forward direction. This could indicate that whiskers are a key element of defense in tense situations with predators and other dogs, some researchers believe.

如果狗感到受到威胁，它会自动展开胡须，然后反射性地将胡须指向前方。一些研究人员认为，这可能表明，在面对捕食者和其他狗的紧张情况下，胡须是防御的关键因素。

But whiskers don't just move during tense situations, says VCA Hospitals.

但是VCA医院表示，胡须并不只是在紧张的情况下才会移动。

"When a dog is resting, the whiskers take a break. But when a dog is active, so are they! A happy or curious dog will elevate the whiskers above his eyes giving him that cute, wide-eyed appearance we love."

“当狗休息时，胡须会休息一下。但当狗活跃时，它们也是!一只快乐或好奇的狗狗会把胡须举过眼睛，让它看起来可爱、大眼睛，我们很喜欢它。”

Some people — especially those who show their dogs in competitions — choose to trim whiskers because they think it makes their dogs look neater.

有些人——尤其是那些在比赛中展示他们的狗的人——选择修剪胡须，因为他们认为这样可以让他们的狗看起来更整洁。

Pulling or plucking on the whiskers would be painful for a dog. It wouldn't hurt to cut them because whiskers don't have pain receptors, but many veterinarians and researchers say it's not a good idea.

拉拉胡子对狗来说是很痛苦的。因为胡须没有痛觉感受器，所以割掉它们不会有什么伤害，但许多兽医和研究人员说这不是个好主意。

Anecdotal evidence suggests that trimming whiskers can lead to confusion and issues with spatial awareness. When petting your dog, in fact, be sure to only touch pet whiskers gently along the grain, says VCA Hospitals. As you can see in the video above, even very tolerant dogs don't like anyone messing with their whiskers, even if it's gentle.

坊间证据表明，修剪胡须会导致混乱和空间意识问题。VCA Hospitals说，实际上，当你抚摸你的狗狗时，一定要只沿着狗狗的胡须轻轻地摸。正如你在上面的视频中所看到的，即使是非常宽容的狗也不喜欢任何人摆弄它们的胡须，即使是很温和的。

Say canine expert Coren, "Although your dog's whiskers might make his face look untidy, you should not let your groomer trim or cut them since by so doing you are actually effectively removing these valuable aids to the dog's visual system."

犬类专家Coren说:“虽然你的狗的胡须可能会让他的脸看起来不整洁，但你不应该让你的美容师修剪或修剪它们，因为这样做实际上是在去除这些对狗的视觉系统有价值的东西。”