Seeing through my dog's nose!

Walking home at lunch on Monday I was astounded how my little Shih Tzu Navy followed the Yellow Brick... well pee... Road home.
In the summer he often stops and sniffs a spot that has no fire hydrant, telephone pole or tree anywhere near it. He can spend several minutes sniffing away and then turns and lifts the leg. Other times he will stop and sniff it and then do nothing but continue on his way.
Well the winter, especially now that we have snow is a bit more telling.
Yellow spots on the snow bank instantly attract his little nose and he will even stand up on his back legs to sniff the ones that are well above his short little frame.
I do believe that a dogs brain is much like a computer with many things tucked away in its memory banks.
Navy will sniff the yellow snow and if his memory bank recognizes the scent of a familiar hound he proceeds without marking it. But if not up goes the leg.
What is really comical is the attempt of the little dog to climb the snowbank and mark higher than the biggest dog that did at that location. He will often get part way up and fall over.
Then it is off to see what the next stop on the yellow snow road has in store for his nose.
Winter tells us what the dogs know all to well... there are many a critters marking our front lawns, trees, poles, and hydrants, even if we can't see them in the summer.

–Until then,
Ken