Have you ever noticed that Disney’s “Goofy” almost wears a hat over the back of his head?
Photo by form PxHere CC0 Public Domain
You might, too, if you had such a prominent head bump.
“Donald, Pluto and Goofy in their Halloween Costumes!” by Castles, Capes & Clones is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Goofy’s head bump is not a cartoon exaggeration. Walt Disney’s fictitious characters were inspired by real features; Pluto is a Bloodhound, and Bloodhounds – as many hounds and sporting breeds – have famously prominent occiputs – that hard bump towards the back of a dog’s skull. Back in the day, a noteworthy occiput on a dog’s head was considered a valued quality as it was believe to signify a dog’s prodigious sense of smell, as well as a superior intelligence. For the latter reason, it’s been called a “smart bump,” “knowledge knot,” “wisdom bump,” and “brain bump.” The word itself, occiput, comes from Latin and means “back of the skull,” and explains why Goofy’s hat always sits on that part of his head.
The owners of dogs not having a prominent occiput know all too well: Such dogs are no less clever or devious. This Beagle is up to something. Just saying. Photo by Giollianosulit Sulit on Unsplash
Beyond giving the brain a hard protective case, the occiput has little to do with the brain. It is a bone formed by fusion of two or more ossified cranial bones, its prominence and size proportional to the size of the dog’s skull and head. It is through the occiput that the spinal cord has entry into the dog’s skull.
New dog owners sometimes get alarmed when they see their pup’s occiput getting bigger, but when growing, a puppy’s occiput usually grow in tandem with the rest of his body – and it tends to grow in sudden spurts rather than a gradual trajectory. In some instances, usually with an older dog, the occiput gets bigger because of muscle disease such as Myositis, a muscle inflammation that often manifests through an occiput getting bigger, or a multilobular bone tumor. Some forms of muscle atrophy can also cause a dog’s occiput to get bigger because the occiput is covered by muscles. When those muscles shrink, the occiput appears to be getting bigger.
Some believe the occiput contains nerve endings and stimulates calming effects dealing with flight or fight. This is why some therapists use canine therapeutic massage to calm the dogs.
We like to think of a prominent occiput as a landmark for where to plant a big kiss or head scritch.
Image: Top photo by Jacopo Maia on Unsplash