Dogs are amazing.
And our Animal Facts family have proven over and over that you love dogs – all dogs.
But, do you think you know everything about our canine companions?
Let’s find out with ten amazing facts about dogs.
Let’s get started.
But, before we start, take a moment to like and subscribe for more fun, fauna facts.
Let us know about your doggy in the comments below.
10.
Your dog can smell your feelings.
Your pooch’s keen sniffer can detect subtle changes in your scent, which can help him
figure out how you are feeling — such as by smelling your perspiration when you become
nervous or fearful.
This amazing ability has given the dog a new job in assisting people with diabetes, helping
people know they are about to have a seizure and even used to detect certain cancers.
Golden Retrievers are known to be especially keen to human scents.
So, when your dog snuggles up to you next time you are sad, know that the nose knows.
9.
Your dog’s sense of smell is 1,000 to 10 million times better than yours.
Being able to detect minute changes in your scent is thanks to his amazing olfactory ability.
Depending on the breed, your dog has between 125 million to 300 million scent glands.
We humans only have about 5 million.
And the part of your dog’s brain that controls smell is about 40 times larger than yours.
It’s true, even though the canine brain is much smaller than the human’s, relative
to size.
Your dog also has a wet nose because which helps to absorb scent chemicals.
While we humans depend largely on our sight to observe our world, your dog’s perspective
is comprised of a marriage of colorful scents.
Which dog has the best sense of smell?
That honor goes to the Bloodhound with 300 million scent glands.
8.
Dogs can hear four times as far as humans.
His sense of smell isn’t the only sense that outperforms our own.
While puppies may be born deaf, they quickly surpass our hearing abilities.
Not only can he hear four times as far, but he can hear higher pitched sounds, detecting
a frequency range of 67 to 45,000 Hertz.
The human range is from 64 to 23,000 Hertz.
As a predator, he needed to be able to hear small prey.
His ability to hear a wider frequency range helped him to detect and find his next meal.
Today, he might not need to hunt his food, but this doesn’t stop him from hearing the
mailman as he turns onto your street.
Dogs with large ears that stand up, such as French Bulldogs and Chihuahuas have especially
keen hearing.
As with humans, the upper end of the hearing range decreases with age.
7.
When dogs poop, they prefer to do it in alignment with the Earth's magnetic field.
A 2014 study suggests that dogs are sensitive to small variations in the Earth’s magnetic
field.
After examining 70 dogs over two years, observing 1,893 number twos and 5,582 number ones, researchers
found that under “calm magnetic field conditions,” dogs preferred to potty with the body being
aligned along the north-south axis, avoiding east-west altogether.
Why?
Well, scientists were unsure.
They weren’t even sure if the dogs consciously perceived magnetic fields in the way they
perceive sight and sound.
Dog poop compass, anyone?
6.
If a guy has a dog with him, he's three times more likely to get a girl's phone number.
Here’s one for the single fellows.
There has been a lot of research into the beneficial roles your dog plays in promoting
an active lifestyle, improving productivity at work, and even decreasing the risks of
stress, heart attacks, and strokes—but your love life?
According to a survey by citizen science project Dognition, 82 percent of people feel more
confident approaching an attractive person if they have a canine wingman.
Research has shown that while simply getting a phone number from a random woman is notoriously
difficult, bringing along a lovable dog with undeniable charisma can facilitate social
interactions.
Save the oneliners, adopt a doggy.
5.
Your one-year-old dog is as physically mature as a 15-year-old human.
This varies from breed to breed and in general larger dogs age faster than small ones.
But, your dog matures at a staggering pace as compared to us humans.
This should be of no surprise considering his lifespan is significantly shorter than
yours.
Compared to humans, dogs age more quickly at the beginning of their lives and slower
toward the end.
Dogs age at different rates compared to humans, but the simple rule of 7 dog years to 1 human
year is far from accurate and is thought to have been a marketing ploy by vets to encourage
dog owners to bring in pets at least once a year.
One of the earliest examples of comparing dog age is an inscription at Westminster Abbey
that dates to the year 1268 which calculates that one human year is equivalent to nine
dog years, which was part of some strange way to calculate the end of the world.
But, we blame that on the cats.
4.
On average, a dog’s mouth exerts 320 pounds of bite pressure.
Tests were done on a German Shepherd, an American Pit Bull Terrier, and a Rottweiler.
In comparison, human beings exert 120 pounds, and sharks exert 600 pounds.
A crocodile can exert a whopping 2,500 pounds!
The strongest bite force among dogs was the Rottweiler at 328 pounds.
Dogs also have ten more adult teeth than humans — 42 versus 32 for an adult human.
3.
Dogs have sweat glands in their paws.
You may have heard that dogs can’t sweat.
This isn’t exactly true.
Your dog does rely on panting as his primary means of cooling down.
But, it can help to wet the bottom of his feet on a hot day, as he has sweat glands
between his paw pads.
Humans, on the other hand, have between 2 million and 5 million sweat glands.
So, you should be mindful of your dog overheating.
We are designed to dissipate heat.
Your dog is not.
2.
Your dog does have a sense of time — and misses you when you’re gone.
Another dog myth is that they have no sense of time.
While he is almost certainly unable to read a clock if you think your dog knows when it’s
time for dinner or a walk, you’re right!
Your dog picks up on our routines and habits, and he also senses how much time has passed.
Studies have shown that dogs do respond differently to their owners being gone for different lengths
of time.
Although, we don’t suggest him as the keeper of your calendar.
Speaking of calendars, we publish on Mondays and Fridays.
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And now on to number one.
1.
Your dog is as at least as smart as a 2-year-old toddler.
Or at least, they likely understand roughly the same number of words and gestures That’s
about 250!
While it’s difficult to judge animal intelligence as compared to human intelligence, we can
make some simple comparisons.
For example, while dogs ranked with the 2-year-olds in language, they would trump a 3- or 4-year-old
in basic arithmetic.
In social smarts, dogs ranked even higher and can be compared to the social skills of
a teenager.
Which are the smartest breeds?
Border Collies, Poodles, and German Shepherds, according to Stanley Coren, a canine expert,
and professor at the University of British Columbia.
Speaking of smarts...
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