Dogs are our best friends, loyal companions, and, most importantly, our family. Whether you grew up having a dog, currently want to adopt your first one, or looking for number five, dog people are fascinated by the species for a reason! Below are some amazing facts about dogs.
Dogs are fascinating creatures, especially considering they didn’t start out as domesticated animals.
If you are one of the many people who’d like to learn more about man’s best friend, you’ve come to the right place. From the total number of dog breeds in the world to why dogs have wet noses, brace yourself to have your mind blown away with these amazing facts about dogs!
11 Amazing Facts About Dogs
1. They can Sniff and Breathe at the Same Time
Dogs rely largely on their sense of smell to find friends, food, and potential threats. This means they sniff a lot. The unique structure of their noses allows smells to stay in their nose, with air moving in and out of their lungs at the same time. It makes them breathe freely and smell things simultaneously.
2. They Have Wet Noses for a Reason
Whether you’ve ever owned a dog or not, you might have wondered why their noses are always wet. Well, their wet noses don’t mean they have a runny nose. In fact, this helps them absorb scent chemicals. Their noses produce a mucus that helps with this. After absorbing chemicals, they lick their noses to help them understand what the smell is.
3. There are Many Dog Breeds
You can find numerous dog breeds around the world. To be specific, there are 200. Breeds like German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier, Bulldog, Golden Retriever, and Dachshund are the most popular ones.
So, try to spot as many as possible the next time you go on a walk with your four-pawed buddy.
4. Dogs Dream
It is another mind-boggling fact about dogs. Scientists believe they dream much like humans by replaying mental images even though we are unsure of what they actually dream about.
5. They Have Four Times Better Hearing Ability than Humans
Dogs have the ability to hear a much wider range of frequencies and pitches than humans. In fact, it is suggested that dogs can recognize 50,000 vibrations/second and can even hear frequencies that come off as silent for humans.
6. Some Dogs are Faster than a Cheetah
Most dogs can outrun a human. They have instincts to run and chase. Greyhound is by far the fastest dog breed. In fact, the speediest hounds can hit a top speed of 45mph seconds after they start running.
How does this make them faster than a cheetah, though? Though a cheetah can reach up to 70mph, they can only go with this speed for about 30 seconds. On the flip side, Greyhounds can constantly run at speeds of more than 35mph for a staggering seven miles. This helps them overtake the cheetah sooner rather than later.
7. Newfoundlands Are Impeccable Lifeguards
Because of their webbed feet and water-resistant coats, no dog breed can beat Newfoundland when it comes to protecting you. They’re also exceptional swimmers since fishers originally bred them as rescue dogs.
Some owners even claim that their Newfoundland attempts to rescue them when they are swimming.
8. They Can Sniff Out Medical Problems
Thanks to their excellent sense of smell, dogs can sniff out medical problems. Though you might’ve not heard of it yet, some medical experts train dogs for this task.
Dogs have the ability to diagnose a specific condition or to alert their owners if they need more medication. For example, service or emotional support dogs are trained to help people with severe anxiety disorders. They can sniff out when their owners are having a panic attack and help calm them down.
9. Smallest, Tallest, and Heaviest Dog Breeds
Chihuahuas are the worlds’ smallest dog breed, with an average height between 6 and 9 inches. They are also the lightest dog breed, mostly weighing between 2 and 6 pounds. In comparison, the world’s tallest dog breed is the Great Dane. They can reach a maximum height of up to 34 inches.
Besides that, English Mastiff is the heaviest dog breed in the world and can weigh up to 230 pounds.
10. 40x Better Sense of Smell than Humans
Dogs have a sense of smell forty times better than humans. It means dogs can detect more smells than us. That’s why they’re so helpful to sniff out drugs, people, money, and even medical conditions.
In fact, many Greyhounds have won the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animal’s (PDSA) Gold Medal Award. Search dogs like Buster also won the PDSA Dickin Award in 2003 for their incredible service in Iraq. Buster helped the Armed forces locate an extensive amount of explosives and weapons associated with an extremist group. By doing so, Buster saved the lives of many service personnel and civilians.
11. Dogs are as Intelligent as a Two-Year-Old
Studies have suggested that dogs can learn over a hundred gestures and words, making them as intelligent as a two-year-old. However, dogs are much easier to train. Their intelligence allows them to be trained as service animals, both for medical and military/police jobs.
Wrapping up
Dogs are among the most loyal animals with a fantastic sense of smell and intelligence. These abilities are why police and even military forces use them. Whether it’s swimming, protecting their owner, or alerting authorities in case of an emergency, dogs stand out in many aspects of life.
So, how did you find these dog facts? As far as we’re concerned, they’re amazing!