All dog owners think their own dog is pretty special. I’m always amazed at my dog’s ability to communicate his needs. I’m equally staggered at the speed that he can be right next to me when I take a chicken out of the oven. It got me thinking about other remarkable facts about dogs. There were some that I already was aware of, but others were totally new to me. Read on to find out just how remarkable your dog is.
Dogs have 18 muscles to move their ears
Why so many? Well the simple answer is that a dog adjusts the position of his ears to get the best hearing ability, but also uses his ears to express his emotions.
A dog’s nose is its fingerprint
Just like a human’s fingerprint is unique, a dog’s nose has a pattern that is unique.
Dogs only have sweat glands in their paws
The glands are known as merocrine glands and are located in the paws. Due to the few sweat glands that they have, dogs rely on other methods to regulate their temperature.
Dogs are able to hear high frequency sounds
By adjusting their ear position (as mentioned above) dogs can hear much higher frequency sounds than we can. In fact, small dogs are better at hearing high frequency sounds than larger dogs.
Dogs have dreams
If you’ve noticed your dog twitching and moving as he sleeps, he is probably in the middle of a dream. Small dogs tend to have more dreams than bigger dogs.
A dog’s whiskers help with orientation
In essence they help your dog to “see” better as your dog uses them as a guide to his surroundings.
Dogs improve the health of their owners and vice versa
Dogs get us outside and active when taking them for walks. They also give us the opportunity to socialise with other dog owners. Petting and playing with a dog results in lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels in humans. They also help to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness.
Dogs can sniff and breathe at the same time
Their noses are designed differently from that of a human. As a result air is able to circulate continuously, so they have no issue being able to sniff and breathe at the same time.
Dogs can have a left or a right paw dominance
In the same way that people are left-handed or right-handed, dogs have a similar dominance with their paws.
Dogs have a sense of time
It may not be measured in the same way as humans, but dogs do have a sense of time.
Dogs are smart
Researchers believe that dogs have the intelligence equivalent of a 2 year old child. They are able to understand commands from humans, can have an emotional connection with us, and comprehend 100s of words.
Dogs can see some colours
Dogs have what is called dichromatic vision, so they have limited perception of colours. They are able to see yellow and blue, but shades such as red and green are much more difficult for them to see.
