15 Interesting Facts About Dogs That You May Not Have Known

Last Updated on November 13, 2021 by Dogs Vets

15 Interesting Facts About Dogs That You May Not Have Known

Dogs are wonderful companions who give us ample amounts of love and attention. Most people are aware of this already, which is why these furry friends are one of the most highly domesticated and well-regarded pets to own. 

A dog’s life always seems too simple and a lot of fun – they get to eat, sleep and play all day long.

Many of us enjoy companionship and feel like our dogs are members of the family. If you’re considering bringing a new dog into the home, take some time to check out Mawoo’s Directory of French Bulldogs for sale. 

Even though we love our furry companions, we are not always aware of the brilliant things that they can do. So, how well do we really know them? 

You can test just how well you know about these fun and furry canines with this compiled list of some really amazing, but little-known facts most people don’t know about dogs.

1. THEY DO HAVE A SENSE OF TIME

Most people don’t realize this, because it seems like you can leave, come back, and your dog will react the same way whether you were gone for five minutes, or gone for five hours. 

However, it has been proven that dogs actually do know the difference between those hours based on routines.

For example, if you’re the kind of person to walk your dog at the same time every day, your dog will pick up on this time and be able to “predict” that it is coming by waiting at the door or pulling on its leash. 

2. THEY CAN SMELL YOUR FEELINGS

While it does sound a little bit strange, most of us are aware that dogs’ have a sense of smell that is over 100k times better than humans. They actually can pick up on feelings, like fear, which is why you may have witnessed dogs bark at those they can sense are afraid of them. Their wet noses are what actually absorb various scents.

3. THEY ARE PICKY ABOUT WHERE THEY GO

Have you ever watched your dog sniffing around to find a specific “spot” to go to the bathroom? Most people don’t realize it, but the reason that dogs carefully choose the perfect place is that they actually and intentionally poop in alignment with the Earth’s magnetic field, as a study from PBS found.

4. THEY ARE BORN DEAF

This may not be as unknown, but many of us did not know that puppies, when they are born, are completely deaf. They only utilize their sense of smell and sight until their sense of hearing develops.

Their hearing does develop pretty quickly, and as they age, they can hear more than four times better than humans.

5. THEIR NOSES ARE UNIQUE

Just like a human fingerprint, a dog’s nose is individual only to it. Some people who know this even like actually to create prints of their dog’s noses as keepsakes.

6. THEY NEED IDENTIFICATION

A vast majority of dogs end up at animal shelters simply because they don’t have any identification. Owners should find some way to provide their dogs with IDs to avoid getting lost or considered stray.

Holidays like the Fourth of July or New Year’s Eve tend to be a busy time for shelters, too, with fireworks going off in multiple places.

Dogs can often become lost if they are scared and flee their homes to run away from the sounds. The experts at Bond Vet of Garden City state that dogs may run because they perceive the unpredictable, harsh sounds of the fireworks as a threat.

7. THEY CAN SNIFF OUT MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Going back to their unique sense of smell, dogs have actually been known to sniff out and detect particular medical conditions.

In addition, they are trained in some cases to diagnose certain ones and alert their owners if they need more attention. 

Experts and trainers have actually utilized dogs like the Bloodhound for court evidence due to their sense of smell. As of late, now dogs are even being trained to sniff out the deadly COVID-19 virus!

8. FASTEST ANIMAL IN THE WORLD?

We have all heard that the cheetah is the fastest animal there is, getting up to 70mph in speeds.

However, did you know that they can only hold this pace for about thirty seconds, tops? On the other hand, dogs like greyhounds can go over 35mph for up to seven whole miles, meaning they actually would be the underdog who wins the race between dog vs. cheetah.

9. RIGHTY OR LEFTY

Just like humans, dogs have a preferred right or left paw that they lead with.

An easy way to detect this as a dog owner is to give them a toy or have them play a game and see which pay they use to grab at the toy, or play with, first.

You could do this with a treat too. Then, if you let them come to it on the floor, you can see which paw they use to “grab” it.

10. THEY HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE OF A TODDLER

Though the smartness of dogs depends on their breed and type, most dogs actually have mental abilities close to humans aged 2+ years old. For example, their understanding of things like specific commands (words) can also even count in some cases.

11. THEY HAVE INCREDIBLY STRONG EARS

Have you ever seen a dog perks up its ears and/or cock its head to one side or the other, as if listening intently?

Dogs have eighteen different muscles that are responsible for helping to move their ears. Hence, they have the adaptability to easily change the ears’ direction to help them listen better. The reason they move around that way helps them locate the sound’s source.

12. THEY HAVE THREE EYELIDS

Many owners are unaware of this crazy fact, but dogs have three eyelids, with the third called the “haw,” which is responsible for keeping the eye protected and lubricated. So now you’re going to look closely at your dog to see if you can spot it!

13. THEY LIKE TO SLEEP AND DREAM WITH YOU

Many owners have reported that dogs sleep in their bed with them, about forty-five percent to be exact. They even dream – have you ever heard them making noises or moving their legs? Puppies and older dogs dream more frequently than adult dogs. 

14. THEIR FACE SHAPE ATTRIBUTES TO THEIR LIFE

This fact may or may not be accurate, but the suggestion here is that the dog face suggests its longevity. Therefore, a longer shape in the face attributes to a longer life.

15. THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY COLORBLIND

Contrary to popular belief that dogs are colorblind, this is not true. Even though they cannot see all of the colors, dogs can see certain colors, such as blue and yellow, besides black and white. 

There are so many things about our four-legged friends we may not know. For example, dogs have long been regarded for feats like saving lives, guiding the blind or disabled, and even surviving the Titanic when it sank. So, how many of these facts did you actually know about yours?