Dogs are great pets to have. Most dog owners love canines because of their loyalty and the companionship that they provide. It’s no surprise that owners spend hours with their canine companions. While many of us who love dogs feel that we know a lot about them, there may be some surprising facts you didn’t know.
1. Amazing Sense of Smell
While we may all know that dogs have a good sense of smell, not many are aware that this is their primary sense. It is their main form of communicating followed by sight and hearing. Humans have about 5 million olfactory receptors in their noses, while dogs have anywhere from 125 million to 300 million receptors. With these they can sense emotion of those around them. Canines with the strongest sense of smell include Bloodhounds, German Shepherds, Beagles and Labrador Retrievers.
2. Fewer Taste Buds
Your canine pal may be able to smell things far better than you, but it doesn’t mean that it can taste better than you. Compared to humans who have more than 9,000 taste buds, dogs have less than 2,000. They also lack the more complex ability to differentiate tastes such as sweet, sour, salty and bitter. This explains why canines don’t really mind eating the same thing day in and day out. Not to mention their affinity to trashcans, leftovers and just about everything humans wouldn’t eat.
3. Dalmatians are Born Without Spots
Despite being portrayed as cute speckled pups in the popular Disney cartoon 101 Dalmatians, these dogs don’t actually look this way when born. All Dalmatian puppies are born with a plain white coat and not a speck of color. Spots only begin to appear on their fur when they are about four weeks old. After about a month they will have most of their spots, although these may continue to develop slowly even as they grow older.
4. The Poodle Cut
Although this popular grooming style is often associated with elegance and style among the upper class, it didn’t always start out that way. Bred specifically as a water retriever its thick coat often weighed it down when it got soaked. To help improve mobility and floatation in the water specific parts of the Poodle’s body were often shaved down to help keep it afloat. Other areas that were left with the thick fur on served to protect the Poodle’s organs from being exposed to the cold water. This gave way to the popular fur pom-poms which are now associated with the breed.
5. All Puppies are Born Blind and Deaf
During birth all puppies are born with their ear canals closed and their eyes tightly shut. This makes them functionally blind and deaf during the first few weeks of their life. They rely on their olfactory and tactile sensations to be able to feel and find their mother for the first two weeks of life. Often the smell and feel of their mother is what they look for. It isn’t until they are about 4 weeks old that they are able to see and hear.
6. Circling Before Lying Down
It’s common to see dogs turning in circles before they actually settle down and sleep. The action is not just something they do without reason. This is an age old instinct that has been carried on from even before canines became domesticated. The action dates back to when dogs lived in the wild. It was often done to help dogs in the wild flatten out long blades of grass creating an even surface for them to sleep on. Even after years of being house pets, many dogs still do this even if there are no blades of grass where they sleep.
7. Dog Dreams
Dreamland isn’t just for humans. If you’ve seen your dog quiver, twitch, growl or even whine while sleeping it may be dreaming just like you do. According to studies, dogs can and actually do dream when they sleep. Canines show the same type of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) as humans during deep sleep when dreaming occurs. Researchers have observed though, that dreaming occurs much more frequently in smaller dogs than big ones.
8. Intelligent Beings
Like humans, there are smart dogs and not so bright ones. Breeds that have shown a superior intelligence are capable of a wide range of mental activity. Studies show that they can be as smart as a two year old. In terms of understanding even average dogs have the capacity to understand up to 250 words and actions. There are also those that can count up to five, or perform simple calculations. Dogs that are brighter may be capable of more mental activities. Among the smartest dog breeds in the world are the Border Collie, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever and Rottweiler.
If you have pets that need to be groomed, you can try your local Petco grooming services.
