When dogs are first born, they are completely blind & cannot hear anything. The first sense that they develop is the sense of touch.
100 Mind-Blowing Dogs Facts
The spiked dog collar was invented by the Ancient Greeks to protect their dogs from wolf attacks.
PewDiePie supported his YouTube channel by selling hot dogs. His persistence paid off when in 2012, his YouTube channel garnered over one million subscribers.
Approximately 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. are named as the heirs of their owners’ wills.
March 3rd is known as “What if Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day.”
When the Titanic sank in 1912, 3 dogs survived. They had all been travelling with their owners in the First Class cabins.
Pitbulls rank high among the most affectionate and least aggressive dogs. Pitbulls are only aggressive when forcibly trained as such, usually for illegal dogfighting.
The Poodle is one of the cleanest breeds of dogs, making them a great choice for people with pet allergies. They don’t moult much at all, and they rarely smell, either.
Dogs with pointed and long faces tend to live longer than those which have flatter faces, such as pugs.
Mickey Mouse was the first-ever cartoon character to talk. In the 1929 episode, The Karnival Kid, Mickey’s first words were “Hot dogs!”
Dogs have a total of 42 teeth when they are fully grown.
Dogs can be allergic to humans – specifically, their dander. While being treated for this allergy, it can take up to 12 months for a dog to recover.
In a survey, 33% of dog owners admitted to chatting over the telephone with their dogs.
Animals can experience time differently from humans. To smaller animals, the world around them moves more slowly compared to humans. Salamanders and lizards, for example, experience time more slowly than cats and dogs. This is because the perception of time depends on how quickly the brain can process incoming information.
Dogs tilt their heads when you speak to them to better pinpoint familiar words. Your dog is tilting its head when you speak to it to pinpoint where noises are coming from more quickly. This is done to listen out more accurately for familiar words such as ‘walkies’ and helps them to better understand the tone of your voice. If a dog doesn’t tilt its head that often (as those with shorter muzzles might), it’s because it relies less on sound and more on sight.
Dogs sweat through their paws.
Dogs sniff good smells with their left nostril. Dogs normally start sniffing with their right nostril, then keep it there if the smell could signals danger, but they’ll shift to the left side for something pleasant, like food or a mating partner.
The Beatles’ song ‘A Day in the Life’ has a frequency only dogs can hear. It’s at the end of the song.
Spiked and studded dog collars were an Ancient Greek invention. Who would think that the spiked collars we see on cartoon characters or the local scene kids had ancient origins? Ancient Greek herders would give their sheep-dogs sharply spiked collars as protection from wolves while they guarded livestock at night.
Cats sleep for ⅔ of their lives. People have a love-hate relationship with cats. It’s somewhat understandable since cats tend to be the exact opposite of the warm, eager demeanour loved by many in dogs. Another stark difference is that cats spend a lot of time asleep. Like, a 15-hour average is kind of a lot. Cats sleep mostly during the day and only become active around twilight.
The electric chair was invented by a dentist. In more shocking fun facts (perhaps literally): Alfred Southwick was a dentist who conceptualized electrical execution when he heard of an intoxicated man who died from touching a live electric generator. Realizing the man’s quick death, Southwick concluded that electricity could be an alternative to hanging for executions. However, he first intended for electrocution to euthanize stray dogs.
Millie the White House dog earned more than four times as President Bush in 1991. Once known as the most famous dog in White House history, Millie was one of Bush’s family dogs. One of her amazing feats? The $900,000 in royalties earned from Millie’s Book easily outsold the $2,291 earned in 1991 by the President for his 1988 campaign autobiography, “Looking Forward.”
The Canary Islands are named after dogs, not birds. One of the fun facts you wouldn’t think about: The Canary Islands aren’t named after canary birds! The location was named after dogs. Despite being off the coast of Northwestern Africa, the archipelago is part of Spain. The area’s Spanish name is Islas Canarias. This name is rooted in the Latin phrase Canariae Insulae, or “island of dogs.”
Dogs can understand up to 250 words and gestures. The average dog is as smart as a two-year-old child.
At the Humane Society of Missouri, kid volunteers comfort anxious shelter dogs by reading to them. Shelter dogs have usually lived through significant trauma. This makes it difficult for some dogs to be adopted due to their changed behaviour. To solve this, the Humane Society of Missouri created the Shelter Buddies Reading Program. It pairs kids aged 6 to 15 with anxious, mistrustful dogs to socialize them for home life.
The first baby stroller was pulled by animals. William Kent invented the first stroller for the 3rd Duke of Devonshire in 1733. However, it did not have handles for parents. Instead, the strollers were pulled by goats, dogs, or miniature horses.
Basenji dogs can’t bark. However, this does not mean that they are silent. The sound that they release is more of a warbling yodel. This specific breed of dog is the only dog that cannot bark.
The spiked dog collars are meant to protect their necks from attacks. This iconic accessory was invented by the Ancient Greeks to protect their dogs against wolves when attacked. The spikes would prevent predators from instantly causing heavy damage to their dog’s necks.
The Titanic included dogs as their passengers. When the ship sank in 1912, 3 dogs were able to survive. Before the ship sank, they had all been travelling with their owners in first-class cabins.
Pitbulls are ranked as the most affectionate breed of dogs. They are also ranked the least aggressive despite their appearances. These dogs usually become aggressive if they are forcibly trained.
Dogs should not be fed pear and apple seeds. This is due to the seeds containing traces of cyanide in them. This substance is highly toxic to dogs in high quantities.
Dogs can learn commands better with hand signals. This is also another way you can build communication and further develop trust with your pets. Professional trainers say that when a dog understands their tasks, they feel safer because they know what to do.
Dogs have over 1,700 taste buds. A dog’s sense of taste is about ⅙ as powerful as the human tongue. Studies have shown that dogs are also able to detect the same basic taste classifications.
Dogs and cats also have a dominant side like humans do. A research study from Washington, D.C. states that these animals can be left or right-handed. They favour either the left or right paw when they move.
Small breeds of dogs live longer than larger breeds. Smaller breeds have a life expectancy of 12-14 years. Larger dogs, on the other hand, have a life expectancy of around 8-10 years. For giant breeds, they can live as short as 5 years up to 8 years.
Dogs like squeaking toys because they sound like their prey. Dogs are known to have a fixation on squeaky toys. Although dogs have been domesticated by man, they still retain some of their animal instincts – which is why squeaky toys stimulate them. Squeaky toys almost sound like small prey screaming for their life. Now that’s one of the WTF facts you could’ve lived without ever knowing.
Dogs are banned from Antarctica. In 1994, Antarctica banned all non-native species (except humans) from the continent. This was to prevent diseases from spreading to seals.
Dogs can understand up to 250 words and gestures. The average dog is as smart as a two-year-old kid.
Dogs have been banned from Antarctica since April 1994 out of concern that dogs might spread diseases to seals.
Police dogs are trained to react to commands in a foreign language; commonly German but more recently Hungarian.
Chocolate can kill dogs, as it contains theobromine, which affects their heart and nervous system. Chocolate consists of an ingredient called theobromine (similar to caffeine) that is toxic to dogs. Dogs are not as capable of breaking it down or metabolizing theobromine as humans can. Theobromine majorly affects a dog’s central nervous system, heart and kidneys.
Dogs can smell 100,000 times better than humans.
Just like people, some animals, such as cats and dogs, have a preference for using their left paws. Scientists even study this in animals, and they call it “lateralisation.”
Dogs have a unique nose print. It’s similar to a human’s fingerprint!
All dogs have dreams. Young puppies and older dogs dream more often than adult dogs.
Animals can be allergic to humans. Not only can dogs be allergic to cat dander and people dander, but our pets can also suffer from the same allergens as humans, including pollen!
The smaller the animal is, the slower they can process time. How animals perceive time can depend on how quickly the brain processes new information. Animals like mice or lizards will experience time differently than horses or dogs.
The world’s oldest dog lived to be 29.5 years old. The Australian cattle dog named Bluey lived to be 29.5 years old when the average age for dogs is from 10-15 years. This weird animal fact should resonate with dog lovers around the world.
Dogs tilt their heads to pinpoint the words you’re saying. They do this to spot familiar words.
Dogs’ sense of smell is about 100,000 times stronger than humans, but they have just one-sixth our number of taste buds.
Cats and horses are highly susceptible to black widow venom, but dogs are relatively resistant. Sheep and rabbits are immune.
The American Veterinary Dental Society states that 80% of Dogs and 70% of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3.
Dogs sweat through their foot pads to help keep them cool. They also keep cool by panting.
Greyhounds are the world’s fastest dogs with the ability to reach up to 45 mph.
Dogs have 28 baby teeth and 42 permanent teeth.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs have about ten!
Dogs have wet noses because they secrete a thin layer of mucus, which helps dogs smell!
Throughout the world, people are familiar with animals in police service, particularly dogs and horses. But, there are regions in China that rely on the loud and disruptive nature of geese to help police the streets. Their commotion has deterred many criminals in recent years.
Talking to your dog might not be crazy after all. Dogs are highly intelligent and can learn some English. Dogs can learn up to 165 words, particularly words with the hard “t” or “r.” This might explain why all dogs recognise the word “treat.”
Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures and have demonstrated the ability to do simple mathematical calculations.
Visitors to one of Hawaii’s islands can take a shelter dog out on adventures for a day. That’s right; if you head on over to Kauai in Hawaii, you can pick up a shelter dog and take it for walks on the beach, hikes, or just wander around the island! Each dog is geared up with a cute vest that advertises that the dog is for adoption. The dogs also get some much-needed exercise, which, combined with their vest, helps locals adopt them!
As dogs were domesticated, their eyes evolved to look cuter. Have you ever seen a picture of a wolf’s eyes and seen something mysteriously menacing in them compared to those of a dog? Well, there’s a good reason for that. Dogs evolved muscles around their eyes, allowing them to change their facial expression slightly, commonly known as “puppy eyes.” It’s believed that they evolved so because dogs that looked cuter and friendlier were more likely to be looked after.
All dogs are banned from Antarctica since April 1994. This ban was made because of the concern that dogs might spread diseases to seals.
Rodent reprobates. In 1510, rats who destroyed a field of barley were summoned to face trial. Their defence lawyer, Bartholomew Chassenee, argued that attending court would put his clients at risk from local cats and dogs. A reasonable fear of death was a sufficient reason to excuse a human from court. If rats were to be subject to the same laws, surely the same mitigation had to apply? The judge postponed the trial indefinitely.