7 fun and fascinating dog facts for every owner

Ever wonder why dogs do some of the things they do? Fascinating dog facts include speed, brains, nose power, bite strength, and more.

Dogs are truly man’s best friend – there is no way anyone on the planet earth could argue about that. Your loyal partners deserve all the cuddles, treats, and love! As long as humanity can remember dogs, we have known them to be an absolute delight. For some owners, a full dictionary of kind words is not enough to describe them

But do you know everything about dogs? Are you curious to learn more about your buddy?

Here are seven fun and fascinating dog facts for every dog owner.

The domestication of dogs dates back 9,000 to 34,000 years ago

Dogs are descendants of the gray wolf species. Hunter-gatherers in Europe started the domestication process, and over time these wolves changed physically and psychologically to the dogs we know today. That said, the oldest dog breed is the Basenji, barkless dogs that are part of cave paintings found in Libya, dating s back to 6,000 BC

The Saluki dates back to the roots of Egyptian culture around 2100 BC and is widely found in depictions from many cultures around the world. The Akita Inu,  a Japanese breed, has an unknown origin history, which may date back to 200 BC.

Dogs do have a sense of time

That doesn’t necessarily mean they have the same abilities to understand time as humans. They are capable of predicting or anticipating events in the future based on the training they receive.

Based on past events, dogs can pinpoint the activity that will happen like owners coming back to home.

Dogs live in the moment and often suffer from separation anxiety. It’s the same for “now it is time for a walk” – they predict it and start fussing over it. So if you see an anxious dog waiting to go for a walk, get dog coats and go for it!

Science dogs

The first animal in space was a Russian dog named Laika. The history of amazing achievements done by these little sniffers is genuinely remarkable.

Studies have shown dogs are able to sniff out multiple types of cancer and are helping in genome mapping. 

Ivan Pavlov won the 1904 Nobel Prize in Physiology for his studying stimulating dogs to salivate. After using the sound of a metronome, he gave the dogs food. After a few repetitions, the dogs started to salivate when they heard the sound.

Dogs smell your feelings

D0gs do smell feelings like fear, happiness, sadness, and comfort. The sniffing abilities of dogs are so much understudied. Yet, some studies suggest dogs alter their behavior with their owner’s emotions and moods. 

The same goes for hostility against strangers – if you are happy, they are comfortable with strangers, and if they sense fear, they stay quiet and hide behind you. If we show alert signs, they get more hostile against strangers.

Dogs also have shown the ability to sense pregnancy by smelling hormonal changes. 

Bite force

Although dogs are friendly and joyous animals; they have enormous power in their bite. Due to such distinguishing characteristics between different breeds, they are part of various fields of activity.

Most widely known breeds – Rottweiler, German Shepherd, and American Pit Bull Terrier have 269 pounds of bite force.

The Kangal, a Mastiff breed of strong and powerful dogs, has a whopping bite force of 743 PSI. There are breeds designed explicitly for battle and hunting, too, with a bite force of 540-700 PSI. Owners of protective breed dogs have to train them to calm cravings of barking and biting. They are huge and require a physical and mental stimulus. So owners, get your dogs to exercise for their excellent health.

Brains

Dogs are as smart as a two-year-old or more than that – they can learn 165 words, which include signals and gestures. Many breeds can learn up to 250 words. Our furry companions can even solve basic arithmetic problems. Their social skills are much better and complex than those of some teenagers.

The top smart dog breeds are Border Collies, Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. They are the sharpest tools when it comes to solving and socializing.

Speed

We know dogs can chase balls for days; they love to run. Some breeds out there are just fast runners, designed for hunting and chasing.

The fastest breed is the Greyhound, the dogs can run at 43 mph. Other fast runners include the Vizsla (40 mph), the Jack Russell Terrier (38 mph) and the Borzoi (36 mph). 

Bundles of love

What do we do to deserve dogs? It’s true we love these furballs and are willing to get dozens of puppies to adore them. The bottom line – it is essential to take care, maintain and cherish them with whole hearts. Cuddle your dog now!

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