Amazing Facts about Dog

109 Amazing Facts about Dog

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Genus: Canis

Species: C. lupus

Subspecies: C. l. familiaris

Trinomial name : Canis lupus familiaris

Amazing Facts about Dog

1. Has olfactory membrane up to 150 sq. cm.
2. Can hear sound as high as 40,000 Hz.
3. Dogs have social and impulsive internal structures that are similar to those of human being's, and this allows us to understand their behavior.
4. Many dog owners treat their dogs the wrong way as if they were children when the truth is that dogs are a completely different species.
5. All dogs have a strong need to be around others whether it is humans or other animals and if they are isolated from social contact, they can start escaping from the house or their behavior changes in search of attention from the owner.
6. A dog's sense of smell is about thirty seven times stronger than ahuman's.
7. The areas of the brain that process the signals that come from the dogs nose are much bigger in size and complex than those same areas in the human mind.
8. Fearful dogs tend to have problems capturing and communicating messages to other dogs and this often times leads to a fight.
9. When a dog wags his tail it means the dog is excited. This does not mean though, that the dog is trying to be friendly, and it is important to learn how to interpret the rest of the dog's body language before getting close to a dog that is wagging his tail.
10. Some signals dogs do such as inclining themselves and bending their front legs are seen in all dogs around the world. These types of universal signals do not need to be learned because dogs everywhere understand them.
11. Dogs that are well trained learn to adjust their behavior in order to be accepted by other dogs.
12. Compared to children, dogs have less capacity to understand the sounds and signs and it is very difficult for them to learn words like "Sit", "Heel" etc.
13. It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
14. Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas
15. A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Applachian Trail
16. If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could product over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
17. Dogs’ only sweat glands are between their paw pads
18. Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age
19. The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears
20. Teddy Roosevelt’s dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador’s pants off at the White House
21. President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her
22. Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands
23. In Roman times, mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights
24. The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs
25. A dog’s mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per squre inch.
26. A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human
27. The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world
28. France has the 2nd highest
29. The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog
30. 87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.
31. Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures
32. 15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites
33. In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years
34. Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog
35. Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet
36. Basset Hounds cannot swim
37. Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour
38. Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box
39. The bible mentions dogs 14 times
40. Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic – a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese
41. The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
42. Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs
43. An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner’s will
44. An American Animal Hospital Assoc. poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dogs on the phone and leaving answering machine messages for them while away
45. Dog’s nose prints are as unique as a human’s finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them
46. At the end of the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life”, a high-pitched dog whistle was recorded by Paul McCartney for his sheepdog
47. 70% of people sign their pet’s name on greeting and holiday cards
48. 58% put pets in family and holiday portraits
49. There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world – perhaps the rarest breed
50. The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.
51. Dogs have no sense of “time”
52. Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years
53. The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound
54. The world’s smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua
55. The St. Bernard is the heaviest
56. Only dogs and humans have prostates
57. But dogs do not have an appendix
58. Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus – a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago
59. The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki – originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
60. In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite while JFK’s terrir, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika’s daughter
61. An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark
62. There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs
63. Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers
64. The world’s smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound
65. A dog’s smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human’s which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human’s.
66. Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape
67. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill
68. George Washington had thirty six dogs – all foxhounds – with one named Sweetlips
69. All dogs are identical in anatomy – 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth
70. Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds
71. Female dogs are only ready to mate – “in heat” – twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days
72. Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks
73. Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star and he really signed his movie contracts – all 22 of them – with a pawprint
74. The Wizard of Oz’s Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry
75. Up until the late 1800’s, Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs
76. Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people
77. The longer a dog’s nose, the more effective it’s internal cooling system
78. An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches
79. U.S. Customs dogs “Rocky” and “Barco” were so good at patrolling the border that Mexican drug lords put a $300,000 bounty on their heads
80. Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves
81. Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertal offspring
82. Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups
83. Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology
84. Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they’re born
85. Dogs’ sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human’s
86. Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
87. The earliest dog fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
88. Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously
89. Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.
90. The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes
91. Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws
92. All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock – from 3 month old puppies, all the way up to thirteen year old poodles
93. A dog’s heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute
94. The oldest dog on record – a Queensland “Heeler” named Bluey – was 29 years, 5 months old
95. Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport
96. Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen
97. Dogs live 15 years on average
98. Many foot disorders inn dogs are simply an issue of long toenails
99. More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year
100. More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog
101. Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees
102. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care
103. Dogs are natural pack animals
104. They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status – human or canine
105. Dogs instinctively require the pack leader’s approval
106. Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don’t make good pets
107. The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered
108. After birth, puppies’ eyes do not fully open until they’re about 12 days old
109. Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month