55 Fun Facts About Dogs

Do our four-legged friends really see in black and white and what does it actually mean when they’re wagging their tails? Check out some of these interesting and far-out facts about dogs.

1. Dogs don’t feel any guilt! Hmmmmm….watch and you be the judge.

2. It pays to be a lap dog. Three dogs (from First Class cabins!) survived the sinking of the Titanic – two Pomeranians and one Pekingese.

3. Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands

4. Wow, check out those choppers! Puppies have 28 teeth and normal adult dogs have 42.

5. Chase that tail! Dogs chase their tails for a variety of reasons: curiosity, exercise, anxiety, predatory instinct or, they might have fleas! If your dog is chasing his tailexcessively, talk with your vet.

6. Seeing spots? Or not… Dalmatian puppies are pure white when they are born and develop their spots as they grow older.

7. Dogs do dream! Dogs and humans have the same type of slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) and during this REM stage dogs can dream. The twitching and paw movements that occur during their sleep are signs that your pet is dreaming

8. No night vision goggles needed! Dogs’ eyes contain a special membrane, called the tapetum lucidum, which allows them to see in the dark.

9. Pitter patter. A large breed dog’s resting heart beats between 60 and 100 times per minute, and a small dog breed’s heart beats between 100-140. Comparatively, a resting human heart beats 60-100 times per minute.

10. If your dog’s acting funny, get out the umbrella! According to a Petside.com/Associated Press poll, 72% of dog owners believe their dog can detect when stormy weather is on the way.

11. It’s not a fever…A dog’s normal temperature is between 101 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

12. Is something wet? Unlike humans who sweat everywhere, dogs only sweat through the pads of their feet.

13. Here’s looking at you. Dogs have three eyelids, an upper lid, a lower lid and the third lid, called a nictitating membrane or “haw,” which helps keep the eye moist and protected.

14. Americans love dogs! 62% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 72.9 million homes

15. Move over Rover! 45% of dogs sleep in their owner’s bed (we’re pretty sure a large percentage also hog the blankets!)

16. Why are dogs’ noses so wet? Dogs’ noses secrete a thin layer of mucous that helps them absorb scent. They then lick their noses to sample the scent through their mouth.

17. Yummy! Dogs have about 1,700 taste buds. Humans have approximately 9,000 and cats have around 473.

18. Watch that plate of cookies! A Dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 – 100,000 times more acute as that of humans.

19. It’s not so black and white. It’s a myth that dogs only see in black and white. In fact, it’s believed that dogs see primarily in blue, greenish-yellow, yellow and various shades of gray.

20. Did you hear that? Sound frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz). The higher the Hertz, the higher-pitched the sound. Dogs hear best at 8,000 Hz, while humans hear best at around 2,000 Hz.

21. Express yourself. Dogs’ ears are extremely expressive. It’s no wonder! There are more than a dozen separate muscles that control a dog’s ear movements.

22. Growing up. While the Chow Chow dogs are well known for their distinctive blue-black tongues, they’re actually born with pink tongues. They turn blue-black at 8-10 weeks of age.

23. Why do they do that? When dogs kick after going to the bathroom, they are using the scent glands on their paws to further mark their territory.

24. No, it’s not just to make themselves look adorable. Dogs curl up in a ball when they sleep due to an age-old instinct to keep themselves warm and protect their abdomen and vital organs from predators.

25. Breathe easy. In addition to sweating through their paw pads, dogs pant to cool themselves off. A panting dog can take 300-400 breaths (compared to his regular 30-40) with very little effort.

26. ‘Frito Feet’ is the name of the phenomenon in which the bacteria on a dog’s paws cause them to smell like corn chips. Because a pup’s feet are in constant contact with the ground, they pick up tons of microorganisms in their paws. When dogs cool off by sweating through the pads of their feet, the combo of moisture and bacteria releases a nutty, popcorn-like aroma. Basically it’s dog B.O.

27. Spiked dog collars were invented in ancient Greece and were originally designed to protect dogs throats from wolf attacks.

28. Hyenas aren’t actually dogs. They are more closely related to cats.

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29. The wetness of a dog’s nose is essential for determining what direction a smell is coming from.

30. Seeing eye dogs pee and poo on command so that their owners can clean up after them. (The command is usually “Get busy!” and pups will pace back and forth until they do their business.) Male dogs are also trained to do their business without lifting their leg.

31. The Beatles song “A day in the Life” has an extra high-pitched whistle, audible only to dogs. It was recorded by Paul McCartney for the enjoyment of his Shetland sheepdog.

32. Two stray dogs in Afghanistan saved 50 American soliders. A Facebook group raised $21,000 to bring the dogs back to the US and reunite them with the soldiers.

33. Dogs don’t enjoy being hugged as much as humans and other primates. Canines interpret putting a limb over another animal as a sign of dominance.

34. Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five and can perform simple mathematical calculations. The average dog is as intelligent as a two-year-old child.

35. Dogs can be beneficial additions to the lives of children with Autism. Trained dogs can lessen the child’s tendency of aggressiveness and give them a sense of independence.

36. The Prairie Dog is actually part of the squirrel family. Early settlers named them after canines because their calls sounded like barking dogs.

37. In Palding, Ohio, it is legal for a police officer to bite a barking dog to keep it quiet.

38. Legacy pets: In the United States, about 1 million dog owners have named their pets the primary beneficiary in their wills.

39. In ancient China, people used to keep warm by putting dogs up their sleeves.

40. The phrase “It’s Raining Cats and Dogs” was born in Germany in the 17th century. When storms flooded the streets, dogs and cats were often pulled into the currents.

41. Call them the biters! Female dogs bite double the amount of males.

42. The oldest in-tact fossilized remains of a pet canine dates back 33,000 years. It was discovered in Siberia in the 1970s.

43. Basset Hounds have the longest ears out of any other dog breed. Many measure between 7 and 10 inches long.

44. As per the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s smallest dog, a Yorkshire Terrier from Great Britian, weighed a teeny-tiny 4 ounces at age two.

45. Walt Disney’s family dog was a Poodle named Lady.

46. Puppies are born without teeth and eyesight. They’re also born deaf.

47. For the first 10 days of their lives, Dalmatians’ spots are only visible on their skin under the fur. Then the spots emerge.

48. The seeds of apples and pears should be kept away from dogs. Their composition includes arsenic, which could kill your dog.

49. Dogs are not colorblind. They are able to detect color in their vision, just not as vividly as humans.

50. Dogs have feelings, too! Canines show agitated behavior when they see other dogs getting treats while they are left in the dust.

51. It is illegal to keep a dog as a pet in Iceland.

52. In the Harry Potter series, Hagrid’s dog, Fang, was a Neapolitan Mastiff- a breed that almost became extinct after WWII.

53. Dogs who live in cities tend to live, on average, 3 years longer than dogs from the country.

54. Dogs’ sense of hearing can reach four times the distance of humans.

55. A dogs’ first sense to develop is touch.