Most human beings love animals and especially dogs, those companions who are so intelligent, loyal and friendly, that they have earned enough merit to be considered man’s best friend. Among the curiosities of dogs, we have to Since ancient times they have coexisted with the human race, being a help not only as a workforce, but also offering love and comfort. There are even dogs in literature; It is full of wonderful stories about them. As owners or lovers of these animals, we have surely tried to have the most information about dogs and in this case we want to know the best curious facts about dogs, which will make you love your pet even more. Join us!
30 Curiosities about dogs that you should know
1. Your most distant ancestor
We begin this tour of the best curious facts about dogs, telling you about their oldest ancestor, whose existence dates back about forty million years ago. It was an animal called «Miacis» very similar to a weasel. The Miacis lived in trees and burrows. From this first ancestor comes Tomarctus, which is the direct ancestor of the genus called «canis» which includes not only dogs, but also wolves or jackals.
2. His way of sweating
The next among the curiosities of dogs is that they They do not have sweat glands spread throughout their skin like humans. Dogs sweat through the pads on their limbs. These contain groups of cells that are what cause excess heat to be lost from the body. In addition, dogs also eliminate excess heat and water vapor through panting and tongue, which is why it is sometimes said that dogs «sweat through their tongue.»
3. A peculiar skeleton
Another curious fact about dogs is that, to have greater flexibility when running, the dog’s shoulder blades are not joined to the rest of the skeleton through the clavicle, but rather The humerus fits directly into the shoulder socket.
4. Be careful not to clean the puppies
If your dog family grows, pay attention to this fact: if a dog has had puppies by cesarean section, it is important not to clean them excessively, since it has been proven that If they are cleaned, in many cases they are rejected by the mother.
5. His powerful sense of smell
Among the most notable dog curiosities are those that refer to the powerful canine sense of smell: some dogs are able to smell corpses underwater, detect lung cancer through breathing, natural gas deposits more than 12 meters underground or the hiding place of termites. Simply incredible.
6. Helpless puppies
Another curious fact about dogs that not everyone knows is that they are extremely helpless when they are newborns. Indeed, puppies are adorable, but it is important to have information about dogs when they are little: They are born blind, deaf and without teeth.
7. The Holy Dog
There is a dog that was «holy.» He is known as Saint Guinefort and was the patron saint of children in some places in Europe.. If you want to know the complete story about him you can read the post about him: Saint Guinefort, the Dog who was a Saint.
8. A powerful touch
Due to the above fact, Touch is the first sense that puppies develop. Their entire body, including their legs, have nerve endings that are sensitive to touch. So you already know it when dealing with his cute little paws.
9. The custom of docking the tail
Another curious fact about dogs has to do with the ugly habit of amputating their tails. Historians believe that this tradition comes from the 1st century BC. Since, as the Roman writer Lucius Columella explained, it was believed that cutting the tails of dogs was a preventative against rabies.
10. Guide dogs
And this is one of our favorites among the curious facts about dogs. Nowadays we are used to seeing guide dogs, but It was not until the end of World War I that the German government trained the first guide dogs to help soldiers. who had lost their sight in the fight.
11. A powerful ear
Another of the curiosities of dogs is also linked to their senses. In fact, the canine ear has the ability to listen to sounds that occur at a distance 4 times greater than those heard by a person.
12. Muscular ears
And one of the curious facts about the funniest dogs: to move their ears A dog can use more than eighteen muscles.
13. The smallest dog
There are many breeds of dogs that are distinguished by their intelligence, their friendly nature or their special qualities. But there is one little dog that stands out. How tall do you think the smallest dog on record was? He was a Yorkshire Terrier that measured little more than a matchbox: 6.3 cm from the shoulder to the ground.. and from the nose to the tail 8.8 cm. Its weight was 113 grams.
14. How many dogs are there in the world?
One of the most basic dog curiosities: do you know how many dogs there are estimated to be in the world? More than 400 million!
15. The footprint of the dogs
Just like people have fingerprints, Dogs have an impression of their nose that is unique to each of them. and can be used to identify them.
16. How do dogs see?
One of the most controversial curious facts about dogs is related to their sense of sight. It is a myth that dogs see in black and white. Dogs see in color, however scientists believe that the colors they distinguish are similar to those detected by a human being suffering from color blindness.
17. The oldest dog
We add to this list of curious facts about dogs, the reference to the oldest dog in the world. The dog that has lived the longest was Bluey, a Australian shepherd dog who lived 29 years and five months. If we transfer it to human age, Bluey reached approximately 160 years old.
If this topic interests you, don’t miss: how many years is equivalent to a dog year.
18. Zootherapy
Another curiosity about dogs is that since 1792 they have been used in Zootherapy. Zootherapy is the use of pets as an aid in conventional therapies. Although it has defenders and detractors, it has been scientifically proven that while the owner is petting his dog, his blood pressure drops.
19. The biggest dog
And just as we told you about the smallest dog in the world, there is also the largest dog on record. His name was Zorba and he was an English mastiff. He was 2.2 meters tall and weighed 155 kilos. He died in 2009.
20. The most expensive dog in the world
And although dogs are living beings, pets and family, and we should gradually lose the habit of buying and selling them, the reality is that there is a strong canine market. In it, The most expensive dog in the world was sold in 2014. It was a Tibetan mastiff and reached the scandalous figure of almost 2 million dollars.
21. The curious mini sausage
We add to the curious facts about dogs, the peculiarities of the sausage. In this breed there are two varieties: the standard and the mini dachshund or miniature dachshund. The measurement is usually between 13 and 18 centimeters and its weight between 3.5 and 5 kilos.
22. The origin of the controversial Pitbull
«American pitbull» dogs are considered to be the origin of the different types or bloodlines of dogs called pitbulls. As a curiosity, we will tell you that in the US, studies have been done to see which dog is most attached to: the best is the Golden Retriever and the worst is the Pit Bull.
23. The Japanese dog
We add to the curious facts about dogs the curious and cute dog Akita or Akita Inu, originally from Japan. As a curiosity we will tell you that despite all the wonderful stories about specimens of this breed of dog, The Akita dog is considered by insurance companies as a «potentially dangerous dog» and make their owners pay expensive policies. The main reason is that its bite is very powerful since the jaw has a shape called «scissors» and cannot be opened from the outside until the dog wants.
24. A dog that doesn’t bark
And we continue with the curiosities of dogs, this time telling you about the Basenji, a dog that does not bark. It’s not that he lacks vocal cords. His problem is that he has his larynx in a different position than the rest of the dogs. So It is only capable of emitting a kind of yodeling and sounds similar to chuckles.
25. Another very small breed
And if very small dogs are your thing, this is the ideal one for you. It is one of the four types of poodle or French poodle. The mini toy French poodle is one that measures less than 28 cm from its withers. However, according to experts, it is not the best option when there are small children in the family since the mini toy French poodle bites when it is afraid and can interpret hugs as aggression.
26. They decipher expressions
Another of the curiosities of dogs is that they are, according to scientists, the only animals capable of reading the emotions in their humans’ faces.
27. The hungriest
And now it is the turn of the hungriest of the dogs. These are the peculiar Labradors, who owe their excess appetite to a mutation in the POMPC gene. This mutation hinders the production of the chemical substance that, from the brain, warns that one is no longer hungry after a meal. So if you have one in your family, you know that they will eat up your big food budget.
28. The strong Doberman
Another curious fact about dogs has to do with the origin of Dobermans. This is a breed that was created by a German tax collector named Louis Dobermann. His goal was to create a dog that combined strength, loyalty and intelligence.
29. The “Beware of the Dog” sign
And among our favorites among curious facts about dogs is the origin of the sign that warns about them. They were invented in ancient Rome, and in their first versions they were mosaics.
30. They are good students
And we close our trip with the most interesting facts about dogs, telling you that they are usually very good students. In fact, They are capable of learning between 200 and 500 words, and their intelligence can be compared to that of a small child.
Did you know these curiosities about dogs? Do you know any more? Share it with us! We hope this information about dogs has been useful to you. If you were interested in this article, you may want to read the post about who is more intelligent, dogs or cats. And if what you want is a little more canine inspiration, don’t miss this adorable selection of the cutest dog phrases.