Your dog is your best friend but there’s a lot you might not know about him! Whether your dog is young or old, these fun facts about dogs will give you 101 new reasons to love your furry friend:
- Puppies love games such as hide and seek! Hide, then call your pup’s name so she can try to find you.
- Dogs can learn more than 1000 words.
- Big happy “helicopter” tail wagging is one sign of a really nice dog
- Upright, stiff, rapid tail movement is not wagging or “friendly” but indicates a dog who’s rather excited and focused.
- Puppies grow to half their body weight in the first four to five months!
- Puppies then take a year or more to gain the other half of their body weight.
- Puppies can sleep 18 to 20 hours a day during that rapid body growth phase.
- Dogs sometimes appear to smile — much like humans — with open mouth grinning. This may indicate a relaxed, submissive state.
- Tired puppies get cranky just like little kids. If you have a fussy puppy, try nap time.
- The fastest breed, the Greyhound, can run up to 44 miles per hour.
- Perky-eared dogs hear sounds better than floppy-eared dogs.
- There are about 400 million dogs in the world.
- The Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed, according to the American Kennel Club.
- There are hundreds of breeds of dogs.
- The average dog lives 10 to 14 years.
- In general, smaller breeds live longer than larger breeds.
- The world’s oldest breed, the Saluki, originated in Egypt around 329 B.C.
- According to a study shared by Cornell University, dogs were domesticated between 9,000 and 34,000 years ago.
- Thomas Jefferson helped enact a dog tax in Virginia, because he was annoyed that dogs were killing his sheep.
- Stroking dogs and gazing into their eyes releases the “feel good” hormone oxytocin for both people and dogs.
- Dogs are omnivores — they eat meat, grains and vegetables.
- The heaviest breed, the Mastiff, weighs about 200 pounds.
- More than half of all U.S. presidents have owned dogs.
- President Calvin Coolidge owned at least a dozen dogs.
- Just like human fingerprints, no two dogs’ nose prints are alike.
- At about 6 inches, the Chihuahua is the shortest breed.
- Irish Wolfhounds, the tallest breed, are 30 to 35 inches tall.
- A Russian dog named Laika was the first animal in space, traveling around Earth in 1957.
- Dogs who bark the most: Miniature Schnauzers, Cairn Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers, Fox Terriers and West Highland White Terriers.
- Puppies have 28 teeth and adult dogs have 42.
- The best age to bring a puppy home is 8 to 12 weeks.
- Dogs can see best at dawn and dusk.
- Dogs aren’t colorblind but their eyes don’t have receptors for red. They see in shades of black and white and also in shades of blue and yellow.
- New puppies have heat sensors in their noses to help find their moms while their eyes and ears are closed.
- A dog’s sense of smell is reduced by up to 40 percent when he’s overheated and panting.
- Highly trainable dog breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Collies are more kid-friendly than some other breeds.
- Bichons, Portuguese Water Dogs, Kerry Blue Terriers, Maltese and Poodles are all good choices if you have allergies since they shed less than other breeds.
- More than one in three U.S. families owns a dog.
- The average number of puppies in a litter is four to six.
- There are nearly 14,000 animal shelters and rescue groups across North America.
- Service dogs are recognized in the U.S. as “necessary medical equipment.”
- Therapy dogs, who bring healing to individuals and families by visiting hospitals,
schools or retirement homes, differ from service dogs, who assist individuals who have disabilities. - The Newfoundland has a water-resistant coat and webbed feet.
- As Disney’s Cruella De Vil was aware, Dalmatian puppies are born pure white and develop spots as they grow older.
- Dogs sweat through the pads of their feet.
- Dogs have three eyelids, including one to keep their eyes moist and protected.
- Chow Chows are born with pink tongues, which turn blue-black at 8 to 10 weeks.
- Dogs are pack animals — they don’t enjoy being alone.
- In ancient China, people kept warm by putting dogs up their sleeves.
- Dogs who have been spayed or neutered live longer than intact dogs.
- A bloodhound named Tigger holds the record for the longest ears, each measuring more than 13 inches.
- Bingo is the name of the dog on the box of Cracker Jacks.
- In 1969, Lassie was the first animal inducted into the Animal Hall of Fame.
- The Alaskan Malamute can withstand temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero.
- Petting a dog can lower your blood pressure.
- Stray dogs in Moscow have learned to ride the subway to find food.
- Over half of dog owners include their dogs in annual holiday photos.
- Although it was once illegal to keep dogs as pets in Iceland’s capital city, the laws have been relaxed.
- President Lyndon Johnson’s beagles were named Him and Her.
- One unspayed female dog, her mate and their puppies can produce 67,000 puppies in six years.
- The Basenji is the only barkless dog.
- Dogs are direct descendants of wolves.
- Puppies are blind, deaf and toothless when born.
- Dogs curl up to keep themselves warm and protect vital organs.
- A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times stronger than a human’s.
- The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog with six toes on each foot.
- Dogs can get jealous when their humans display affection toward someone or something else.
- Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases in humans.
- A dog’s whiskers are used as sensing devices.
- Three of the 12 dogs on the Titanic survived.
- Your pup reaches his full size between 12 and 24 months.
- The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.
- Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star.
- A dog’s average body temperature is 38.4 degrees.
- Many foot disorders in dogs are caused by long toenails.
- The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care.
- The Berger Picard, Miniature American Shepherd and Lagotto Romagnolo are the newest dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2015.
- Paul McCartney of the Beatles recorded a high pitched whistle at the end of “A Day in the Life” for his dog.
- Max, Jake, Maggie and Molly are the most popular dog names.
- Spiked dog collars were used to protect dogs’ throats from wolf attacks in ancient Greece.
- Walt Disney’s family dog — named Sunnee — was the inspiration behind “Lady and the Tramp.”
- Teams of dogs compete for the fastest time without errors in Flyball races.
- A German Shepherd named Orient accompanied her blind owner Bill Irwin as he became the first blind person to through-hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail in 1990.
- Chihuahuas are born with soft spots in their skulls, just like human babies.
- Mastiffs wore armor and were sent after mounted knights in Roman times.
- National Geographic’s Dr. Brady Barr measured a dog’s average bite force at 320 pounds of pressure per square inch.
- Dogs are mentioned in the Bible more than 35 times.
- Obesity is the top health problem among dogs.
- Dachshunds were originally bred to fight badgers.
- President Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Terrier Pete ripped the pants off French Ambassador Jules Jusserand.
- The Border Collie, Poodle and Golden Retriever are considered the world’s smartest dog breeds.
- Smaller breeds of dogs mature faster than larger breeds.
- Dogs have twice as many muscles to move their ears as humans, if you’re looking for unusual facts about dogs!
- Female dogs carry puppies for about nine weeks before birth.
- Dogs are naturally submissive to any creature with a higher pack status.
- The Chihuahua was named for the state in northwestern Mexico where they were discovered.
- Dogs can be taught to count and solve simple math problems.
- With love and a little patience, dogs can learn to walk backwards, salute and bow.
- Pit bulls have been given a bad rap. BADRAP was started in the San Francisco Bay area on behalf of “pit bulls and their people” and was ranked nationally as a No. 1 high-impact nonprofit for animal welfare.
- Revolutionary War soldiers sometimes brought their dogs with them into battle. Such was the case with George Washington and his dog, Sweetlips.
- The American Water Spaniel was the first hunting breed developed to retrieve from boats.
By freelance writer Sandy Wallace