If you have a dog, you might be surprised by some of the things you don’t know about your furry friend. Keep reading to learn more fascinating tips about dogs.
1. Sense of Smell
Most people know that dogs have a better sense of smell than we do. But did you know their sense of smell is more than 40 times stronger than ours?
The part of the brain in dogs that detects various smells is much larger than ours. So, your dog is aware of many smells that you aren’t. This is why dogs are often trained to smell for drugs and other contraband.
Also, our dogs tend to smell fear or mood changes. So if you’re stressed as you are getting ready to go on a business trip, your dog will probably pick up on the difference in your smell.
The next time you want to surprise your dog with a new collar or accessory, they may smell the new item before they see it!
2. Dogs Don’t Have A Strong Sense Of Taste
Dogs can beat humans with their smell and hearing. But they only have about 15% of the number of taste buds we have. This is why a dog will eat rotting food almost as fast as their favorite dog food or treat.
Their tendency to eat almost anything is related to their evolution from wolves, where they needed to eat all kinds of things in the wild to survive.
3. Some Dogs Can Smell Medical Issues
We’ve established that dogs have a fantastic sense of smell. That’s why there are dogs that have been trained for medical detection. These dogs may be used to check people for a particular health problem, including COVID-19.
One dog won an award a few years ago because it alerted the owner of changes in her blood sugar that were life-threatening.
4. Dogs Do Sweat
Dogs have sweat glands, but they don’t sweat in the same areas we do. Humans sweat to get cooler, but dogs produce an oily substance that is hard for us to smell.
The only area where dogs sweat as we do is on the paws. Have you ever noticed your dog’s feet can smell like corn chips? That’s dog sweat! A foot bath might be in order for your pup if the odor becomes a problem.
5. Dogs Can Be Left or Right Pawed
Humans tend to favor the right or left hand, but did you know dogs are like us? Most dogs have a preferred paw that they lead with. You can learn if your dog favors the right or left foot by giving them their favorite toy. The paw they use to reach for the toy is their dominant side.
6. Dogs Hear Better Than We Do
Dogs hear sounds at higher frequencies than humans, which is why a high-pitched dog whistle gets their attention but not ours.
But their hearing superiority goes further than that. They also can hear sounds much further away than we can. Most dogs can hear sounds that are a lot softer, so they might hear something hundreds of feet away that we can’t.
7. Every Dog Nose Is Different
Your dog’s nose is like a human fingerprint, in that every one of them is different. Every dog’s nose has particular creases and ridges. So next time you see your dog, admire their nose – it’s unique!
Dogs are some of our favorite animals on the planet. Now that you know more unusual things about your furry friend, you might appreciate her more than you did before.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
