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Fun and Surprising Facts about Dogs

July 13, 2021

We all know dogs are pretty amazing, right? Not only do they make incredible pets, but we think they’re fascinating animals in their own right too.

We’ve put together this list of amazing facts about dogs and puppies so you can learn a little bit more about your furry friend.

Check it out - we bet some of these weird facts about dogs will really surprise you!

1. Dogs can breathe in and out at the same time

Ever tried doing that? It’s physically impossible for humans to do this, but dogs can do it easily. They are able to continuously circulate air, which allows them to sniff continuously too.

This is great news for dogs, since smelling and detecting different odors is such an important part of their behavior.

2. Dogs smell in 3D

Wait, what? You likely know that the human brain uses two slightly different images from our two eyes to create a 3D understanding of the world around us.

Amazingly, dogs’ noses work the same way. They are able to detect separate smells in each nostril, and use this information to create a more detailed understanding of their environment.

3. Some dogs can run up to 45mph

Do you have a greyhound at home? If so, then you’re probably familiar with just how fast they can run when given the opportunity.

Greyhounds can reach a top speed of around 45mph within just seconds of starting to run - pretty incredible, right?

They are also able to keep up this pace for miles. Although the cheetah is the fastest land animal (running up to 70mph), they can only sustain this speed for around 30 seconds.

This means that over a longer distance, you can be sure that in a race between a cheetah and a greyhound, the latter would win!

4. Dogs can hear 4x the distance of a human

This is because they can pick up much quieter sounds than we can, which means they can hear from much further away too.

They also have 18 muscles in their ears and can move them in order to hear even better.

5. Your dog’s nose print is unique

Just like our fingerprints, each dog has a completely unique nose print that can be used to identify them.

So if you have several dogs at home and one keeps getting up to mischief, there’s always the possibility of catching the culprit by dusting for their nose print!

6. Dogs really can smell fear

The average dog can smell 100,000 times better than humans. This means they can pick up tiny changes in smells around them that we simply wouldn’t notice.

One of the smells they can pick up is that of sweat caused by nervousness or fear - even if it is only a small amount.

This means they really can tell when somebody is feeling scared or anxious.

7. Dogs have been around for a really, really long time

Scientists believe that the first dogs lived around 30,000 years ago. They would have most resembled the modern husky dog.

Other breeds of dogs have also been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, showing that they have been living in close proximity to humans for thousands of years.

8. Dogs can smell sickness

Dogs have been trained to detect epileptic fits by smell, which makes them an excellent support dog for some epilepsy sufferers.

They are also able to detect cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and even malaria.

In one study, dogs were able to identify with 70% accuracy children suffering from malaria simply by smelling their socks.

9. Dogs can make you more likable

In one study, men asking women for their phone numbers were 3 times more likely to be successful if they have a pet dog with them.

In another study, participants were asked to rank photographs of people on how happy, safe and relaxed they looked. When there was a dog in the photograph too, the participants consistently ranked those people more highly.

Scientists also showed that people are more likely to give to those asking for money on the street if they have a dog with them.

10. Nearly half of American dogs sleep in their owner’s bed

In a recent survey, 45% of owners admitted to letting their dogs share their beds with them every night.

70% of dog owners also said they always include their dog’s name when they sign a birthday or Christmas card.

11. Dogs only sweat in two places

You might be able to guess where - their paws and their nose.

Because dogs can’t sweat anywhere else on their body, they cool down by panting when they’re hot.

This is a really effective way of reducing their body temperature, which is why you’ve probably noticed your dog doing it a lot after a long walk in hot weather.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 10 favorite interesting facts about dogs.

We bet there were things about dogs you’d never heard before!

If you enjoyed reading these random dog facts, we think you’ll also enjoy these Jack Russell facts.